Many mountain sites can't actually accommodate a conventional golf course and if one is to be built there anyway, the architect must be allowed to let traditional thinking fall by the wayside. That, however, doesn't mean that all principles of golf course architecture can be ignored - instead some must be smartly prioritized over others. In the mountains this means that routing integrity and walkability cannot be trumped by the scorecard. Unfortunately this cardinal sin was committed at Bad Gleichenberg: the overwhelming desire for a traditional par of 36 meant that the loop must close with a long par 5, even though the 8th green is only a short par 4 away from the clubhouse. So the golfer has to walk back almost the entire length of the 8th hole - either on the narrow and dangerous access road or on the 8th fairway, much to the chagrin of following golfers. After a couple of blows from the idiotic "way back in the fields" tee the player returns to where he should have teed off from in the first place. This horrible routing decision kills the entire experience, which is not without its problems anyway.

Make no mistake, the setting is glorious and the holes are spectacular and include a few never seen before design concepts (probably incidental land forms), so adventurous golfers will not be disappointed. But when the terrain dictates that every lie is uneven and for the most part severely so, then at least a resemblance of a fairway is needed. The bumpy and harsh playing surfaces will not identify the finesse player, who puts his ball in strategic positions, because he simply cannot discern the good patches of grass from a distance.

The greens are fine, though - nothing to write home about strategically, but perfectly puttable and completely adequate for this course. What it needs is some love and an infusion of agronomic and design advice, after which it could conceivably apply for hidden gem status. Until then it is worth playing as a one-off, just to see some of the most incredible slopes and rolls that golf holes have ever been draped over, but after 9 holes most golfers will gladly turn in for refreshments.