FAQ

What we are regularly asked about golf vacations in Austria:

Whatever you want to know about golf vacations in Austria, please ask us. The Golf in Austria vacation consultants will be very happy to answer your questions on the phone: +43 662 645153 or via e-mail: office@golfinfo.at!

My golf vacation in Austria
What is special about a golf vacation in Austria?

  • Many different golf courses for your choice in a relatively small area.
  • Warm and professional hospitality in the Golf in Austria hotels.
  • Golf courses with a high standard of care, beautifully inserted into nature.
  • Instead of being isolated in a resort, you will get to know the country and its people, Austrian customs, culinary delights and modern cultural facilities during your flexible golf excursions.
  • The Golf in Austria resorts are located in attractive vacation regions with a wide range of additional recreational activities.
  • Each Golf in Austria hotel meets quality criteria to provide the perfect golf services.
  • Every Golf in Austria golf course meets quality criteria to welcome guest players.

From which handicap can I play golf in Austria?

In the majority of Golf in Austria golf courses, the prerequisite for a round of golf (unaccompanied) is a valid course license. From which handicap (-54, -45 or -36) you may play on the respective Golf in Austria course, you will find in the detailed description of the golf course in this website. There are hardly any lower handicap restrictions in Austria. Your hosts at the Golf in Austria hotels will also be happy to advise you on which golf course best suits your needs.
The course maturity is necessary so that you endanger yourself and no one else on the golf course and so that a speedy flow of play can be guaranteed. Waiting for the next shot is something that golfers detest just as much as racing drivers detest traffic jams.

Am I welcome as a beginner on Austrian golf courses?

Yes, of course! All Golf in Austria hosts, both in the hotels and on the golf courses are happy about "new blood". Therefore, there are also special beginner offers and golf courses that are particularly suitable for beginners. The vacation is ideally suited to learn how to play golf. No distractions, friendly like-minded people and the wellness offer for the otherwise not so stressed muscles just one door away.

Are there sporty golf courses and international designer courses in Austria?

Austria is not Spain or Florida. Golf resorts by international designers that could be anywhere in the world are few and far between here. When you play golf in Austria, you have to get involved with the landscape, the environment, the people and the natural features. Golf courses like Achensee, Adamstal, Eichenheim, Millstätter See, Seefeld, Lengenfeld and all the other Golf in Austria facilities offer you a unique golfing experience that will stay with you forever. Many a Briton has been completely surprised by the good standard of maintenance of the Austrian golf courses. And don't worry, the sporting challenge of white is guaranteed on every Golf in Austria course.

Can I play golf in Austria without a club membership?

Guests of Golf in Austria hotels are of course always given preferential treatment. However, in Austria, as in all German-speaking golf countries, guest players must be members of some golf facility. There are some exceptions, however. At the 9-hole course of the GCs Lungau, for example, you do not yet have to have a golf membership.

What is the best way to reserve my tee times, where can I book tee times?

Your tee times will be very gladly reserved for you by the hosts at the Golf in Austria hotels. This is one of the many services that distinguishes the Golf in Austria hotels from other hotels with golf offers. Normally, you can be sure that you will be able to play all the golf courses you want in Austria during your vacation.

What kind of weather can I expect on a golf vacation in Austria?

Austria is located in a temperate climate zone in the transitional area between Atlantic and continental Central European climate. Spring, summer, autumn and winter show the typical temperature and climate characters.

In the west and north of Austria, the prevailing climate is oceanic, often characterized by humid westerly winds, which guarantees lush greens and fresh fairways even in hot summers. In the south and east, on the other hand, a more Pannonian-continental climate with low precipitation prevails, with hot summers and moderately cold winters.

The alpine topography strongly shapes Austria's regional climate. There are often considerable climatic differences within short distances and small differences in altitude. For example, the golf season on the Mieminger Golf Plateau or in the Zillertal - i.e. in the middle of the Alps - usually begins as early as March. The GC Seefeld-Wildmoos, on the other hand (12 km from Mieming and 54 km from the GC Zillertal), usually only offers optimal playing pleasure from the beginning of May, but then also uniquely high alpine at over 1,000 meters above sea level. In the east of Austria, for example on the two 18-hole courses of the GC Lengenfeld, you can usually play all year round.

Unique in the alpine region is that you can golf in spring and early summer already with temperatures around 20° in the valley, for example at the GC Zell am See-Kaprun, and at the same time ski or have a snowball fight in the polar climate at the glacier of the Kitzsteinhorn, 10 km away.

Due to the great differences in climate and weather in a very small area, you can almost always play very good golf on a golf course nearby during your golf vacation, even if rain is forecast. On the website "Golfwetter" you will always find the currently sunniest golf courses in Austria.

More information:
Wikipedia
Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik
Unwetterwarnzentrale

How do I make my arrival as stress-free as possible?

Many golf vacationers prefer to travel to Austria by their own car. This allows you to make the most of the flexible choice between the many different golf courses. And the excursions after the round of golf to the many sights and events always pay off.

