[Ulrich Mayring]

Hole 1, 378m, Par 4: A long, straight, flat, tree-lined par 4. Pretty stern for an opener.


Approach to the first green.


First green close-up. I bladed my approach over the green and actually found the ball sitting up nicely in the first cut. This should tell you how firm and fast the course played: not a bit. Which is shame giving some interesting green contours.


Hole 2, 389m, Par 4: The first was long, this is longer. Otherwise more of the same. The trees shelter the course from sun and wind and consequently it plays quite damp. Quite unfortunate, because the turf contains some sand.


All the room in the world for creating lines of charm. But where are they?


Most greens are raised and open in front. But there is no ground game due to the wet conditions.


Hole 3, 410m, Par 4: Wow, these par 4s are getting longer and longer. The inclined fairway seems like a strategic element, but I couldn't find out how to use it. Maybe in firm and fast conditions.


We already know that.


And that. Sorry for the repetition, but it is what it is.


Hole 4, 157m, Par 3: Some relief from the death marches before, this is actually a nice par 3. Except for the traffic noise and starting airplanes, but there's at least a decision involved whether to take the safe route left, over the nearer bunker, or go for the flag and the challenge the big trap.


Hole 5, 485m, Par 5: The course is very near the financial centre of Frankfurt, so some surprising views here and there.


This par 5 takes three good whacks for most players.


Are these Coltish bunkers? Recently Christoph Städler renovated the course and I think not in the most classical of styles. Not sure what his assignment was, but it appears to be along the lines of "we need a championship course, our youth program is one of the most successful in Germany and can't have any randomness or quirk."


Hole 6, 308m, Par 4: Finally a shorter hole and a dogleg left, so this provides some variation.


Approach to the green.


Close-up of the bunkering from the left side.


Hole 7, 188m, Par 3: This is a good, long par 3. The lay up zone is on the left, the direct route involves carrying the front bunker.


Hole 8, 354m, Par 4: Ok, this one is shorter, but otherwise cut from the same template.


Approach to another raised green.


Hole 9, 377m, Par 4: Another template, but what of this clover-leaf bunker on the right? Is that a bit tacky? Anyway, the back 9 is more interesting, so stay tuned.


Hole 10, 318m, Par 4: Rated as the easiest hole on the course, but I found it quite challenging. The right bunker is in play off the tee, so going down the left side is a good option - if the trees can be avoided.


Approach to one of the few greens that isn't built up:


Hole 11, 159m, Par 3: This is actually quite similar in length to hole #4, so in my mind it would have been a good idea to make this one or two clubs shorter.


Hole 12, 365m, Par 4: Now we are getting to the more undulated parts of the site and there is actually some fun to be had on the following holes. This is a dogleg left from an elevated tee.


Hole 13, 380m, Par 4: Ok, so this is another one of those tedious par 4s. But the fun starts on the next hole. Promised.


Hole 14, 325m, Par 4: Finally a blind drive, I am almost inclined to say. But it is only blind for very long hitters, most golfers will not reach the crest and then actually have a more or less blind approach.


View of the green from the crest:


Hole 15, 459m, Par 5: This is actually a fun hole. The patch of heather visible over the bunker is probably what Colt & Co. envisioned the place to look like. Anyhow, a drive to the bottom of the incline is just fine, as the elevated fairway beyond is very wide, so the blind character of the second shot is not much of an issue. Longhitters will obviously go over the right edge of the bunker.


The second shot:


And the green. It was starting to get dark now, so please excuse the quality of the forthcoming pictures. I teed off early enough, or so I thought. How can this course play 5:20 hours on a weekday afternoon with a marshall present and aware of the slow group? You tell me.


Hole 16, 166m, Par 3: Quite challenging par 3, especially when the pin is on the right as shown here. The bunker must be carried and there is all kinds of trouble on the right (even some more heather). It is, however, possible to bail out long and comfortably chip back to the green.


