There are two golf courses in Austria that director Peter Jackson could have easily used as Lord of the Rings film locations for scenes set in the Elven Lands of Middle-earth. One of them is Golfclub Seefeld-Wildmoos, located on a wooded high mountain plateau near Innsbruck, this spectacular, unbelievably scenic track is a definite must-play when you’re in Austria. The other, gorgeous, green Golfclub Lech, meanders along a rocky alpine river, surrounded by towering mountain peaks and majestic waterfalls in the dreamy Zugertal valley, a stone’s throw from Lech, one of Austria’s most elegant ski resorts.

I had the great, good fortune of playing a couple of rounds at Golfclub Lech in early September. This fabulous course was the fifth stop on my “Best of the Alps” golf tour through Italy, France, and Switzerland. All the golf courses I played were located at resorts that are members of the Best of the Alps group, a conglomeration of 10 of Europe’s most prestigious ski and golf mountain destinations. Each one had its own distinct vibe, and I quickly discovered that not all mountain golf courses are the same, and I mean that in a good way! Here then is a quick peek at my time in Lech, Austria…

GOLFING IN LECH

At over 4900 feet above sea level, Golfclub Lech is Austria’s highest golf course and one of its most visually stunning. Designed by Diethard Fahrenleitner, one of Austria’s most talented course designers, Golfclub Lech is a golfing gem that flies under the radar because it’s located in an extremely mountainous area of the country much better known for winter sports like skiing.

Built in 2016, this beautiful track – with jaw-dropping views of Lech’s iconic Rote Wand (Red Wall) peak – sits on 19 hectares of relatively flat land along the banks of the aforementioned Lech river, which slices through the middle of the course. Bordered by quaint family farms and woodlands teaming with life, since opening, Golfclub Lech has quickly made a name for itself as one of Europe’s most scenic, and natural golf tracks.

“When we built this course it was important for us to not tamper too much with the beauty of the environment it interacts with, so we followed and respected the natural contours of the landscape, and didn’t move much earth,” says Golfclub Lech’s Chairman of the Board, Markus Kleissl, when I ask him about the thought process involved when building a golf course right in the heart of one of the alpine world’s most breathtaking locations.

Despite Golfclub Lech’s remarkable beauty, this not excessively long 9-hole jewel (4580 yards when played as 18) can still be a beast, with three back-to-back holes that have a lot of bite.

“Augusta has Amen Corner, and our course has what many people think is Austria’s Amen Corner, our third, fourth, and fifth holes that are a true test of a golfer’s skills. If you can get through this tough trio without too much damage, your scorecard and handicap will thank you,” Kleissl tells me with a grin just before I begin my round under blue skies, and a blazing early September sun.

Unfazed by Kleissl’s words of warning, I make my way to Golfclub Lech’s elevated first tee deck perched high above a verdant valley floor, with a magnificent alpine panorama of snow-capped mountains in the distance. After a very respectable drive, I realize the biggest obstacles golfers face on the first two holes (or “lochs” as they’re called in Austria) at Golfclub Lech are a few well-placed fairway and greenside bunkers, and a small stream which is at a decent distance away on the left. After a par and a bogey to start the day off, what could go wrong I think?

As I make my way to hole No. 3, Kleissl’s words begin to haunt me, and I immediately break a sweat when I realize I have to perfectly place a 230-yard drive down a very narrow fairway, with a stream on the left and thick forest on the right. Then if that goes well, I then have to execute a 140-yard approach shot onto a wafer-thin, narrow, elevated rectangular green with a wall of knee-high fescue behind it, over a river – and so, the praying begins. After a perfect drive, I lose the second shot in the deep rough backboard behind the green and walk away with a triple bogey.

My misery continues on No. 4, a 320 yard dogleg right par 4 that requires a drive over a long stretch of trees and bushes, and the Lech River. After what looks like an excellent drive, I find my ball unplayable, in a cluster of bushes next to the fairway, and end up with a double bogey. No. 5, another toughie, looks like a harmless 135 yard par 3, until you plunk the ball into the large pond to the left of the green, which thankfully I don’t do and walk away with a par.

Holes 6 through 9 take you further into Golfclub Lech’s beautiful alpine forest as you navigate up and down the mountain playing holes surrounded by giant pines, streams, and an unforgettably delightful waterfall next to the tee box on No. 7. When you’re playing this part of the course, you start to imagine scenes out of Lord of the Rings, will you see a group of hobbits, men, and elves discussing their fellowship? Is that Elrond chatting with Aragorn behind the green?