Current reports on road conditions and possible traffic jam warnings can be found here:

ASFINAG
Ö3 Verkehrsservice

If you arrive by plane or train, many regions and some hotels offer a shuttle service. At Hotel Gut Weissenhof or Hotel Ebners Waldhof, for example, you can use the hotel's own vehicles for your (golf) equipment.

Austrian Airlines is Austria's largest airline and operates a worldwide route network. You can get information and book by phone here: Tel: +43 5 1766 1000.

International connections are available at the airports of Vienna Schwechat, Graz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Linz and Klagenfurt. There are daily domestic connections between these airports. In addition, the airports of Munich, Zurich, the Lake Constance Airport Friedrichshafen, Ljubljana and Bratislava are very suitable for a journey to Austria.

Österreichische Bundesbahnen
Aktuelle Bahnstreckeninfos
Austrian Airlines

Golf in Austria

How many golf courses are there in Austria?

There are 157 golf courses in Austria.
On Golfinfo.at you will find the detailed descriptions of the 60 golf courses that have declared themselves guest-friendly with a list of quality criteria. All other golf courses are listed in the detailed descriptions of the hotels for your information.

How long is the golf season in Austria?

The golf season in Austria begins in most regions in April and ends in November. However, many golf courses in eastern Austria are playable all year round. Even golf regions in the middle of the Alps, such as on the Mieminger Hochplateau or in the Zillertal, surprise with season starts in March. One of the most beautiful times to play golf in Austria is from September to (at least) mid-November. Frequent stable high-pressure weather conditions, golf courses in a perfect state of maintenance and culinary autumn offers in the hotels at very reasonable prices will inspire you!

How many golfers are there in Austria?

With 35% female golfers, Austria is one of the European golf destinations with the largest share of women. In total, the Austrian Golf Association recorded 103,225 golfers last year.

What does a round of golf in Austria cost, how much are the green fees in Austria?

On average, the green fee at an Austrian 18-hole golf course is €80 on weekdays and €85 on weekends and holidays. However, in very many regions there are practical Golf Cards, such as the Golf Alpin Card, the Alpe Adria Golf Card, the Golf Tour Card or the Kitzbühel Golf Card, with which you can play several golf courses at the lowest prices. You can buy these cards either at the golf partner hotels (all Golf in Austria hotels) or directly at the golf clubs. All Golf in Austria hotels offer green fee discounts for their guests after they are all golf partner hotels or partner hotels of at least one golf course.

What does a golf club membership cost in Austria?

Membership fees in Austrian golf clubs tend to be low by European standards. According to the KPMG survey from 2015, the average annual fee in Austria is €1,280. 90% of golf facilities have an annual fee that is lower than €2,000. In addition, guest-friendly golf courses often offer very affordable long-distance or vacation memberships. For beginners who first want to find out whether golf will actually become their favorite sport, a very good solution.

Little golfer ABC - what do these golf terms mean?

Albatross
Playing a hole in three strokes under par (usually occurs only on par-5 holes).

Ace
Also called a hole in one, the greatest stroke of luck is hitting the first shot into the hole on a par 3.

Bag/Golf bag
This is where you keep your clubs and equipment for the round of golf. Every golfer prefers to play with his own equipment. Safe storage is very important for every guest.

Birdie
Playing a hole with one stroke under par.

Bogey
Playing a hole one stroke over par.

Bunker
A sand-filled obstacle on the fairway and especially around the green. There are also grass bunkers, pits usually with tall, dense grass instead of sand.

Caddie
A person who carries a player's clubs during a round of golf. The bag carrier, usually the tour professional's constant companion, advises on club selection and helps with green reading. Caddie also means golf cart, see also trolley.

Carry
The pure flight distance of a ball without the rolled distance.

Cavity Back
The hollowed out back of the club head. This design moves club mass to the outside of the club head, which gives it better stability when hit with an awkward ball and, positively, gives the clubface consistent strength over the entire face.

Chip
Short and shallow approach shot to the green.

Chipping green
Practice green to practice chip shots in different positions and distances or to warm up before the round.

Club
Term for golf clubs and for a club for golfers. In order to play at most golf courses in German-speaking countries, golfers must be registered with a club.

Course Rating
The course rating determines the difficulty of a course so that the exact handicap can be calculated for the respective handicap.

Dimple
Round indentation in the surface of the golf ball. The up to 500 small dimples in the outer skin of the golf ball are used for lift and flight. The deeper the dimples, the flatter the trajectory.

Divot
Piece of turf that the golfer knocks out of the ground when hitting the ball. Not a bad habit, but a must to add backspin to the ball. The divot must be put back in place.

Draw
Shot in which the ball describes a slight curve in the air from right to left (for a right-handed golfer). Too much draw is called a hook.

Drive
A shot from the teeing area. The ball should make as much distance as possible.

Driving Range
Practice area for beginners and professionals to train and warm up before the round.

Eagle
Playing a hole two strokes under par.

Etiquette
Rules of conduct for golfers. Defined in the Rules of Golf by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, which also sets all the rules of golf.

Fade
Shot in which the ball describes a slight curve in the air from left to right (for a right-handed golfer). Too much fade is called a slice.

