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Varchentin Private Golf Course, Graf Grote. (1907 - 1914)
The Hamburg banker Gottlieb Jenisch (1797-1875) acquired the Varchentin estate in 1836 and had the castle built in 1847 together with his wife Amalie Caroline, née v. Lützow. By marriage with Adolf Georg Börries Graf Grote (1830-1898), their daughter Marie Anna Jenisch (1841-1922) brought the estate and the patronage of the church into the possession of the Counts of Grote. It was then passed to Otto August Gottlieb Adolf Graf Grote (1861-1942) whoseson Friedrich Franz Count Grothe (1901-1942), died in 1942 just two months after his father. Friedrichs American-born wife Rachel Derby-Smith (1903-1985)was able to emigrate to the USA with their five children before the Red Army arrived at the Mecklenburg estate.
There is a listed landscape park in front of the palace. It was laid out in 1838 by order of Gottlieb Jenisch according to plans by Peter Joseph Lenné. The extensive grounds offer impressive lines of sight and a direct view of the lake below the manor house. It is believed that a 9-hole golf course was laid out in the park in 1907/08 by Otto August Gottlieb Adolf Count Grote.
Lawn Tennis und Golf, No.14, 1907, reports that [Otto] “Graf Grote, who joined the club [Baden-Baden] last year, will certainly become one of our best players within a short time. He is an enthusiastic player and is in the process of creating his own links on his Varchentin estate.”
For the first time the Golfer’s Handbookhas an entry for Varchentin in 1909: “Varchentin (Germany) Golf Club. (p) W.W. Marks”. By 1911 there a specification of the number of holes is added:
“Golf Club. (p) W.W. Marks. 9 holes”
We believe that W.W. Marks is Wally Marks from Wimbledon in Surrey, who also worked in Germany as a golf professional after WWI, like in GC Bergisch-Land from 1934 to 1939 and after 1945 at RAF Bas Eilsen. Marks also taught 1913 in Barcelona, then 1914 and again during the 1920s in Belgium, where he won the Belgian Professional Championship in 1927.
In 1913 the German magazine “Sport im Bild“, Nr. 35 states: „"...the beautiful links on the grounds of Varchentin Castle in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, whose owner Count Grote is an enthusiastic supporter of the game."
The Golfer’s Handbook 1914 has this entry for Varchentin: “Private G.C. on Count Grote’s estate. 9 holes (p) George [correct spelling: Georg] Lange” Georg Lange, one of the first generation of German golf professionals originating from Berlin-Westend, took over as golf professional in Varchentin from Walley Marks. Later during the 1920’s Georg was one of the founding members of the German PGA.
It is assumed that no more golf was played in Varchentin after WWI.
Christoph Meister, December 2023
Early views of the castle.
Pictures taken in 2017.