Photo: Ulrich Mayring · CC BY-SA 3.0
Alps / Valais, Switzerland
Golf Club Crans-sur-Sierre — Ballesteros Course
A high-Alpine championship course above the Rhône valley — the permanent home of the Omega European Masters.
Course overview
Golf Club Crans-sur-Sierre traces its origins to 1906 and sits at around 1,500 metres altitude in the Swiss Alps above Sierre in Valais. The Ballesteros Course — named after Severiano Ballesteros who redesigned it — stretches to 6,341 metres at par 72 through pine forest and alpine meadow with sweeping views of the Valais peaks including the Weisshorn and Matterhorn. The course has hosted the Swiss Open and Omega European Masters continuously since 1939, making it one of the longest-running tournament venues on the European Tour.
The essentials
- Architect
- Freemantle; Gedge; Harry Nicholson; Severiano Ballesteros
- Established
- 1906
- Type
- Mountain
- Par
- 72
- Length
- 6,341 m
- Location
- Valais, Switzerland
Character & atmosphere
A high-altitude mountain course combining pine forest corridors with open alpine meadow. The thin air, panoramic Alpine views and firm, fast-draining turf create a playing experience unlike any lowland course, with the altitude giving extra carry to every shot.
Highlights
Why play here
- Designed by Freemantle; Gedge; Harry Nicholson; Severiano Ballesteros, opened in 1906.
- A championship-calibre test that has hosted professional golf.
Signature Hole
18
A closing par-5 at 1,500 metres altitude with the Valais peaks — including the Weisshorn and, on clear days, the Matterhorn — as the backdrop. The Omega European Masters has finished here every year since 1939, making it one of the most continuously played tournament closing holes in European Tour history. The thin Alpine air adds carry to every shot, and the downhill gradient rewards going for the green in two.
Practical guidance
Plan your visit
How to get there
Geneva and Zurich are the main international gateways for Crans-Montana. Both require a scenic mountain drive of around 2.5 hours via Sion. Sion Airport (SIR) has very limited scheduled services. Car hire from Geneva or Zurich is the standard approach; the Crans-Montana gondola from Sierre station is an alternative if travelling by rail.
Where to stay
Crans-Montana is a Swiss alpine resort at 1500 metres with one of Europe's most spectacular high-altitude golf settings — the Ballesteros Course looks across the Rhône Valley to the four-thousand-metre peaks of the Valais Alps. The resort infrastructure is well developed for both golf and non-golf activities.
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