Fore
A warning call on the golf course when other players are in danger from a ball that has gone out of bounds.

Fairway
Short mowed fairway between tee and green, where the ball usually has a good playing position.

Flight
2, 3 or 4 players colloquially form a flight on the round. The correct term would be "group of players".

Girlie also ladies' tee or lady
A tee shot that doesn't make it past the ladies tee and costs the person who made it a round of drinks for their flight mates.

Greenfee
Fee to be allowed to play on someone else's course. Most GCs in Austria also require guests to present a club card with proof of handicap or course permission.

Handicap
Handicap that expresses the playing strength of an amateur golfer. A player with a handicap of 36 (the highest possible) may play a course with SSS 72 in 108 strokes and is then just as good as a player with a handicap of 20 who plays the course in 92 strokes. A handicap is acquired in so-called handicap tournaments.

Hole in One
..see "Ace

Honor
The player with the lower handicap (the winner of the draw, etc.) may tee off on the first hole, "he has the honor".

Cannon start
Here the participants in the tournament are distributed over all the holes and start simultaneously from all the tees after a cannon shot.

Hole
This is also the name given to the fairway. The target of all golfers has a diameter of 10.8 cm. The hole insert (cup) for the flag must be at least 2 ½ cm below the green surface. The hole is repositioned daily on many courses because the grass around it is quickly worn away.

Hole betting game
In this format of play, only the holes won are counted rather than the individual strokes. The player who wins the most holes at the end is the winner.

Lie
Angle between the shaft and the lower edge of the club head (tall players have a steeper lie, short players a flatter lie).

Longest Drive
A special tournament or competition in which the aim is to hit the ball as far as possible from the tee onto the fairway.

Loft
The slant of the clubface relative to the vertical. The driver has the lowest loft (between eight and twelve degrees), the sand wedge the highest (up to 62 degrees).

Nearest to the pin
Special scoring in tournaments, like Longest Drive. The player who lands closest to the flag with the first shot on the pre-determined par 3 wins a special prize.

Open tournament
Members of other clubs can also play.

Par
Number of strokes that a player may ideally need for a hole (or for a course). On a course, there are par-3, par-4, and par-5 holes that may take three, four, or five strokes to complete. The par of a hole is determined by its length.

Pin
A stick to which the flag is attached that indicates the position of the hole on the green. English term for flag.

Pitch
Short and high approach shot to the green.

Pitch mark
The impact hole on the green caused by a high approach shot. This must be repaired and leveled to prevent damage/disease to the turf.

Pitch Fork
The impact depth of the ball on the green is repaired with the aid of a pitch fork.

Pitching green
Practice green to practice from different hitting distances or warm up before a round of golf.

Pitch and Putt Course
So-called short courses on which the short game is practiced.

Course Permit (PE)
Also called "Platzreife". The PE is issued by the golf instructor or a member of the playing committee to the new golfer, who must have a theoretical and practical command of the basic knowledge of golf.

Course Rules
Rules issued by a club. These rules are usually written on the back of score cards. They never override official rules.

Course condition
In well-managed clubs, players receive detailed information about course condition before booking their tee time. Notes on whether the greens are sanded (putts become difficult to calculate), the fairways are mowed, or a fairway needs to be skipped due to remodeling.

Pot bunker
Pot bunker, deep, small and round bunker, occurs mostly on coastal courses (left), in Austria rather rare.

Pro (female Proette)
Abbreviation for professional: a golfer who is paid to play (that's why there are teaching and playing pros). Pros have no handicap, so they always play with 0, every stroke is counted for them.

Pro store
Golf store on the golf course, where you can buy everything related to golf, from clubs to clothes.

Putt
The stroke to hole out on the green, using a special club called a putter. Putting accounts for over 45% of all strokes on average for amateurs.

Range balls
Practice balls specifically for the driving range.

Range fee
A fee for the use of the entire driving range.

Rules
Only those who play according to the rules are playing golf. 3 principles are to be considered: 1. play the ball as it lies. 2. play the golf course as you find it. 3. if you can't do either, play fair. The complex set of rules is set every 4 years by the commission of the R&A GC St. Andrews.

Ryder Cup
Here the best golfers of Europe and the USA compete against each other in a 2-year rhythm. It is the most important golf team tournament in the world.

Score card
The "score card" is the document on which the result (score) per hole is recorded. It also contains information about the course, length of holes, difficulty,...

Tee
Both the tee area of each hole and the small wooden peg on which you may place the ball when teeing off (this makes the shot easier).

Teetime/start time/ tee time
Time at which players start on the 1st tee, always pre-booked.

Tiger line
Direct line to the hole, which often leads over dangerous obstacles.

Betting game
Every tournament is a betting game. It is played according to the worldwide identical rules of the R&A St. Andrews. The local management can issue additional course rules within the framework of these golf rules.

Emergency numbers:

Euro emergency call: 112 (valid throughout Europe)
Fire department: 122
Police: 133
Rescue: 144
Mountain rescue: 140
Emergency call for the deaf: 0800 133 133
ARBÖ 123
ÖAMTC 120