Hole 17, 446m, Par 5: Another interesting drive, this time everyone will be able to carry the crest and have to think about what's beyond. Left of the tree is not the aggressive line for the better player, but more the line of Schadenfreude for the hacker thinking he is a better player.


The green:


Hole 18, 401m, Par 4: This is the signature hole, because two of Frankfurt's three tallest buildings are visible from the tee: the Messe Tower on the right and the Telecommunications Tower (tallest building in Germany) over the left part of the green (rather distant). The hole itself is another one of those long par 4s and fails to excite after the drive.


These fairways are really wide, but width alone does not create strategic play. Perhaps a better player, whose home course this is, can comment on and explain the strategies that have escaped me. Nudge nudge... you know who you are ;-)


Discuss!

Ulrich

[Tom MacWood]

Thanks for the pictures. Not surprising the par-3s standout. The course looks to be relatively flat, is that accurate? You asked about the bunkers, I don't think they look quite right for Colt (or Morrison).

[Tom MacWood]

These two picture are of Frankfurt. I'm not sure if this is the same course or not, but it is the right period, 1929 and 1930.

[Ulrich Mayring]

There was no other course in Frankfurt at the time, so that must be it.

Ulrich

[Niall C]

Relative to how it used to look, it looks as though they could do with someone going in with a chainsaw and cleaning out some of the trees and undergrowth. A continious wall of trees on either side without any relief seems a bit tedious to me. Don't particularly like the renovated bunker look, I much prefer sand faced bunkers especially on a course which seems to be on fairly flat ground.

Ulrich - does it play fast and firm ? If it did that would certainly help as you don't need big contours to make interest when its playing f&f. I can imagine with all those trees the course would have the tendency to play heavy most of the time like Wentworth once all the trees grew up. I don't have the Golf World European rating in front of me but how does this one rate ?

Niall

[Ulrich Mayring]

I rate this as a 6 on my GCE scale, which probably let's it just about break into the Top 100 Germany ;-)

The turf is good, a bit sandy and all. But as you already suspected, it plays not a bit firm and fast. I also think that Colt designed it to play that way, though.

Ulrich

[Sean_A]

It may be my preferences coming to the fore, but I don't like the non-descript green wall surrounding every hole.  This is the worst kind of trees because individual species aren't given a chance to allow their beauty to shine through. 

Thanks for posting Ulrich - I have long wanted to see pix of this course.

Ciao

[Mike_Clayton]

Ulrich,
We played some German Opens here in the mid and late eighties. Wayne Grady won there in 1984 and Seve won in 1987.
 It was never particularly difficult but it was quite fun and I thought a good course. It seemed to always be soft and it was a case of flying it straight at the flag - and there was rarely any wind to content with.
I don't really remember what the bunkers looked like - but I know they looked nothing like they do in these pictures.

[Emil Weber]

Ulrich,

Here I am! Sorry, haven't been online for almost 24 hours now, that happens when a mate's parents are on holidays.......

So, I don't really know where to start.

A couple of general things:

The trees: There are way too many trees on the course which are way too encroaching in parts. Not only the course, but the condition would improve if some trees were removed. Sadly, the club keeps planting trees  . The thick undergrowth combined with the narrow playing corridors are too penal, it  is forest in parts, deep German FOREST only a few yards from the center of the fairway!

The greens: Some have interesting contours, but all in all they are very repetitive since Staedler's redesign. Most just have waves on the outside and little variety in pin positions. They roll fast and true, though. Staedler introduced heavy, unnatural mounding around the greens which really doesn't fit to the course.

The bunkers: A shame Staedler built such unnatural-looking bunkers in his own, american style rather than what Colt intended.

The condition: Too lush and way too soft, but true and fast greens.

The routing: Exactly what Colt and Morrison left behind, and IMO the course's biggest strength. The varied use of the land (first three holes and last 4 especially), make it a great walk across, along up and down ridges and a plateau.

Another stength is the great set of par-3s and par-5s (see below)

The course features little strategy for average players as all of the hazards are placed for long hitters. This makes it boring for average and shorter hitters. But even for long-hitters, strategy is reduced dramatically by the narrow fairways and soft conditions.


