Photo of WINSTONgolf (Links course)

WinstonGolf

Kranichweg 1,

Vorbeck, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern D-19065

  • Office

    +49 (0)3860 5020
  • Pro shop

    +49 (0)3860 5020
  • Fax

    +49 (0)3860 50 22 22
  • Golf pro

    Stephan Peters (PGA Pro); Thore Stelljes (Assistant Pro).

About the course

  • The Course:

    18 holes. Open links-style. Gently undulating terrain - a few slopes to climb.

  • Surroundings:

    Woodland & open countryside.

  • Designer:

    Designed by Canadian course architect David Krause.

Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Metres
6459
5925
4856
Par
72
72
72
SSS or slope
76.3
73.5
73.1

At the same location:

Above distances are for the WINSTONlinks course. Also at WINSTONgolf is the 18-hole WINSTONopen course (par-72, 6284 m from back tees, course rating 73.8) and the nine-hole WINSTONkranich course (par-27, 824 m).

Location

Latitude:

53.648995

Longitude:

11.587632

How to get there:

3 km NE of Gneven / 18 km E of Schwerin.

WINSTONgolf (Links course)

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.

Est. 2011

WINSTONlinks course at WINSTONgolf: Set a few kilometres east of the Schweriner See (a large natural lake), here at WINSTONgolf you'll find two excellent and very contrasting 18-hole courses. The bold, ambitious and exciting Links course typically steals top honours. But don't let that stop you playing the also excellent, testing and smoother-lined WINSTONopen parkland course.

Hailed as one of the best new golf courses in Europe when it opened in 2011, WINSTONlinks is an ambitious big dimension layout, modelled on British seaside links. Characterised by a plethora of pointy topped "dunes", the Links here lays down a tough test for your all-round game. Penal rough, natural sandy hollows, rolling fairways, and all those pyramid-shaped dunes provide a convincing linksy feel to proceedings. Where the dunes are still "pristine", the holes look wonderful; where extraneous bushes and trees are trying to overwhelm the dunes, the course takes on a less authentic look.

Reinforcing the intended "linksy" impression are fast-running and sometimes split-level rolling fairways, grass-faced "revetted-style" bunkers, grassy depressions and "tufty" ridges. The hard fast undulating greens are often elevated, allowing for many slick run-off areas around them. These features, and a few fairways with barely any first cut of rough before the dunes, all emphasise the need for top-quality course management.

Notwithstanding the absence of a breezy stretch of Scottish coastline, this exciting layout delivers a tough, high-octane golfing challenge ... and one that only accomplished golfers should attempt from the tips!

Pick of the holes: with many memorable holes, two strong contenders include the excellently cross-bunkered par-5 6th, which starts out from an enjoyably elevated tee. There's also the very handsome par-4 9th, with its bunker-strewn fairway and attendant dunes (which are not too compromised by "alien" vegetation).

List of courses: Germany - North

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.

Must book in advance. Maximum handicap: 36 men & women.

Green fees

Visitor fee, 18-holes in high season (mid-March thru' Oct) on the Links course: €160 (all days). Open course €120.

Contact club for full details, discounts, Stay&Play packages (with partner hotels), etc. [Last updated: 2023].

Other information

This is a walking course; golf carts are not available for hire. Golf carts permitted on WINSTONopen course.

Practice facilities

Excellent

Did you know?

The Open and Links courses at WINSTONgolf have hosted numerous top level tournaments, including the European Senior Tour's WINSTONgolf Senior Open; see WINSTONopen tournament venue

Discounted green fees are available to guests staying at any of the three WinstonGolf partner hotels: Gut Vorbeck, which almost sits alongside the 13th hole of WinstonLinks; the 100-room Schloss Basthorst, located 15-minutes drive from the golf, and the historic castle hotel of Schloss Kaarz, which offers a truly high-end experience, whether you're golfing, dining or simply relaxing.

WINSTONgolf is located near Gneven, a village in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania). The historic state of Mecklenburg took its name from a castle named Mikilenburg, which is located between the cities of Schwerin and Wismar. The castle, of which very little remains, was the ancestral seat of the once powerful House of Mecklenburg.

The club logo features a pair of cranes (in German, kranich). These large, long-legged and long-necked birds are quite commonly seen in this area.

Published ranking

Links course:
Germany's 4th best course (Golf World, 2022).
Continental Europe's 161st best course (Golf World, 2023).

Where2Stay

  • Schloss Basthorst4-star

    Schlossstrasse 18, OT Basthorst, D-19089 Crivitz, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

    +49 (0)3863 52 50

    Visit website

    The Schloss Basthorst hotel includes 92 guest rooms and suites, in which historic charm is combined with modern chic. Here you can enjoy fabulous culinary creations in two restaurants, while the 1,300 m² spa includes a swimming pool, sun terrace, sauna, massages and numerous spa treatments. The bar and wine cellar also await, together with eight spacious conference and banqueting rooms. The large outdoor terraces are ideal vantage points from which to view the English Park, which sweeps down to Lake Glambeck.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 10 km:

      WINSTONgolf (Links, Open and 9-hole Kranich courses).

    • Golf within 30 km:

      No

  • Hotel Gut Vorbeck4-star

    An der Warnow, 19065 Gneven, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

    +49 (0)3860 502 996

    Visit website

    The Hotel Gut Vorbeck, with 19 guest rooms and one suite, is located in close proximity to the 13th hole of the WINSTONlinks golf course. On the banks of the rippling river Warnow and just over half a mile from the golf clubhouse, the relaxed atmosphere of this hotel awaits. In addition to the lovingly decorated rooms and a cosy café, the Gut Vorbeck estate also offers riding stables, bicycles and a canoeing boathouse, from which to discover Mecklenburg’s untamed wilderness.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      WINSTONgolf (Links, Open and 9-hole Kranich courses).

    • Golf within 10 km:

      No

    • Golf within 30 km:

      No

Find a course

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Tournaments

Ryder Cup: Rome plays host to the first ever Ryder Cup to be staged in Italy, with the USA defending golf’s greatest team trophy at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club (Sept 29-Oct 1).

Solheim Cup: also in September, also in southern Europe, the 18th Solheim Cup will be contested at Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Sol, with Europe defending after their surprise win in Toledo, Inverness Club (Ohio) in 2021 (Sept 22-24). 

Who's Who

Céline Boutier: with many successes as both an amateur and professional golfer, Boutier added a major championship title to her impressive résumé at this year’s Evian Championship.

Alex Cejka: buffeted by rain and high winds, especially on the high-scoring final day, Čejka prevailed over Pádraig Harrington in a playoff at Royal Porthcawl, to scoop the Senior Open Championship title.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

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