The Austrian Alpine Open is transforming a storied ski resort into a world-class golf destination, and the course is already playing as dramatic as its mountain backdrop.
Kitzbühel is a town that knows how to stage a spectacle. Every January, the ski world descends on the Hahnenkamm for the most treacherous downhill race in alpine racing.
This May, for the first time, the drama shifts to the fairways — and Austria’s only DP World Tour event is already shaping up to be one of the most visually arresting stops on the global calendar.
The Austrian Alpine Open, running May 25–31 at the Kitzbühel-Schwarzsee-Reith golf course, has spent the better part of a year preparing its layout for the scrutiny of tour professionals.
Eight new tee boxes have been constructed, fairways reshaped, and fresh bunker complexes added at four holes.
During tournament week, the setup tightens further: narrower fairways, elevated rough, and greens prepared to exacting standards, all with the blessing of the DP World Tour’s own agronomy team, which monitored preparations throughout the autumn.
“Players can expect a setup that demands the highest precision — and our guests a tournament in a setting that is unparalleled internationally.”— Dr. Viktoria Veider-Walser, Managing Director, Kitzbühel Tourism
The Course
Elevation change is the defining character of this layout. The 5th hole drops a staggering 34 meters on a short par 3, a number that would unsettle even the most accomplished ball-striker’s club selection.
The 6th, formerly a par 5, has been redesigned into a sharply uphill par 4, shifting the strategic calculus entirely. But the hole the tour’s marketing team will almost certainly put on every thumbnail is the 7th.
Dubbed the “Mousetrap,” it is a par 3 with a panoramic view that takes in the Streif downhill course and the Hahnenkamm mountain range, arguably the most cinematic backdrop of any par 3 on the European Tour this season.
The name is not ironic: miss the green, and penalty strokes follow. The long par 4s scattered through the back nine are expected to be equally unforgiving.
The practice facilities, often an afterthought at newer tour venues, have been taken seriously here.
A temporary driving range stretching approximately 400 meters, among the longest on the DP World Tour, overlooks the Wilder Kaiser mountain range, while a reconfigured short game area gives fans rare close-up access to professionals at work before their rounds.
The Austrian Contingent
One of the most compelling storylines heading into tournament week is the depth of the home nation’s representation.
All eight of Austria’s highest-ranked players in the world rankings will tee it up in Kitzbühel, a fact that organizer Ali Al-Khaffaf called “a strong signal for golf in Austria.”
Sepp Straka leads the Austrian charge as the nation’s marquee star.
Joining him is Bernd Wiesberger, whose recent China Open title demonstrates he remains a force capable of winning at the highest level.
Local favorite Maximilian Steinlechner will draw roars from the Tyrolean galleries.
Lukas Nemecz, Niklas Regner, and Christoph Bleier earned their places via wildcards from the Austrian Golf Association; Matthias Schwab was awarded one from SalzburgerLand.
Timon Baltl, winner of the Audi Circuit, rounds out the eight.
Two additional wildcards remain in play: one to be awarded at the Austrian Amateur, and another — made possible by the Schön Klinik Group — at the Kitzbühel-Schwarzsee-Reith course on May 18th.
The Finishing Hole
Tournament organizers have saved their boldest design statement for last.
The new 18th hole, a par 3, has been conceived specifically as a stadium experience, wrapping spectators around the green to create the kind of electric finishing atmosphere that major championships spend decades cultivating.
If the design achieves its intended purpose, Sunday’s closing holes in Kitzbühel could generate the sort of pressure-cooker theater that defines memorable tournaments.
In just its first year on the DP World Tour, the Austrian Alpine Open has quickly positioned itself as a destination event.
The combination of a technically demanding course, an elite home field, and one of Europe’s most iconic alpine settings gives it ingredients that most new stops spend years assembling.
Come late May, the Hahnenkamm will be watching….and me too. 🙂
“Together, we are creating a truly memorable experience for the local people and raising Tyrol’s profile worldwide.”— Ali Al-Khaffaf, Tournament Organizer