Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club: Ballesteros

At the base of the Swiss Alps, on an alpine plateau in the town of Crans-Montana sits the Ballesteros course at Crans-Sur-Sierre Golf Club. One of the most scenic golf clubs in all of Europe, the club has played host to the European Masters since 1948. The Ballesteros course has undergone multiple revisions dating back to 1905, with the first 18-hole layout being attributed to Harry Nicholson in 1928. The club later commissioned Jack Nicklaus to design a nine-hole course in 1988 to accompany what was previously known as the Plan-Bramois course. The course’s current name is derived from a pair of Ballesteros’ renovations, one in 1995 for general maintenance, and the second in 1997 for a restoration of the greens. Crans-Sur-Sierre is as awe-inspiring as it gets—routed over the undulating foothills of the Alps and framed by some of Europe’s most iconic peaks in the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc. The signature hole is undoubtedly the short dogleg right par-4 seventh with a well-protected green and unbroken panoramic views of Mont Blanc and the Rhone valley in the distance.