Top 10 Golf Courses in Austria
Austria is not the first country that springs to mind for golf, but this is a miscalculation. The country holds roughly 160 courses and has been developing the sport with some seriousness since the late nineteenth century, when British and Austrian aristocracy established the first clubs in Vienna and the alpine resorts. The landscape offers conditions that northern European designers rarely get to exploit: dramatic mountain settings in the Alps and Tyrol, rolling forested hills in Lower Austria and Styria, and the flat but elegant terrain around Vienna and the Danube valley. Austrian golf tends to be impeccably maintained, efficiently run, and set against scenery that would embarrass most places that consider themselves golf destinations.
1. Fontana Golf Club, Vienna
Fontana, in the Vienna Woods southwest of the capital, is Austria's most prestigious and most consistently ranked course. Designed by a consortium including Donald Harradine and later revised, the layout occupies undulating woodland terrain with mature trees framing every fairway and an atmosphere that feels genuinely private and serious. The course has hosted the Austrian Open on the DP World Tour and played host to top professionals who invariably praise its conditioning and strategic variety. Fontana is private; visitor play requires an introduction or the good offices of a Vienna hotel concierge.
2. Golfclub Zell am See-Kaprun, Salzburg Region
Zell am See-Kaprun operates across two courses in the heart of the Austrian Alps, with the Zell am See layout being the main attraction. The setting is among the most spectacular of any course in Europe: surrounded by the Hohe Tauern mountains, with the Zeller See lake visible from multiple points on the course, the layout plays through alpine meadows and forest with views that consistently distract even experienced players. The club is accessible to visitors during the summer season, which runs from late April through October when snow permits.
3. GC Adamstal, Lower Austria
Adamstal, in the hills of Lower Austria, is frequently described as the finest course in the country by those who have played extensively across Austrian golf. Designed by Peter Harradine in the Ramsaugraben valley, the layout combines alpine character with measured strategic design, producing a course that is challenging without being penal and memorable without being gimmicky. The valley setting creates a sheltered microclimate that can extend the season marginally beyond more exposed mountain courses. Adamstal has hosted the Austrian Open and is the benchmark for Austrian course quality.
4. Golf Club Schloss Pichlarn, Styria
Schloss Pichlarn in Styria is a resort property combining a historic castle hotel with a golf course designed by the Enns river valley. The layout uses the natural undulation of the site with the Dachstein massif in the background, creating a course with genuine alpine drama alongside the resort amenities of the Schloss. Access is through the resort, making it one of the more accessible premium experiences in Austrian golf for visiting players.
5. Gut Murstätten Golf Club, Styria
Gut Murstätten, near Graz in Styria, is a parkland course set on a historic estate with mature trees and manicured conditions that reflect the seriousness with which the membership approaches the game. The course rewards accurate iron play, with fairways narrowed by established trees and greens that test the short game. Styria's mild climate makes it one of the longer-season regions in Austria. The club accepts visitors with prior contact.
6. Golfclub Kitzbühel, Tyrol
Kitzbühel is famous for the Hahnenkamm downhill ski race, but the Golf Club at Kitzbühel offers one of the more charming alpine golf experiences in Austria. The course sits in the valley below the town, with the Kitzbüheler Horn and Hahnenkamm forming the backdrop on clear summer mornings. The layout is not the longest or most demanding in the country, but the setting and the association with one of Europe's most celebrated alpine resorts give it a character all its own. Open to visitors during the summer season.
7. Golfclub Wien (Vienna), Vienna
The Golfclub Wien, in the Freudenau section of the Prater park in Vienna, has the distinction of being the oldest golf club in Austria, established in 1901. The flat parkland course within the city itself occupies historic ground, and while it is not the most challenging layout in the country, its longevity and urban setting give it a significance that newer mountain courses cannot replicate. Open to visitors, it provides an accessible introduction to golf in the capital.
8. Golfclub Linz-St. Florian, Upper Austria
The St. Florian course near Linz runs through agricultural and wooded terrain in Upper Austria, with the Baroque Stift St. Florian monastery visible from parts of the course. The layout is a sound parkland course with enough variety to hold the interest of visiting golfers spending a few days in the Linz region. Accessible to visitors through the club website.
9. Golfclub Salzburg (Eugendorf), Salzburg
The Salzburg Golf Club at Eugendorf is the best-positioned course for visiting golfers using Salzburg as a base for exploring the city and the surrounding lake district. The rolling terrain of the Salzburg plain gives the course a flowing character, with mature trees and the characteristic precision conditioning of Austrian club golf. The Salzburg region is an easy day-trip from Munich and Vienna, and combining a round at Eugendorf with a visit to Mozart's birthplace is a plausible and very Austrian holiday.
10. Golfclub Semmering, Lower Austria
Semmering, in the mountains above the Semmering Pass south of Vienna, is among the oldest resort golf destinations in Austria, with the area's grand railway hotels dating to the late nineteenth century. The course sits at altitude with mountain views and forest corridors, offering a refreshing alternative to the heat of the Vienna basin in summer. The Semmering season runs from May through October and the course is accessible to visitors.
Austria's golf season runs from late April through October at most courses, with alpine layouts at higher elevation opening closer to late May. Green fees are generally moderate by comparison with Germany, France, or the UK, and club courtesy is typically extended to visiting golfers from other national federations who can present a handicap certificate. Open the map to find Austrian courses for your next alpine golf trip.