Standing on the first tee, I can see today is going to be a totally different golfing experience than the past few days. Don’t get me wrong; the stunning views are still there and to be honest I have come to realise that when playing golf in Switzerland, amazing views are a prerequisite for any golf course architect that designs a track here.
But the topography of the course here is relatively flat, which makes this an easy walking course and it’s at the 3rd and 4th holes that I learn today is all about strategy as well. Fortunately I am playing with Silvio, who is a member here and tells me to play 5-iron and 8-iron tee shots on the next two holes, respectively. Now an 8-iron to start a par 5!! Silvio explains about the club president who designed these holes and the outcome of that is not too many of the members speak to him now!
Top The perfectly framed 5th green. Above 1st, 10th and 11th holes
It’s a new challenge and I have to say both greens, like all the greens here, are very good with some subtle and not so subtle contours. It’s a hot day and according to Silvio, Sierre gets more hours of sunshine than any other part of Europe – I’m not sure that’s entirely accurate – so the tree-lined fairways not only frame the holes wonderfully with the mountains as an ever present backdrop, but they also offer lots of shade.
The original course was a 9-hole layout until the club purchased some new land back in 2005 and you can tell the difference between the new and old sections of the course. The back nine is more open, but thankfully strategy still remains a big part of playing well here.
I don’t really want to mention individual holes as I feel the whole course works wonderfully and like me when you are sitting in the bar it will be hard to decide what is your favourite hole or favourite part of the course. But a special mention has to go to the par 3 7th which from the back tee is played over the bright blue lake that protects the green. It really is a gem of a hole, but then so too is the…and the… You get my drift. If you’re in this part of Switzerland then you have to tee it up at Sierre Golf Club.
