18-hole course with fantastic views over snow-capped mountains.
Mountainous area yet the course lies on relatively flat terrain.
Length (in Meters)
5505 5280 4820 4650
Par
71
Visitors
Open April - Oct.
Visitors with green card welcome
Weekends: HCP 36 required
Green Fees
18 holes: G - H
Course Designer
Mario Verdieri
Location
30 minutes from Lucerne, 70 from Zürich & 90 from Basel
Basel-Chiasso motorway, Stans Süd exit, direction: Engelberg, signposted.
Facilities
• Restaurant Green Corner • Pro Shop / Carts for hire
• Driving Range / Pitching Green / Putting Green
• Andreas Prinzing Golf Academy
• 3-hole practice course
Engelberg-Titlis Golf Club nestles in the Swiss Alps at the end of the Engleberg Valley, on a flat piece of land crisscrossed by the Aare river, a 30-minute drive from Lucerne.
In summer, spectacular waterfalls can be seen from the course, and in early season you may even catch a glimpse of an avalanche as the snow melts above. At the height of summer a glacier can be usually be seen peaking out beneath the snow high above the far end of the course. Rest assured, no matter how you play, the scenery will make for an unforgettable round.
Due to the snowy conditions, the season is from May to October. While not the longest course at 5505 m, Par 71, the well-placed water hazards and penal rough make it play longer than the socrecard suggests, with the driver a risky choice on most of the par-4s.
The course opens and closes with somewhat humdrum par 3s, but there is plenty of stimulation in between.
The 2nd, a short par 5, offers long hitters the chance to reach in 2, but too much club on the approach could see the ball roll all the way to the back of the very long double green (with the 8th).
The course then crosses the river and players are invited to navigate the first of the course's several water hazards at the Par-3 3rd.
The 5th, another short par 5, is another test of the golfer's course management skills. Reachable in 2, the player must not go too long off the tee and end up in the stream that crosses the fairway, then decide whether to go for the raised green with an iron, or lay up in front for a straightforward chip. After that, a long par 3 bordering a pond awaits.
The tee of the par-5 7th sits under a spectacular sheer cliff face, popular with the local rockclimbers. From there the fairway heads up a hill to the highest point of the course, leaving a blind second shot to a sloping fairway that will send anything too far right off down into the rough. An aggressive line to the left can feed the ball to the green with a well-struck fairway wood or long iron, but OB waits for those who go too far left.
The par 3 8th is a wedge or a 9-iron over the river some 10 metres below the tee. Judging distance is difficult across the gaping river bank to the green below, which slopes quite steeply from back to front. Those who go past the hole will be faced with a testing downhill putt.
The 9th starts a string of four consecutive (somewhat short) par-4s, club selection is important as the water and trees punish anybody who shuns the generous landing areas and gets too greedy.
The par-5 13th crosses the river Aare twice as the fairway turns left and down to a green protected by yet another water hazard.
As you turned the dogleg, you may have noticed a large wood carving of an eagle, which is an invitation to have a go from the 14th tee.
At just 210m from the back tees, the 14th really should have been made into a difficult par-3, but instead it is an inviting par-4. The tee shot will have to carry the river and reach the green perched high on a massive riverbank, but a 3 is always on the cards.
A couple of moderate par-4s lead into the 400m par-4 17th. This hole is slight dog leg left, with the left side guarded by a large tree and an old stone wall. Long hitters will need to draw the ball around the tree to find the fairway, and set up a short iron approach to a small green.
The par-3 18th does not pose a particularly stern challenge as far as closing holes go, and it is a pity the routing does not allow the 17th to be last hole played.
Overall though, the course is an entertaining one that keeps golfers of all levels on their toes, and the setting more than rewards any golfer who makes the journey with breathtaking views. Peter Cavendish July 23, 2008
