This course has been on my list for quite a while now. Neuhof is roughly 20 minutes from my place, hence 15 minutes south-east of Frankfurt and it is quite a famous course in the region. That’s because it’s very well kept and very looked after, both in terms of course and club.
Neuhof belongs to the several really expensive and elite golf courses in the Rhine-Main region. Everything is very member oriented and guests are only welcome during the week. This has always put me off a little as most of the members were said to be very snobbish.
To be fair, having played there now, I can’t confirm that members (or people in general) behave differently here compared to other clubs. People were nice, training facilities are good, club house facilities and restaurant are super old and definitely need some refurbishing but the course itself is fantastic. And the course it was I was interested in last week!
Neuhof offers 3 combinations of 9-hole courses. The “standard” championship course is the red/yellow combination and blue, the newest addition, is more the younger brother to the old established 18-hole setup. Red/yellow is a classic parkland course, many old huge trees, mostly directly next to the fairway, interesting doglegs, water in play on a number of holes (but not too many) and severe bunkering.
The blue course on the other side of the road offers more the open links-ish character with even more water and tricky hole routing.
In addition there there is a 6-hole par-3 course available, a fully equipped driving range, huge practice facilities, a halfway house and something like the “19th hole” which not only attracts golfers but strollers and local guests as well.
Neuhof is one of the most expensive clubs in the region. They still charge a tremendous joining fee and the future will tell whether they can keep up with that sort of setup. In my opinion this club behaviour is absolutely outdated and leads to a situation in which people are interested in golf, are interested in the club and course, but struggle to get in because the cost in the beginning is so ridiculously expensive. Rumours tell me that there are too many old members in the club, not many young people joining and that as a result the club isn’t in a very good financial situation. Nah, really?! What a surprise…
Besides the financial situation of the club, the course itself is in absolute immaculate condition. Tee boxes, fairways and greens are in fantastic shape and the course layout is more on the interesting and challenging side I would say.
The men’s team used to play in the highest German golf league (1. DGL Bundesliga) but slipped down to the second. After all, this club is still a very agile club, pushing for league success, pushing for international tournaments being hosted here, pushing for greatest course quality and as well for sophisticated weekend relaxation—no guests allowed.
On top of that, Neuhof is member of The Leading Golf Courses of Germany, a collection of approximately 50 courses in the country which stand out due to their extraordinary course, service and amenities quality. Truly a quality seal, a hallmark of excellence in the field of course management, club management, member and guest courtesy, and always a sign that a club strives to be better than others. I guess Neuhof can tick some boxes here, only the clubhouse and restaurant facilities are not really my cup of tea. That’s because I prefer a modern style whereas Neuhof is a manor from the 15th century!
So if you are in the region and you’re done with all the usual suspects like Hanau or Frankfurt, then you should come visit and play Neuhof. It’s a great course and definitely worth the money—during the week that is…
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