There's more to golf in Switzerland than Crans-sur-Sierre. We pay a visit to Interlaken in the Bernese Alps.
There's more to golf in Switzerland than Crans-sur-Sierre. We pay a visit to Interlaken in the Bernese Alps
When it comes to golf courses in Switzerland, it's very much a case of quality over quantity.
There are less than 100 but many offer spectacular views of the country's famous lakes and mountains.
The one most know is Crans-sur-Sierre - host to this week's Omega European Masters - and Sky Sports viewers will be enjoying the wonderful scenery as well as the top-class golf on action at the European Tour's most idyllic venue.
Beyond Crans, though, knowledge of what Switzerland has to offer for golfers is sparse. When we think of a visit there, it's for skiing, right?
Well, think again.
How about a round of golf whilst looking up at the world-famous mountain panorama of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau?
That's what awaits at Interlaken golf course where the breathtaking backdrop of the Swiss Alps ensures one of the most picturesque rounds of golf you'll ever play.
I could keep waxing lyrical for but best to just
click on the gallery and see for yourself.
Redesigned in 2005, Interlaken also lies in the middle of a notable nature reserve which provides a habitat for a variety of wildlife. Oh, as well as fluttering waterfowl, you'll also see something else when your gaze keeps returning up towards those breathtaking mountains - paragliders. They swoop high over the course on a regular basis and add even more colour.
It's a hot and sunny early September morning when I arrive at the course and the decision to play off the white tees doesn't bother me too much when I look at the scorecard and see the total distance of 6,200. However, my playing partner reminds me we're in Europe so that means metres!
Hmmm, that puts a whole new slant on the 17th which now becomes a 230-yard par three.
The land is fairly flat here but with plenty of sneaky water in play it's a real challenge and requires plenty of strategy and thinking - not always easy to do when you're gawping up at those mountaintops.
Where to stay - Golf hotels
To encourage golfers to Interlaken, many of the local hotels situated within 10 minutes of the course offer special golf deals.
So while others in your group may be off up the mountains or enjoying a boat cruise on the two lakes (Thun and Brienz), we golf nuts can hit the fairways at a reduced rate.
The choice of accommodation is plentiful and caters for different budgets. Hotel Neuhaus Golf & Strandhotel sits right next to the course and offers a double room for around 70 Euro while at the other end of the scale there's the wonderfully elegant Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa.
This five-star establishment opened in 1865 and boasts 224 rooms, top-class restaurants, a spa with pool, sauna and steam bath and five tennis courts (as you'd expect in the land of Roger Federer).
Attractions
As well as golf and all the winter sports on offer (skiing, snowboarding, sledging and even igloo building if that counts as a sport), top of the "must-do" list whilst in Interlaken is the train ride up into the mountains on the Jungfrau Railway.
Europe's highest-altitude railway climbs to the giddy height of 11,330 yards (3,454 metres) and the views are quite sensational as you make your way up to the Jungfraujoch - Top of Europe.
"If you look to your right you'll see the North face of the Eiger," says our host Martin as we wind gently through the mountains.
Blimey. And there it is. A place so iconic we reference it in sarcasm - e.g. "Come on, climb up here and stop fussing. It's not exactly the North face of the Eiger."
It was Swiss industrial magnate Adolf Guyer-Zeller who had the audacious idea to blast a tunnel through the rock of the Eiger and Monch and construct a cogwheel railway to the Jungfrau summit. Construction began in 1896.
It's an amazing feat of engineering and at the top there's the Sphinx Observatory which provides vertigo-inducing (I'll vouch for that) panoramic views of the Alps and some amazing sculptures in the Ice Palace.
Boxing fans may remember that Vitali Klitschko and Kevin Johnson did a show bout up here ahead of their world title fight in December 2009.
On this particular day, new sporting ground is broken as golf takes centre stage.
I've travelled up the mountain with Richie Ramsay just three days before he defends his Omega European Masters title in Crans.
Richie is doing a photoshoot with his clothing sponsor Under Armour and is testing their new kit whilst hitting balls off the mountain.
An Under Armour banner has been unfolded out on the glacier and Richie is taking dead aim. After a few attempts just miss, he strikes a lovely seven-iron which arcs beautifully into the air before dropping down onto the edge of the canvas. Hit!
Richie then blazes a few drives out into the yonder and, despite my fear of heights, I have a whack too.
We head back down the mountain to experience more of the picture-book Switzerland that is Interlaken and there's one more thing I have to do... sneak a bar of Swiss chocolate into my golf bag ahead of tomorrow's round.