Hole-by-hole:

Holes 1-3: They might be all long, but I disagree that they are similar. Colt's use of the ground on the three starters is fantastic: The first plays to a flat fairway and a punchbowl-style sheltered green, while the 2nd plays from the top of a ridge to a green which sits on another ridge, and the 3rd uses the contour for strategy off the tee and the greensite is flat. That IS variety.

Hole 1: As you say it is pretty stern and boring off the tee, but I love how the green lies in its own little amphitheatre and I think that is an interesting feature for an opener. If conditions were firm, the better angle and view woud be had from the right side of the fairway, which is where the O.O.B is. Sadly, the soft conditions and encroaching trees eliminate any strategic element.

Hole 2: Very difficult and too narrow 2-shotter (although a par-5 when the course opened), and devoid of strategy, but a as the first, a great greensite. The fairway bunker on the right doesn't make sense at all.

Hole 3: My favourite par-4 on the course with (IMO) strategy on the tee shot due to the ridge which runs along the left side of the fairway. The shorter drive A risks bouncing into the fairway bunkers (if conditions were f&f) plus the hole will play longer and you may stand above the ball. For this drive, a buker 20 yards short-right of the green is in play. The longer hitter may clear the ridge with a perfect drive, get extra bounce and and a chance of getting it close to the pin.

Hole 4: is a great par-3 and no respite from the tough beginning. It may be the most interesting green complex on the course with the green wrapping around the fronting bunker and a lot of ways to get close to the hole.

Hole 5: Nice par-5 with a wide, inviting fairway and some strategy on the lay-up. I really find it hard to get my Wedge close to a front-right (upper) pin position from the safe right side of the fairway after lay-up (and I hit it high), so there is strategy.

Hole 6: Not a standout, but a tricky, short par 4. I belive the green is a bit hard to hit for the average player because it's small and fronted by bunkers. The long hitter has to think about whether it is worth playing a driver or long wood around the dogleg with a tricky the pitch  or playing an iron down the fairway and a better chance of hittting the green with a full wedge.

Hole 7: Good, demanding par-3 with a chance of lay-up or going for it. The green is quite interesting and the accomplished player should try to hit a high fade.

Hole 8: As the 6th, bunkered on the outside of the dogleg but less interesting to play. The 7th green in 8 holes with waves on the outside and a flat middle  .

Hole 9: Narrow and long par-4, the only interesting feature is a natural mound 50 yards short-right of the green which hides that there is an entrance to the green. That entrance to the green is actually visible from the bunkered left side of the fairway, but seriously, not even the straightest hitter would choose a special line of play on a farway as tight as this one.

Hole 10: My 2nd favourite par 4, a strategic hole. The fairway is divided by a bunker at about 230 yards. The front part is wide, but a tee-shot that goes too far safe right is stymied by trees, so the ball should be kept left for a better angle and view. Long hitters can try to carry the bunker and be left with only a pitch, but the penalty for missing the fairway is severe. The green is another one of those wavy at the outside and flat in the middle.

Hole 11: This demanding par-3 introduces the upper plateau as its backdrop. The green is raised and bunkered on both sides, so anything left, right and short will have little chance of getting up&down.

Hole 12: plays from the top of the plateau to a fairway at least 30 feet lower. It's a beautiful hole, but the task is once again to hit the fairway, hit the green and try to make 2 putts.

Hole 13: A crime. The only fairway Staedler had control of, and he built unnatural mounds completely out of character with the rest of the course. All the other fairways have natural, subtle, micro-undulations which present interesting shotmaking-decisions. I wonder how any architect could do that.

Hole 14: Good 2-shotter, divided by a ridge at ´250 yards. The best option is playing as close to the top of the ridge as possible as anything short is left with a blind 2nd shot, and anything that carries the ridge will be left with a tricky pitch to a wide but short green fronted by bunkers.

