Germany’s Best kept golf Secret – Der Oeschberghof Golf and Spa Resort
This trip definitely turned out to be the surprise of the year having already visited several top golf destinations Der Oeschberghof Golf and Spa resort came up trumps. Admittedly I was pleasantly surprised to discover a resort that meets all needs for discerning golfers. Then the reason could well be that Der Oeschberghof is privately owned and the brainchild of the of the Albrecht family, one of Germany’s wealthiest families who own the Aldi and Lidl supermarkets. The rest is self explanatory!.
My early morning flight from Heathrow to Stuttgart was hassle free and immediately on arrival was met resort’s comfortable Mercedes people carrier, a journey which took just over an hour. It was lunch time and I was already installed in my large luxurious room with a trendy modern bathroom, top of the range comfy king’s size bed and several much appreciated soft feather pillows. Leading off the small sitting room area was a large south facing balcony overlooking the golf course with views of surrounding Black Forest hills. However, the biggest surprise was discovering all mini bar items were FREE!! How thoughtful!
Once unpacked, the warm sunny weather soon enticed me to recce the golf centre about 100 yards from the hotel. First I headed for the Hexenweiher restaurant where there’s delightful al fresco eating and drinking area where golfers often congregate after golf and where we were dining that evening. Opposite is the spacious pro shop full of trendy golf outfits and top golf equipment, and also where tee times and buggies are booked. Nearby I noticed a large room full of yellow lock-up lockers for members and guests leave clubs and if needed, clubs are cleaned in readiness for next day’s play. There’s also a Course Masters office operated by several staff who are on constant call to monitor course and help people like myself unfamiliar with the course. Not far away are two large converted farmyard barns where the entire fleet of over a hundred and fifty pieces of expensive equipment is garaged and maintained by over 20 experienced groundsmen. Suitably attired I wondered over the indoor practice range of a row of small wooden lockable cabins adjacent to the outdoor practice range, pitch and putt and practice greens. Here I helped myself to couple of large baskets of range balls free for guests, and spent the next couple of hours contentedly hitting balls.
Ten years ago the Albrecht family built the first golf of two golf courses aptly called The Old Course and a small nearby hotel which initiated the now well established golf resort. This was followed by the opening of second course named the East Course and a later a luxury ultra modern five star hotel which was opened in May this year.
The first course we played was the Old Course which I found a joy to play and full of long wide undulating fairways some bordered by tall swaying trees and fast challenging greens. Definitely a pleasant golf experience even though some holes are deceivingly difficult and need thought provoking selection of clubs. Fortunately all buggies have helpful GPS enabling players to work out yardage, bunkers and blind dog legs. Another surprise followed when after our game we were guided to an enormous buffet laid on in the hotel’s dining room, which opens daily between 2.30 – 4.30 and free for hungry golfers – another thoughtful gesture.The following day we played the ‘new’ East course, another enjoyable golf experience and highly recommended despite cooler damp conditions but clearly the weather wasn’t a deterrent for another pleasant day of golf. Besides golf the resort has an enormous gym complete with state of the art equipment, a large indoor swimming pool and outdoor infinity pool, plus a spa and treatment centre – to keep all amused when not playing golf.
Der Oesberghof Golf and Spa resort definitely was another memorable experience that would also appeal to other discerning golfers who like me like enjoy trying out new golf destinations. For more information go to # info@Oeschberghof.com.