Golf Club St. Leon-Rot (St Leon)

Overview: The St. Leon Course at Golf Club St. Leon-Rot is a large, ambitious layout that borrows its visual language from Scottish and Irish links. Dave Thomas used the sandy site to create broad, shaped fairways, prominent bunkering, water hazards and an island fairway that gives the course an unmistakable identity. The holes ask for precision as well as power: the best score usually comes from choosing the correct side of the fairway and approaching the greens with a clear angle.

History: Golf Club St. Leon-Rot was founded through Dietmar Hopp’s vision and officially opened in 1997. The St. Leon course was the second 18-hole championship layout to be developed at the complex, following the original Rot course. Its modern construction and tournament infrastructure quickly made the club a regular setting for major professional events, including the Deutsche Bank–SAP Open and the 2015 Solheim Cup.

Did You Know? The course’s island fairway is the counterpart to the island green on the Rot course. Together they form a deliberate pair of signature features across the two championship layouts, even though the courses use different architectural languages.