Cologne Golf & Country Club

There are three or four golf clubs that call themselves after the city of Köln (Cologne), but Golf- und Land-Club Köln (Cologne Golf & Country Club) is the original and has the rest riding on its coattails – A 17-yearold Bernhard Langer bagged his first professional win here in 1975. Three years later the German Open came to town and Seve Ballesteros shot 20 under par to win by two shots. Despite the very dense forest, there is no glaring tree encroachment. The fairway bunkers are all visible and there are no overhanging limbs near the tees or greens. The atmosphere of the place is aptly described on the club’s website – “folks have been playing golf for a little longer here”. Few obvious concessions to the modern world have been made, but behind the scenes Köln is a very professional operation.