The History
Golf in Interlaken
Golf has been played in our region since 1904, although the Golf Club Interlaken-Unterseen was not founded until 1963. Our present championship course was created on the initiative of several tourism pioneers from Interlaken and was designed and built by the renowned golf course architects Bernhard von Limburger and Donald Harradine. Construction began in late autumn 1963, and by Whitsun 1965, play commenced on the first nine holes. The second nine holes opened in the summer of 1966, giving Unterseen the beautifully situated 18-hole golf course it still enjoys today. The project was completed at a cost of approximately CHF 800'000.-.
Over the following years, considerable investment was made in the club's infrastructure. In 1976, a new locker room building and a pro shop were opened. A traditional “Stöckli” was acquired in 1983 and converted into the club office, while a new trolley storage building followed in 1984. As the club continued to grow, the existing restaurant became too small, leading to the construction of a new restaurant extension in 1985, featuring panoramic glazing and seating for 70 guests. During 1987 and 1988, a covered shelter was added to the driving range, and the ageing maintenance facility was replaced with a modern building. As membership continued to increase, a completely new clubhouse was built during the winter of 1993/94 at a cost of CHF 4 million. The driving range also reached its capacity and was completely redeveloped, reopening on 18 June 2000.
After almost 40 years, the course no longer met modern championship standards and underwent an extensive renovation between autumn 2003 and summer 2005. Based on the plans of Scottish golf course architect John Chilver-Stainer, every tee and green was rebuilt. New streams, lakes and ponds were created throughout the course as part of a wider ecological restoration project that extended to Lake Thun. Living in harmony with nature has always been a core value of Golf Club Interlaken-Unterseen, and the redesigned course perfectly reflects this commitment.
1904–1915
Interlaken Golf Club
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Interlaken Spa Society (the town's historic tourism organisation) established a committee to explore the possibility of creating a golf course. The Höhematte was initially considered as a potential site, without realising that an 18-hole course would require considerably more space. The first golf professional, Mr Smith, who arrived in 1903, quickly pointed out that the location was unsuitable.
Towards the end of 1903, the citizens of Interlaken made a new site of approximately 18.5 hectares available. After Mr Smith's departure, A. L. Chevalier took over responsibility for the project. Under his supervision, a golf course was laid out in the area known as “Neue Eye” and officially opened on 21 June 1904 – on the very site that later became Interlaken's military airfield.
As early as 1907, the course hosted the International Swiss Championship. Contemporary reports described it as one of the finest golf courses in Switzerland. Featuring nine holes, it was particularly popular with British visitors.
With the outbreak of the First World War, tourism declined dramatically, and the course was forced to close in 1915. It never reopened.
It was not until 1963 that today's Golf Club Interlaken-Unterseen was founded at its present location on the shores of Lake Thun. The course was designed by the renowned golf course architect Bernhard von Limburger and later refined by Donald Harradine.