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Golf guide • France • Alsace

Golf in Strasbourg: three courses at the gates of Alsace's capital

Strasbourg, the capital of Alsace on the left bank of the Rhine, brings together three courses within twenty-five minutes of the centre: Robert von Hagge's Kempferhof at Plobsheim, the 27 holes of Golf Club de Strasbourg at Illkirch, the oldest club in Alsace, and La Wantzenau to the north. Golfers come for wooded, water-laced plain golf, a UNESCO-listed city and Alsatian cooking. The best season runs from April to October.

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Strasbourg grew up on the Ill, a few kilometres from the Rhine and Germany. Its Grande Île, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988, joined in 2017 by the Neustadt, the former imperial quarter, holds the essentials: the pink sandstone cathedral, the lanes around Place Kléber and the Petite France, where half-timbered houses lean over the canals. The European Parliament and the Council of Europe complete the portrait of a city that is at once deeply Alsatian and thoroughly European.

Golf is played on the Rhine plain, on flat ground wooded with oak, ash and poplar, where water is rarely far away. To the south, Illkirch and Plobsheim are home to Golf Club de Strasbourg, founded in 1935, and the Kempferhof, often cited as the most demanding course in Alsace. To the north, La Wantzenau completes the trio some twenty minutes from the centre.

Three or four nights are enough to play all three courses without rushing. The rest of the time is shared between the old town, the winstubs and the wine route, whose first villages are only half an hour away. Everything is easy by car from the centre, and the city itself is best discovered on foot or by bike.

The courses

Green with a white flag guarded by a deep bunker, a pond and tall solitary trees behind on a plain

Golf du Kempferhof

  • Architect: Robert von Hagge
  • Opened 1989
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Opened in 1989 by Robert von Hagge, the Kempferhof spreads over 85 wooded hectares at Plobsheim, some twenty minutes south of the centre. The American architect's signature is plain to see: rolling tree-lined fairways, large sculpted bunkers and lakes that come squarely into play. The course, a par 72 of nearly 6,000 metres from the white tees, regularly features among the best in France. The clubhouse occupies the manor built around 1865 for the Baron de Dartein. It rewards precision and suits consistent players better than beginners.

Official website

Golf Club de Strasbourg

  • Opened 1935
  • 27 holes

Founded in 1935, Golf Club de Strasbourg is the senior club in Alsace. Set on the Route du Rhin at Illkirch, a quarter of an hour from the centre, it has three loops of nine holes that combine into eighteen-hole courses. The Red, renovated in 2019, is the most technical, with narrow fairways through the forest and plenty of water; the Yellow, reworked in 2024, is more open and has three par 5s; the White plays on doglegs and subtle green slopes. A discreet members' club that welcomes visitors on weekdays.

Official website

Golf de La Wantzenau

  • Architect: Jeremy Pern; Jean Garaïalde
  • 18 holes

Some twenty minutes north of Strasbourg, La Wantzenau spreads over 72 hectares bordered by forest, near the Rhine. The championship course is the work of the English architect Jeremy Pern, in partnership with the French champion Jean Garaïalde, and water is an integral part of the design. The clubhouse echoes Alsatian architecture and houses the restaurant Le 19. More welcoming to visitors than the Illkirch club, with online booking and open every day, it is the simplest option for a weekend.

Official website

Where to stay

Hôtel Cour du Corbeau

On the Rue des Couples, near the cathedral, the Cour du Corbeau was already lodging travellers in 1528 as the Zum Rappen inn. Its 63 rooms, each one different, surround a Renaissance courtyard with carved wooden galleries; ask for the Suite Authentique, facing the cathedral or the rooftops. The hotel, part of the MGallery collection, has no car park: a valet takes your car to a nearby public one, worth allowing for on early starts.

Hôtel Les Haras

Founded in 1752 as a riding academy and made a royal stud in 1756, the listed buildings on the Rue des Haras were turned into a hotel in 2013, then extended in 2020 with a spa and pool. The décor pairs natural materials with bespoke contemporary furniture. In fine weather, ask the Brasserie Les Haras for a terrace table on the courtyard paved with Rhine pebbles; in winter, you dine beneath the eighteenth-century roof timbers.

