100 years of the Semmering golf course
the oldest golf course in Austria
Zur RegionWieneralpen.at
the oldest golf course in Austria
The Semmering golf course is the oldest golf course in Austria that is still playable and looks back on a hundred years of history in its anniversary year. Construction of the 9-hole course began in the summer of 1926 on the initiative of the Südbahnhotel, which owned the site, and was completed by the autumn of the same year.
The main aim was to appeal to the clientele from Great Britain and the USA , who knew and appreciated golf from their home countries. This gave Semmering, one of the most important tourist destinations in Austria at the time, another exclusive attraction for its guests. The first tournament was held in Semmering in August 1927 and two years after the course was opened, the Semmering Golf Club was founded. Another milestone followed in 1931: the Semmering golf course - together with the Vienna Golf Club and the Dellach Golf Club - was one of the co-founders of the Austrian Golf Association (ÖGV) and thus wrote Austrian sporting history.
Even before the golf course was built, the Meierei am Semmering was a popular excursion destination. The extensive, beautifully situated meadows around the former farm of the Südbahnhotel were used for agricultural purposes and offered ideal conditions for the later golf course. The Meierei is still used today as a catering establishment by golfers, hikers and day trippers.
The Südbahnhotel has always endeavoured to offer its guests a wide range of sporting activities and made a conscious decision in favour of golf in order to provide British and American guests in particular with a familiar leisure experience, and Semmering quickly developed into a special place for golf enthusiasts. The course has been continuously maintained and modernised over the decades, but has largely retained its original form. Since the plans were realised in 1926, numerous guests and celebrities have played here and have been enchanted by the impressive panorama with views of the Rax and Schneeberg .
Today, the 9-hole, par-64 golf course offers a challenge for both beginners and advanced players. A visit is not only a special experience in the anniversary year, because at an altitude of 1,000 metres above sea level, nestled between the Vienna Alps, on the plateau next to the time-honoured Südbahnhotel and the Semmering World Heritage Site - the Semmering Railway - the clocks run a little differently. When it's hot in the valley in summer, the Semmering enjoys a pleasant climate. When it's hectic elsewhere, it's calming here and when you're otherwise annoyed about bad shots, you're happy about the good ones at Semmering.
Playing Austria's oldest golf course means experiencing a piece of living golf history in the midst of an Alpine landscape.
It's not just the golf course that is celebrating its anniversary in the region. The Rax cable car started operating in 1926 . In the same year, the Reichenau Theatre and the Höllental railway which started passenger transport at the time. Numerous other businesses and facilities in the region can also look back on many years of history, such as the Bikepark am Semmering.
Take part in the competition, discover exciting stories behind the anniversaries and experience the anniversary year 2026 in the Semmering-Rax region.
