Golf Club Bad Ragaz

The verdict

Bad Ragaz is the kind of course that makes the case for golf as a pleasure rather than an ordeal. It lies on the floor of the Rhine valley in eastern Switzerland, ringed by mountains, with the celebrated Grand Resort Bad Ragaz and its thermal spa a short stroll away. Golf has been part of life here since 1905, and the present 18 holes were laid out in 1956 by Donald Harradine, the architect who shaped so much of alpine golf, working alongside the English designer Fred Hawtree.

It is a short course by modern measures, a par 70 of about 5,700 yards, and it wears that length with confidence. Mature trees, streams and water hazards thread between the holes, the conditioning is immaculate, and the mountain backdrop turns every round into a postcard. The professionals know it well: the Swiss Seniors Open has been played here since the late 1990s, long branded as the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open, so visitors get to test themselves on a genuine tour venue. For a golf and spa break in the Alps, few places combine the two as gracefully.

The holes worth the trip

Bad Ragaz proves that a course does not need length to be interesting. At par 70 of around 5,700 yards it asks for control rather than power, and the defences are the things that catch the careless: tree lined fairways that demand a placed tee shot, streams and ponds that come into play on the approach, and greens that reward a precise wedge. The valley floor is gently moving rather than dramatic, so the walk is comfortable, and the mountains rising on every side give the round its sense of occasion.

Because the course hosts the Swiss Seniors Open, every visitor gets to measure their game against a venue the professionals respect. The seniors do not overpower it; they pick it apart with position and short game, which is exactly the lesson the course teaches the amateur. Score well here and you have done it through accuracy and touch, the most satisfying way to play a round of golf.

What completes the experience is the setting. The thermal town of Bad Ragaz and its grand resort sit beside the course, the alpine air is clean and the scenery is unfailingly beautiful, so even a difficult day ends well. For the travelling golfer it is the centrepiece of one of the loveliest golf and spa breaks in Europe, a short, sharp, immaculately presented test in the heart of the Swiss Alps.

Where to stay nearby

Bad Ragaz is built around its golf and its thermal spa, and the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz beside the course is one of the most celebrated wellness hotels in the Alps, making the obvious choice for a golf and spa break a short walk from the first tee. The town itself offers smaller hotels and guesthouses for a more relaxed stay in the same beautiful valley.

For a wider trip, Bad Ragaz pairs naturally with the great mountain courses of Switzerland. Route it alongside Crans-sur-Sierre in the Valais or the high alpine layout at Andermatt, and you have the makings of a memorable week of mountain golf, with the thermal waters of Bad Ragaz the perfect place to ease the legs at the end of it.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Bad Ragaz.