Cobbled courtyard of a Renaissance house lined with carved wooden galleries, candlelit tables at dusk

Where to dine

Au Crocodile

Founded in 1840 and long run by Émile Jung, the house on the Rue de l'Outre remains one of Strasbourg's great addresses. Chef Romain Brillat, who worked in Gilles Goujon's kitchen, serves precise modern French cooking, awarded one Michelin star, with a fine cellar. Lunch is served only from Thursday to Saturday: book dinner instead.

Buerehiesel

In the Parc de l'Orangerie, beside the Council of Europe, the Buerehiesel occupies a 17th-century half-timbered farmhouse rebuilt stone by stone. Éric Westermann champions cooking rooted in family and tradition: pan-fried frogs' legs with chervil, farmhouse chicken baeckeoffe-style, caramelised beer brioche. The terrace and veranda open onto the greenery of the park.

Le Tire-Bouchon

On the Rue des Tailleurs-de-Pierre, in the shadow of the cathedral, this winstub serves time-honoured Alsatian cooking all day, every day, from tarte flambée to baeckeoffe. Checked tablecloths, wood panelling and a neighbourhood-brasserie feel; the unfussy address for dinner after golf.

Beyond golf

The cathedral and its clock

Completed with its spire in 1439, Notre-Dame Cathedral was the tallest building in the world for more than two centuries, at 142 metres. Some 330 steps lead to the platform, which looks out over the roofs of the old town. Inside, the astronomical clock, whose current mechanism dates from 1842, comes to life every day at 12.30 pm with its procession of automata.

The Ill by boat or by bike

Batorama boats leave from the quays near the cathedral and circle the Grande Île, from the Petite France to the façades of the Neustadt and on to the European quarter. Those who prefer to pedal can make the most of a very dense cycle network: follow the Ill to the Parc de l'Orangerie, ideal for a golf-free morning before lunch at the Buerehiesel.

The Alsace wine route

Laid out in 1953, the wine route runs for 170 kilometres from Marlenheim to Thann, at the foot of the Vosges. Its first villages are half an hour from Strasbourg: Obernai, Mittelbergheim and their cellars lend themselves to an afternoon of tasting. Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer reign here, with 51 grands crus in the region.

Canal lined with flower-decked Alsatian half-timbered houses and a covered wooden footbridge, reflections in calm water

When to go

The golf season runs from April to October. The climate of the Alsace plain is continental: a mild, blossoming spring, hot and sometimes stormy summers, when early-morning tee times are the most pleasant, and bright autumns, with the grape harvest along the wine route in September and October. Winter is cold and damp, with greens sometimes temporary. December draws the crowds of the Christmas market: book your hotel very early.

Getting there

Strasbourg-Entzheim airport (SXB) is 12 kilometres south-west of the centre, some twenty minutes by road, and a rail shuttle links it to the main station. From Paris, the TGV takes less than two hours. Basel-Mulhouse and Frankfurt offer more long-haul flights. Once there, a car is essential to reach the courses, all within twenty-five minutes.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course near Strasbourg?

The Kempferhof, designed by Robert von Hagge and opened in 1989 at Plobsheim, regularly features among the best courses in France. Golf Club de Strasbourg, founded in 1935 at Illkirch, is the great classic.

Can I play Golf Club de Strasbourg without being a member?

Yes, on weekdays excluding public holidays, with a golf licence and up to a limit of three green fees a year. At weekends, the course is reserved for members and their guests, and the club does not take tee-time bookings.

How many golf courses are there around Strasbourg?

Three clubs within twenty-five minutes of the centre: the Kempferhof (18 holes), Golf Club de Strasbourg (27 holes in three loops of nine) and La Wantzenau (18 holes). Other Alsatian courses can be reached within an hour.

When is the best time to play golf in Alsace?

From April to October. May, June and September bring the most pleasant temperatures; summer is hot and winter cold and damp.

Which airport is best for a golf trip to Strasbourg?

Strasbourg-Entzheim, some twenty minutes from the centre. From Paris, the TGV is often more convenient than flying, with a journey of under two hours.

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