Golf Club Seefeld-Wildmoos: A Love Letter for the Anniversary

The Golfclub Seefeld-Wildmoos is a truly unique establishment. And this year it turns 50 years old. Or young, depending on how you look at it. While the plateau has always been widely known as a winter sports region, it took some time to learn that it's also quite beautiful in the summer. Marc Hodler recognized this, and it's almost ironic that it was a winter sportsman who made this discovery. Hodler was the president of the World Ski Federation at the time when he deemed the area ideal for a golf course. Originally, the FIS president had come to Tyrol in 1963 to inspect the track for the Olympic cross-country skiing competition. That he accidentally discovered the future location of the Seefeld golf course during this trip might have been a coincidence, but at least it was a fortunate one. A few more years passed before the first balls were hit in Wildmoos, just outside of Seefeld. This was largely thanks to Walter Frenes, who was then the tourism director and is still an honorary president of the club today.

Ultimately, the design of the course was commissioned to Donald Harradine, a sadly now deceased Englishman and one of the few truly renowned golf course architects in Europe. Suddenly, everything moved very quickly with him. Harradine came to Seefeld in 1967 to search for the optimal site. Four locations were shortlisted, but three were discarded for various reasons. The land between Seefeld and Mösern seemed too boring for golf to Harradine, a proposed project on Wildmoosalm turned out to be too expensive, and property negotiations in Neuleutasch became an unsolvable problem. Wildmoos it would be. Even though there were setbacks, the Golf Club Seefeld-Wildmoos was founded in 1969. For example, heavy rain washed away the first fairway and tee, and the tenth hole had to be reseeded three times. The main problem, however, has been the greens, and it still is today. It is quite a feat to maintain them over the long winter and to ensure a proper awakening in spring. Finally, in 1970, the first six holes could be played, in 1971 the first nine, and in the autumn of the same year, locals played all 18 holes for the first time. Just a year later, a sports champion tournament was held at the course, in which stars like Toni Sailer, Bernhard Russi, Christian Neureuther, Bubi Scholz, and Armin Hary took to the greens. Even the former state governor Eduard Wallnöfer became an avid golf fan.
The sport of golf changed the summer on the plateau. There was a real rush to the sport, especially since there were no alternatives in the region. The course itself contributed to its success, as it is truly a unique experience. "We had incredible tournaments," recalls the current president and first woman at the helm, Andrea Hoch-Sarnthein. "There weren't even enough tee times to accommodate everyone who wanted to play." In conjunction with the 50th anniversary, she is attempting to accurately trace the club's history, which is not so easy since there is no chronicle. She also collects historical photos with patience and diligence. It is happening.

The golf club is also getting back on track. After the initial euphoria has faded, the club has stagnated a bit. The driving investments were missing. The anniversary is a welcome opportunity to spruce up the club and the course again. "Our goal is to get back to where we once were," says Andrea Hoch-Sarnthein optimistically. "We want to appeal more to families and rejuvenate the club." This should be achieved through an extremely attractive offer: In the anniversary year, the entrance fee is reduced from 5,000 to 50 euros. Children and teenagers play for free until their 18th birthday, and those aged 18 to 25 pay no entrance fee and receive a 50% discount on the annual playing and clubhouse maintenance fee (regularly 1,150 euros). "Previously, at 26 years old, you had to pay half of the registration fee to become a full member. That was still 2,500 euros. At that point, we lost many members," summarizes Hoch-Sarnthein. Now it happens automatically, and if the partner plays golf too, they receive a 25% discount on the annual fee. The truly affordable annual fee is already bearing fruit: The number of children in the club has doubled from 20 to 40. "To keep the kids interested in golf, the parents need to play as well. We also want to accommodate them with the reduced entrance fee. We need to build our clientele from the bottom up."

How Andrea Hoch-Sarnthein herself got into golf is almost as exciting a story as that of the golf course. In 1969, the film "The Forgotten Valley" was shot around Schloss Schneeberg, where she lived with her family at the time. In addition to the main actors Michael Caine and Omar Sharif, there was also the Swede Per Oscarsson, who started playing golf in the castle park. "As children, we were very curious and soon noticed that he used a different club for each shot. That fascinated me even back then. I would never have thought that exactly 50 years later I would be the president of a golf club," says Andrea Hoch-Sarnthein. It took her another 30 years to start playing herself, but she still does it with great passion.

What the president likes so much about Wildmoos? It starts with the drive to the golf course. You drive on a narrow road through the woods and wonder if you are still on the right path. "We have put up several signs because people think they are completely lost." They aren’t. You arrive at the parking lot, walk to the clubhouse, and see the eighteen holes. "It gets really fascinating when you play up to the first hole, the cannon hole. And then the course opens up, you can see how everything unfolds," Hoch-Sarnthein enthuses, and it almost sounds as if she is also pleased that her plan to bring the course back to the forefront is working out. It is already a Leading Golf Course. Rightfully so. But that needs to be defended. Again and again. "You need a strategy for the course, otherwise, it will push you away," she continues. "But it also helps you."