Hole 15: Best hole on the course. Standing on the tee, the long hitters have to decide whether to carry a ridge with a bunker built into it at about 260 yards or lay-up to the wide, front part of the fairway. Option A is tempting because the corridor is quite wide and brings the green into reach, but the 2nd is played from a tricky downhill lie. Option B leaves a blind 2nd. The green is sort of a mini-version of a biaritz, making for a dificult 3rd if you lay up and is framed by the upper plateau.

Hole 16: I have no evidence, but I'm sure this 1-shotter was once a version of a redan. The land slopes starkly from right to left (tee is elevated) and the green is set at an angle and bunkered front-left. Sounds like a redan, hey? Sadly, the green is built up at the left and the area short-right of the green is maintained as soft rough. One day!

Hole 17: Interesting tee shot and strategy on the lay-up make this a good par-5, and a last chance for a birdie. The green is quite interesting and the lay-up must be placed according to pin positions, but again the fairway is to narrow to really choose a line.

Hole 18: Spectacular finishing hole, with a tee high above the fairway. The green is angled front-left to back-right so if conditions were f&f, the line would be down the left of the fairway. Also, too far right and you might not get a shot at the green. It's a good and tough finisher and you need to play 2 very good shots if you want to get away with a par.


Frankfurter GC is a faded classic. It was once a great course but too many trees, bad redesign and soft playing conditions have reduced its quality over the years.

I'm not saying it's not fun to play, I love going out there because its a beautiful walk and still a very solid course, it's just that the course has so much potential that waits to be restored.

One day

[Emil Weber]

Tom:
The land is flat in many places, but there are a couple of ridges and an upper plateau which make some holes very interesting. 2,3, 9,12,14,15,16,17 and 18 have a few elevations, while the others are rather flat.

There are some interesting micro-contours in the fairway, though, probably descendant from tree-clearing, which sometimes force shotmaking.

Thanks for the pics, they look awesome, the first should be 18 and the second one 11.

[Emil Weber]

Niall:
top100golfcourses.co.uk currently ranks it 21st in Germany and no, it plays soft year-around.

Mike:
The bunkers were redesigned in 2006 by Staedler, look boring and don't fit to the course's original character.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Thanks guys most interesting.

I've seen a few of the "Morrison Colts" and they do seem to feature long straight par 4's.  I can't decide if he was the least talented of the three (probably) or if he just had less interesting land to work with - also probably true.  Either way it's hard to credit him with their veery best work.

Is there a club histoory or website?  I believe it was originally constructed by Franks Harris with WA Murray the man in charge?

[Emil Weber]

Tony,
there is a club history on their website (http://www.fgc.de/index.php?id=43) but it's all german!

[Ulrich Mayring]

However, the club history does mention Mike Clayton, so it might be worth taking a screenshot

There is also a comedy chapter in the club history, which is worth reading for chuckles. They say it plays like a links with trees year-round.

Emil:
Your comments are on target and it appears you have a soft spot in your heart for the course. I am probably much less sympathetic, having just shelled out 80 Euros to play 5:20 hours behind an Asian fourball and have the marshall suggest that I should skip two holes and cut in in front of them

Obviously, if the course would play

a) firm and fast and
b) in 3.5 hours

then all those tedious par 4s may indeed translate to a nice walk. However, for a bogey player such as myself it means the exact same strategy on every hole: hit driver in the fairway, hit fairwood wood as far as it will go and then see what is left to pitch or chip. Perhaps what the club should do is re-color the tee boxes. Make the yellow tees white and declare them to be the championship tees and make the blue tees yellow and declare them the member tees and have everyone play from there. That is how most clubs in Germany do it, so a visitor will naturally step onto the yellow tees. Especially when he sees the group of duffers in front of him teeing off from there.

That being said, at 6065m the yellow tees are not longer than at some other courses in the area that I do enjoy playing and where there is more strategic interest for average players. I do like my driver and my fairway woods and I don't mind taking three shots to reach a long par 4, but it should be three different shots

Ulrich

[Christoph Meister]

Ulrich,

thank you for posting these most interesting pictures of a course I did not have the chance to play yet - 5h30 really is too much - why do they have a Marshall?