Golfclub Lech may be one of the most beautiful 9-holes tracks on the planet, and what it doesn’t possess in length, it amply has in character, charm, natural beauty, and a diabolical three hole stretch that will gut punch you if your A-game goes AWOL.

DINING IN LECH

On sheer numbers alone, Lech and the neighboring village of Zürs are a foodie’s paradise, as they possess the world’s highest concentration of award winning restaurants per capita. But sometimes you don’t have to go out to eat well, especially if you stay at a hotel with a top culinary team, and a reputation for exquisite fine dining, which is the case at the four-star Hotel Austria in Lech.

During my stay at Hotel Austria I had four unforgettable dinners with some of the most delicious culinary creations I’ve ever tasted thanks to Chef Marko Mylnek and his incredible team.

Each night the menu consisted of five-courses with lots of selection for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. Here are some of the most memorable dishes I enjoyed during my stay…

The star of night one’s menu was an absolutely scrumptious, crispy, fried prawn Wonton dumpling served on a bed of shredded leaks with a creamy sauce with hints of ginger. When I say I’d climb to the top of Lech’s Rote Wand peak over broken glass to have it again I’m not exaggerating. A close runner-up to the Wonton was Chef Marko’s fabulous take on one of Austria’s most famous desserts – Kaiserschmarrn – a delicate blueberry version, with melt-in-your-mouth pancake bits topped with just the perfect amount of icing sugar.

Generally speaking, for me – if it’s fried, it’s heaven – and this was the case on night two when Hotel Austria’s menu included a starter option made from fresh cream cheese from a nearby farm in Lech. Once in house, the cream cheese was hand rolled into a golf ball sized orb of perfection, coated in Panko bread crumbs, fried, and plated with walnuts, fresh figs, and fig chutney…OMG…soooooo ridiculously delicious!

Next up, after bowing my head and a quiet “Itadakimasu” thank-you in Japanese, I dove into one of the most delicious pieces of fish I’ve ever been served. A stunning salmon filet set on top of a bed of black lentils (which tasted like a vegetarian caviar) and carrots, with just enough miso and umami magic to make you think you were dining in Tokyo or Osaka. The glittering, crunchy iridescent skin on this fabulous little filet was also a virtual feast for the senses – top marks for  both visuals and taste here. And if this all wasn’t enough, dessert on night two was a hot & cold pear/apricot crumble served with homemade ice cream inside a caramel butter outer shell, what a way to finish off an incredible meal.

Night three’s menu began with popcorn…yes I said popcorn, which sat on top of a block of grilled, fresh, locally caught trout, encircled by a ring of raw honey coulis. Absolute genius, a starter so tantalizingly delicious it could be disguised as a dessert. For dessert on this night, a heavenly “Banofee” which kind of tasted like a banana pudding on a cookie pie crust with a dollop of homemade peanut butter ice cream on the side which was not overly peanut buttery, and that’s a good thing, so original, so delish.

On night four, a barrage of remarkable dishes starting with a marvelous, sweet and tangy pulled pork slider of sorts, served on a crispy, buttery, clam-like bread bun, followed up with a mouth-watering sweet paprika cream soup. The main course on this night was an exquisitely cooked piece of Arctic Char seasoned with miso, lemon, and nut butter (burnt butter) accompanied by kohlrabi (aka German turnip or turnip cabbage), which was amazing.

ACCOMODATION IN LECH

There are 10,000 guest beds available in Lech/Zürs, with accommodation for every sort of visitor, from everyday ski junkies to legendary princesses (Lech was Princess Diana’s favorite ski destination).

My selection criteria was related to golfing and dining, in that I wanted a hotel that was centrally located so I could wander into town to shop or have a drink, but not too far from the Golfclub Lech. Access to in-house fine dining was also important for me, as both of my tee times were late afternoon bookings, and I didn’t want to go out for dinner if I didn’t have to. I also love family-run hotels, so when I heard about Hotel Austria Lech, which has been owned and operated by the Strolz family since 1963, I knew it was the place for me.

This gorgeous, four-star, grand chalet style hotel has everything from rooms to entire apartments available for guests, with spacious indoor and outdoor lounges, bars, dining areas, and a large, elegant wellness facility called The Revatalium where you can book massages and treatments.

If solitary wellness chillouts are your thing, this hotel has a great gym, a fabulous pool, multiple whirlpools and saunas, and even a small pond to dip into during the summer months. If you’ve got the kiddies with you, Hotel Austria also has a separate children’s pool and waterfall play area, with a baby pool next to it.

