Andrew Darke

The narrow road from Felben to the golf course blends harmoniously into the landscape: lush fields to the right and left, a hay barn here, a wooden bench there, inviting cyclists and walkers to take a break. The journey to the golf course is somehow calming. And so is the arrival. Here, people greet each other in a friendly manner, everyone has a smile on their face, everyone is in a good mood. And Andrew anyway. He radiates a calm and contentment that is infectious. You can tell at first glance that the golf course is his home.

Andrew Darke - Andy - belongs to the Mittersill golf course like the icing on an ice cream cup. Throughout his life, he has inspired people from near and far for the sport for which his heart beats. In Mittersill, he has been a golf instructor for over 20 years. For him, golf is the most beautiful thing. What fascinates him so much about it: Anyone can play the sport - from very young to old. "Our oldest member is Brunhilde. She is 88 years old, trains with me 1 time a week and plays her rounds every day," he says. The image of golf is still a problem in Andy's opinion. Many people believe that golf is only for the "upper 10,000", for the " higher class". He tries to make it clear to interested people every day that this is absolutely not the case. Golfing is good for your health - for your physical fitness as well as for your mental health.

To the question of whether he sometimes misses his childhood home, he replies with a smile in his fine, English gentlemanly way: "Mittersill is my home. But when I get homesick for Great Britain, I treat myself to a pack of "McVities" cookies and a cup of black tea with milk."