We don't have a marshall at my home club and it rarely takes more than 4 hours to play 18 holes, also because other members
would complain about our slow play then....

I found out that sometimes playing these sort of course with hickory shafted clubs from something like the ladies championship tees can give bogey golfers like us some pleasure also because you get an idea how the course originally played. Ulrich - maybe I see you at next years German Hickory Championship?....(maybe again at Bad Wildungen....)

Emil, thank you for your most interesting end  explaining comments - would be interesting to hear what Christoph Städlers says about his redesign work at Frankfurt.

I will see if I can find some old pictures for you to post here......

Christoph

[Tony Ristola]

Niall:
top100golfcourses.co.uk currently ranks it 21st in Germany and no, it plays soft year-around.

Mike:
The bunkers were redesigned in 2006 by Staedler, look boring and don't fit to the course's original character.

From first to last:
http://www.golfarchitecturepictures.com/Web%20Galleries/Germany/Frankfurt%201/index.html
These are taken in early March, so the holes are cut into the short cut tear-drop sections before the green.

The bunkers look similar to what was done at zur Vahr with one exception...
...the clover leaf bunker was repeated ad naseum at Frankfurt, as if the CAD program got stuck.
I counted well over 20.
Each green-site seems to sport three catch basins.

[Cristian]

Despite it's setbacks the course still looks interesting enough to me!

Indeed a restoration program obviously could do much good (bunkers, trees, f&f maintenance).

I think the course looks a bit like Hilversum, can anyone comment on that, Mike Clayton maybe?

[Mike_Clayton]

Cristian

It is a little like Hilversum - probably not as sandy and not quite as difficult but with a similar feel.
I always thought Hilversum was on a really interesting piece of land that would have been even better for a serious tree clearing program.
I don't remember Frankfurt being on such good site but the last six or seven holes were on some terrific land.

[Paul_Turner]

I enjoyed the course profile.  I guess like Wentworth West, this is now only a "Colt/Morrison"  in routing.  The bunker redesign work is awful.

It seems that subtle work always has to be tarted up these days.   More contour, more mounding etc. 

The course had some historic significance as the company's first German project, starting with Colt visiting in 1927 .  I think that's correct Christoph?

[Frank Pont]

Emil, do you know if the greens were laser measured before the renovation, so we have a record of the surfaces of the original greens. My worry is that the club did not do that, so that it is impossible to compare the new greens with the old ones (and potentially restore the old greens in the future).

Also do you or anyone else on GCA have good pictures of the course before the renovation by Staedler? I would love to be able to post these on GAP.com so we have a good chronology of the changes to the course.

I'm surprised the new greens are soft already... they should be firm so soon after a new construction. It sounds like the club needs to start irrigating a lot less than it is doing now. Might also be the result of an old irrigation system??

[John Mayhugh]

Ulrich,
Thanks for posting the photos.  I agree with everyone else that those sure don't look like Colt bunkers.

I used to fly into Frankfurt quite a bit, but my golf experiences in Germany are very limited.  It seems like there should be some interesting courses in Germany given the land. 


Emil,
When did Hr Stadler do his work?

[Emil Weber]

John,
I think the work was carried out through late 2006 and re-opened for play in June 2007, so it's all still pretty new.

Frank,
I have no idea really but I don't think they did. I also don't think the greens pre-2007 were close to the original Colt greens, though.

[Frank Pont]

Emil,
thats interesting that you think the greens before the renovation weren't original anymore. Was that due to damge in WWII? Or were they renovated sometime ago (if so who was the architect? Frank Pennink? von Limburger?). Maybe Christoph can shed a light on this...

[Emil Weber]

Frank,
The course was rebuilt by the Americans after the war and redesigned by Von Limburger in the late 60s. I think Christoph has more info on this

[Frank Pont]

Emil, interesting. Sounds like a good case to re-restore the course in another 5 years back to how it originally was after Colt left??? 

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