Hotel Austria also has a very stylish bar and a very large and inviting lounge area that is a perfect 19th Hole for golfing visitors, with an excellent selection of single malt whiskies, a wide assortment of Austrian schnapps, and lots and lots of beer! As a devoted skier with a golfing obsession, my favorite spot for nightcaps after dinner was on one of the comfy sofas in front of the hotel’s wall of family photos, many of them vintage ski portraits and action photos of the hotel’s founder Georg Strolz from the 1960s and 1970s.

If you’re a horologist (lover or collector of clocks) Hotel Austria will also tickle your fancy as it’s home to Opa Georg’s (as his grandchildren call him) amazing collection of antique clocks which are on display all over the property, including a giant built-in wall clock with the motto “Life is Too Short Not to Have Time” inscribed above it in German in the main lobby. This type of personal touch is what is missing when we book into giant, corporate chain hotels these days, and it’s one of the reasons why I absolutely adored staying at this charming hotel nestled in the Austrian Alps.

Oh, and one last thing, for those of you who love big breakfast smorgasbords, the one at Hotel Austria is incredible…I highly recommend everything they have to offer, but most especially the hausgemacht (homemade) apricot jam someone added rosemary too – oh my goodness – genius!!!

OTHER FUN STUFF TO DO IN LECH

Golf is not the only summer activity you can indulge in when you’re visiting Lech. There are miles and miles of hiking and biking trails in the area, with guided tours you can book at the town’s tourist office, or even from most hotels (Hotel Austria had its own guided hiking tours available almost every day of the week while I was there). If you purchase a Lech Card (available at the tourist office and at most hotels) you can also ride the gondolas and hike and bike above the clouds.

If shopping is more your thing, I highly recommend Strolz, the large department store in the center of town where you can order custom ski boots. Lech also has a great selection of cafes, restaurants, and bars you can hit post-shopping.

Another great attraction in Lech is The Forest Swimming Pool located just outside town (5 minutes by car) on the way to the golf club. Opened in 2020 this very family friendly facility features a large swimming pool, an aquafit pool with bubble loungers and massage jets, a children’s pool, a baby pool, and a really fun wide wave slide. I dropped in for a noontime visit before playing golf and it was fantastic and very refreshing on a hot day…I highly recommend it!

If you’re an art lover, Lech has one of the coolest installations in the world, a light room called Skyspace designed by renowned American artist James Turrell. There are more than 80 Skyspace installations around the world, and Lech’s version is one of the highest ever constructed at almost 6000 feet above sea level.

Perched on a mountain peak in Oberlech high above town, Skyspace Lech is best visited one hour before sunrise or one hour after sunset during the summer months. You can hike to it or even get to it on skis in the winter, or book a guided tour with a local artist named Tom Vau (check out @tomvauadventures on Instagram to contact him).

I booked a guided tour with Tom, and after a short drive up the mountain into Oberlech, we hiked up to Skyspace at sunset and watched Turrell’s masterwork “mold the sky” through the hole in the retractactable dome on the roof “like clay” to echo the words of American Museum Curator Nancy Spector. Turrell’s Skyspace Lech is barely visible on the side overlooking the mountains of Germany on the distant horizon, as the building integrates seamlessly into the mountainside. Visitors (there is no charge but voluntary contributions are accepted) enter via a 30 foot tunnel into the building’s inner sanctum, which feels like a sacred space where land and sky coalesce. Once inside, you can stand or sit on a circumferential bench and gaze up at the sky, but what you see may end up being more than blue sky, clouds, or stars depending on when you visit, and your frame of mind.

“When you’re looking outside, at the sky above, sometimes you can also see and feel what’s inside yourself, and that’s the Skyspace experience in a nutshell,” Vau told me as we peered up into the heavens on a warm September night. I’m so happy I got to experience this wonderfully reflective, and original work of art while in Lech, it’s definitely worth your time when you visit.

MORE INFO ON LECH: 

Lech is part of the prestigious Best of the Alps group of luxury European ski & golf resorts. To find out more about Lech go to: www.bestofthealps.com or https://www.lechzuers.com/en.

For more information about playing at Golfclub Lech go to: https://www.golf-arlberg.at/en/home/

Lech has a wide assortment of hotels for every budget. For my visit, I chose the very golfer-friendly, four-star Hotel Austria Lech, located a 10-minute drive away from Golfclub Lech. For more information on this beautiful hotel go to: https://www.hotelaustria.com/en/home-summer/

Getting to Lech: Lech is easily accessible via train, bus, and car and is only a 2.25-hour drive from Zurich Airport or a 1.45-hour drive from Innsbruck Airport. For more information on how to get to Lech go to: https://www.lechzuers.com/en/arriving

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