Niederösterreich is like a well-laid table: you hardly know where to start. Between the Danube wetlands and the Waldviertel, the thermal spa region and the Semmering Pass, lies a golfing landscape that few people have on their radar – and that surprises all the more. Those who play here enjoy tranquillity, nature, and a range of courses spanning from historic mountain layouts to facilities set among vineyards. Those travelling with Fairway 2 Hotel save 50 % – because two players pay only one greenfee, at all partner courses. And those playing solo? It's still worth it: selected clubs accept the vouchers with a discount for single players.
The Waldviertel has something rustic about it that you can't quite put your finger on at first. The Diamond Club Ottenstein captures it perfectly: nestled between forests, streams, ponds, and – in spring – blooming rapeseed and poppy fields, an 18-hole course unfolds here that plays with the seasons. The light in the Waldviertel is different – softer, deeper, calmer. After the round, the club's award-winning restaurant pampers guests with regional cuisine.
Just 29 km south of Wien lies Enzesfeld – and yet it feels like a different world. The 18-hole championship course was carved through dense mixed forest in the early 1970s by Commander John Harris and is still regarded as one of the finest facilities in Europe. The fairways lie peaceful, the air is pure, the silence soothing. Anyone who has once been enchanted by this course keeps coming back.
If you haven't yet discovered the east of Niederösterreich, you've been missing out. GC Hainburg combines two completely different landscapes on one course: the pristine Danube floodplain forests with their unique flora and fauna, and the dry grassland slopes of the Braunsberg. The mild Pannonian climate makes it playable almost year-round. From tee 7, you look out over the Danube valley and the Marchfeld – and on clear days, you can see the skyline of Bratislava. A course that offers more than just golf.
If you prefer playing golf between rows of vines rather than rows of trees, Lengenfeld is the place for you. Two courses – Kamptal (Par 71) and Donauland (Par 72) – wind their way terrace-like through the vineyard landscape of the Kamptal, just 10 minutes from Krems. After your round, a view awaits on the sun terrace that you can't imagine until you've seen it.
No aircraft noise, no cars – just pure nature. GC Schönfeld is located north of Wien and stands out for its excellent course maintenance and outstanding greens. Three nine-hole courses offer 27 holes with plenty of variety. Franz Klammer was a regular guest and put it perfectly: Schönfeld is worth a visit.
Nestled in the gently rolling wine landscape of the northern Weinviertel lies one of the most atmospheric golf facilities in Niederösterreich. Course architect Keith Preston has sensitively embedded an 18-hole course among vineyards, orchards, and farmland – awarded best new golf course in Austria in 2006.
A course that breathes history and makes you forget everything but golf – that is Schloss Ernegg. Since 1656, the Auersperg family has resided in the eponymous castle, which serves as a stunning backdrop at the end of every round. British flair meets Mostviertel cosiness: flat terrain, mature trees, and a tranquillity rarely found anywhere else.
Once you stand on the first tee at Weitra and take in the view of Schloss Weitra and the narrow-gauge railway passing by, you immediately understand why this course has so many regulars. 18 holes in the heart of the Waldviertel hills, with a natural swimming pond right on the course – golf and nature so close together that you can hardly tell where one ends and the other begins.
Not every golf day needs a hotel. These two courses are redeemable anytime – ideal for a trip that's worth it.
Pure nature – that's how everyone who has played here describes it. The course was built without any earthmoving, set directly into the rolling wooded landscape of the Bucklige Welt, 40 hectares among fruit trees, ponds, and forest at 700 metres above sea level. The fairways glow a lush green all year round, deer are part of the regular crowd, and at hole 8 you sometimes encounter wildlife quite unexpectedly. Players know the mountain spirit "Sepp" – anyone who hits their ball into one of the many trees hopes he'll throw it back. Nature plays along here – and that's not a drawback, but the best part of it.
When you come to Mostviertel, you quickly understand why it's called "Most"-Viertel: over 1,000 fruit trees line the fairways, a manor farm from the 16th century watches over the holes, and the flat terrain invites you to truly take in the landscape while playing. The course was expanded by a student of Jack Nicklaus – with a small "Amen Corner" as a nod to the great role model. Mostviertel cosiness is not just a promise here, but a lived reality – including at the 19th hole.
Four rounds, three nights, seven partners – this is what a golf weekend in Niederösterreich can look like.
GC Schönfeld: redeemable Mon–Fri (July/August also Sat/Sun) · GC Hainburg: any time · GC Linsberg: daily April–November · GC Enzesfeld: Mon–Thu all day
Hotel Zum Goldenen Anker, Hainburg
Linsberg Asia Therme & Spa, Bad Erlach
Nine holes, full enjoyment – ideal when time is short or the evening beckons.
GC Breitenfurt
9 holes · Par 70 · Breitenfurt bei Wien
A jewel in the Wienerwald – harmoniously embedded in the landscape, with magnificent views and one of the longest 9-hole courses in the country.
GC Laab im Walde
18 holes · Par 54 / 9 holes · Par 56 · Laab im Walde
In the heart of the Wienerwald, with picturesque views of the monastery and village centre – alternating courses keep every round fresh.
GC Neulengbach
9 holes · Par 30 · Neulengbach
An ecological golf course on former organic farmland – pesticide-free, and dogs are warmly welcome.
GC Gut Richardhof
9 holes · Par 70 · Gumpoldskirchen
Nestled in the Wienerwald, with sweeping views across the Vienna Basin – precision matters more than length here.
GC Semmering
9 holes · Par 62 · Semmering
At 985 metres above sea level since 1926 – an officially recognised therapeutic climate resort. No fine dust, hardly any pollen. When Wien swelters, it's cool and clear up here.
Once you've discovered Niederösterreich on the golf course, you'll see this province with different eyes. It's not a loud land – it's an honest one. The courses are varied, the distances short, and the hospitality that awaits you is no empty phrase. If you're traveling with Fairway 2 Hotel, you get the best of it twice over.
Fairway 2 Hotel
From Niederösterreich to South Tyrol, from Bavaria to the Adriatic – play as a pair and save half the greenfee.
Photos: GC Diamond Club Ottenstein, GC Enzesfeld, GC Hainburg, GC Lengenfeld Kamptal-Donauland, GC Schönfeld, GC Veltlinerland Poysdorf, GC Schloss Ernegg, GC Weitra, Hotel zum Goldenen Anker, Linsberg Asia Therme & Spa