The best golf courses in the Alps to play this summer

Most people picture the Alps under snow. But from late spring to early autumn the snow line climbs, the valleys turn emerald, and some of the most spectacular golf on earth opens up — championship fairways at altitude, framed by snow-capped peaks. It is the Alps’ best-kept summer secret, and a near-perfect trip for a group.

Why golf in the Alps

The air is cool and the light is long. The ball flies farther at altitude. The backdrops — the Matterhorn, the Eiger, the Kitzbühel horns — turn an ordinary round into something you photograph on every tee. And because the mountains are quiet in summer, you play world-class courses without the crowds. Best of all, golf pairs effortlessly with everything else a group wants: long lunches, a spa, a lake, a Michelin dinner.

The courses worth flying for

• Crans-sur-Sierre, Valais — arguably the finest in Switzerland. The Severiano Ballesteros course sits on a high mountain plateau and hosts the Omega European Masters each September; many call it the most scenic tournament venue in the world.
• Andermatt — a modern championship course (opened 2016) stretching across the Ursern Valley, with wide fairways ringed by alpine peaks.
• Gstaad — set inside a national nature reserve, regularly named one of the most beautiful courses in Switzerland.
• Golf Eichenheim, Kitzbühel — a Kyle Phillips design tumbling through dramatic scenery below Kitzbühel’s jagged peaks.
• Zell am See-Kaprun — 36 holes beneath the glaciers of the Hohe Tauern, fairways framed by snow and forest.
• The Engadin, St. Moritz — high, turquoise-lake golf in the sunniest valley in the Alps.

When to go

The alpine season runs roughly late May to early October. Late spring brings blooming meadows; high summer brings the warmest days and the longest light; early autumn brings cool air and golden larches. If you want the marquee moment, time it to early September and the European Masters at Crans.

The group move

The best version isn’t a golf-only trip — it’s a mountain week with golf at its heart. Mornings on the course, two-hour lunches, an afternoon spa or lake swim for the non-golfers, and a long dinner that pulls everyone back together. One base, no logistics, the tee times and the tables already booked. You bring the group; we hold the keys; the host travels free.