“Finally I understand this game. If the ball goes off to the right, you call it a ‘slice’, and when the ball goes left, it’s called a ‘hook’. If the ball goes straight, it’s a miracle!" Golf can be a game of passion and a daily fight to hit the right shot. You learn to be humble, to concentrate, and also how to play a very precise game. A similar sport to golf was enjoyed by the Chinese and the Japanese around 800 years before Christ. The first mention of the game of golf came in 1457 in Scotland under the rule of King James, but the first golf club was founded by the English in 1608. 1858 was the first time it was decided that a round of golf should be eighteen holes. It’s clear that golf is a game with a long tradition. Being accepted into a golf club can be a question of where you come from or a point of honour. Those who don’t want to commit to a club can apply for an ICG Golfcard, which enables you to play golf on over one hundred nine-hole courses without having to pay a fee.    

There are three golf courses in Munich: The game has been played at the ‘Münchener Golfclub’ in Thalkirchen since 1910. The tight courses demand a very precise game (www.muenchenergolfclub.com). The club has another 27-hole course in Straßlach-Hailafing. Here, there are two courses which are even playable throughout the winter during the bad weather. In Riem there is a lovely 9-hole course, a two-storey floodlit driving range and ample space to practise (www.golfzentrum-muenchen-riem.de). Here you can be taught to play properly in four weeks.

The ‘Eberle Golfparks’ in Johanneskirchen and Gauting (www.eberle-golf.de) have 6-hole courses which you can play on without having to belong to a club, for a good price and without a handicap.

Since 1989, the BMW International Open has taken place in the local area on the ‘München Eichenried’ golf course. There are three courses with nine holes as well as 27 fairways. An additional offer: Business Invitationals give companies the opportunity to have a go on the fairways and greens. At ‘Golfclub Aschheim’, the so-called ‘Bogey Golfers’ have looked after kids for years. Even children with a disability are integrated. The partner club in Ebersberg (www.gc-ebersberg.de) has an 18-hole course with a view of the Alps.

The ‘GolfRange’ in Germering (www.golfrange.de) has a 9-hole course and a large driving range with eighty tees. In Brunnthal, there is a branch. The nine-hole course at ‘Golfclub Dachau’ is situated in an idyllic spot on the River Amper at ‘Floßlände 1’. The 18-hole course at ‘Golf-Club Olching’ (www.golfclub-olching.de) is bumpy and requires a precise, short game.

For those who don’t fancy going out in the winter, the golf hall at Benediktbeurerstraße 22 is available. Here, you can play on world-renowned golf courses and train on the teeing grounds with electronic analysis devices thanks to simulators. In the ‘City Golf Centre’ at Leopoldstraße 250 or at Landstraße 60 in Freising as well as at the ‘Golfcentre Ismaning’ at Freisingerstraße 102, there are sheltered tees. The amount you pay depends on the number of balls you hit. The driving range in Grünwald on Oberhachingerstraße is open all year round, weather permitting.

by Karin Nagl