Some lowly statistician
must get forced into abstinence during Germany’s
Oktoberfest—otherwise we’d have no reliable source for the eye-catching figures
generated by this mother-of-all-keggers. Last year, an estimated six million
liters of beer, 481,000 pieces of roast chicken and 180,000 pairs of sausages
were consumed by six million international visitors over 16 days.
The legendary festival,
which uncorks each September and ends on the first Sunday in October, began in
1810 as an over-the-top wedding reception. Germany’s future king, Ludwig, betrothed himself
to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen and invited all of Munich to toast the bride.
Their revelry took place at the current 104-acre Oktoberfest site in the heart
of Munich, known
as Theresienwiese (“Therese’s fields”).
Today huge
brewery-sponsored beer tents serve up one-liter mugs of tasty and powerful
products to hoist with a hearty “prost” (“cheers”), while a combination
amusement park and folk fest carries on outside. First-timers are advised to
check out the crowded but colorful opening weekend
festivities.
By then you’ll need some
fresh air to purify your beer-soaked system. Fortunately there’s a handful of
solid golf courses within an hour of Munich via the well-signed Autobahn. Unlike
Oktoberfest, golf in Germany is not entirely open to the
public—most courses are private, but open to visitors on weekdays, with green
fees usually less than $100. English is spoken almost everywhere, but asking
locals if they sprechen sie Englisch helps, as does having a handicap
card.
Gut Hausern, located 45
minutes north of Munich off the A9, is tucked
away in the village of Markt
Indersdorf. Opened in May 2003 and designed by
Harradine Golf, this layout features three different styles of design: links,
parkland and semi-desert with some sprawling, sandy waste areas. It’s a bit
schizophrenic but worthwhile, usually playing hard and fast with some of the
best greens in Munich.
