No wonder this course was the breeding ground for the greatest German golfer of all time. GC Augsburg – surrounded by tranquil woods – is a golfer’s dream and Bernhard Langer’s first golfing home. And here I was, once again standing in the middle of a fairway (the 10th hole) at 4:30 in the morning, chasing and documenting this exclusive and unique moment.

And I realized that there haven‘t been many sunrises over the last few years that I enjoyed quite as much as the one here, on this spectacular course. I had heard a lot about GC Augsburg and was excited to see how it would play.

It was in the middle of the first fairway that I realized what a fabulous day ways lying ahead of me. Unfortunately, I landed my second shot to the green smack in the middle of a bunker … the best I could do after that was a bogey. After the third hole, it dawned on me, that the day ahead would not only be fabulous, but also extremely challenging … The first nine holes are characterized by their extreme ups and downs.

GC Augsburg is a truly tough course, making a par a real success for me on practically every hole. On the flip side, it offers fantastic views from the tees to the greens, and it’s wonderfully quiet.

No droning cars, no other noise, just deep relaxation. It’s for a good reason that GC Augsburg was awarded the Bronze Award Golf & Nature by Germany’s golfing association DGV.

GC Augsburg’s setting in the lush woods doesn’t just offer tranquility and relaxation, however. It also adds to the challenge, as I was soon to find out on the back nine … where the woods are a factor on almost every hole. Most noticeably for me on the 12th hole, a par 4, 348 meters from Yellow. Even though I managed to put the drive on the fairway for a change, I had next to no chance to reach the green on my second shot.

Two trees to the right and the left of the fairway made it practically impossible to attack the Green, that was nestled in a dip. Once I did manage to get to the green, however, I was greeted by a spectacular sight.

Disregarding the score (which is, after all, down to me, not the course), GC Augsburg is one of the top courses I have played to date – and one that I can highly recommend.