The west course of Berlin's Stolper Heide Golf Club - In the footsteps of Bernhard Langer

Bernhard Langer is not only Germany's most successful golfer of all time and continues to be successful on the PGA Champions Tour, he has also designed some wonderful golf courses around the world. Since 1997, golfers in the Berlin-Brandenburg region have been able to enjoy one of his designs: the West Course at Berlin's Stolper Heide Golf Club. Although the club is called "Berlin", strictly speaking it is located in Brandenburg just over the state border - but that doesn't detract from the enjoyment of golf. The course, built by Kurt Rossknecht to Langer's design, was the first of the two 18-hole courses in Stolper Heide. The result is a beautiful parkland course, which in the USA would probably be described as a classic resort course. The Par 72 course comprises four rated tees per hole and plays between 5,222 and 6,507 meters. The course is not only very well integrated into the landscape (you will come across all kinds of animals and birds on the course), but is also very flat and can therefore be easily completed on foot.

Berlin GC Stolper Heide demands the full repertoire of strokes

In order to enjoy the course, you should definitely choose the tee box that suits your game - otherwise you will encounter the numerous bunkers and water hazards more often than you would like. On the first round, you will sometimes be surprised by some challenges that are barely recognizable from the tee. For example, hole 2 is criss-crossed by both bunkers and bumps in the area after the tee shot, and you often stand over or under the ball. The greens are also very large overall, so you need one club more or less depending on the flag position. You need your entire repertoire of shots on the front nine - on hole 6, the second Par-3 of the round, the green has to be played high, as there is dense Rough lurking in front of the tee. The front nine comprises a total of three par-3s, three par-4s and three par-5s - so theoretically you have three chances for a hole-in-one and three chances for an Eagle... On hole 7, a par-5, you should definitely pay attention to the heavily undulating green. At the last par-3 on hole 8, which is up to 203 meters long, you also come across a peninsula green.

‍

A monster at the end

The back nine are also as varied as they are challenging, as they bring plenty of water into play. The long Par-4 on hole 10 also features a green that is an impressive 40 meters deep. On the following Par-3, not only bunkers but also a treacherous false front come into play. Bunkers with raised edges, undulating Fairways and elevated greens also provide variety in the second part. The course sets the final chord on hole 14: a beautiful Par-3 with plenty of water on the left sets the tone.

On the following Par-4, it is important to take the tall trees out of play and play precisely to the clearly elevated green. On the following Par-5, the driving area becomes narrower and narrower - and the Fairway gives the impression that Langer wanted to copy the foothills of the Alps here. Plenty of water comes into play again to the right of the green on hole 17, and the designers have created a true length monster with a par-4 up to 453 (!) meters long.

The west course at Stolper Heide Golf Club is certainly one of the most beautiful golf courses in Germany - and the green fee (as of 03-2025: 80 euros on weekdays, 110 euros at weekends) is more than reasonable by international standards. If you've worked up an appetite for more golf afterwards, you can combine your visit with a round on the East Course or the Borchert Short Course.