Golf Resort Karlovy Vary

The verdict

If you want to understand Czech golf, you start at Karlovy Vary. The club traces its roots to 1904, making it the oldest in the country, and the present 18 hole course, completed in 1933 to a design by the Paris based architect C. Noskowski, has been quietly hosting golfers in the hills above the spa town ever since. It is a course steeped in the genteel, central European resort tradition, a natural companion to the grand hotels, colonnades and thermal springs that made Karlovy Vary, the old Carlsbad, famous across Europe.

The golf itself is classic parkland: holes that meander through mature deciduous and evergreen trees, gentle elevation changes, doglegs and raised greens that ask for position rather than power. It is strategic and pleasant rather than punishing, well kept and welcoming to a broad range of abilities, which is exactly what most visitors to a spa golf break are looking for. Paired with the town, it makes one of the most characterful short golf trips in continental Europe.

The holes worth the trip

The prettiest moment on the course is the par 3 17th, where a stream crosses in front of the tee, spanned by a scenic little bridge and framed by trees, with a magnificent weeping willow standing guard over the green. It is the hole most people photograph and a memorable, demanding short shot near the end of the round, the sort of feature that gives an old course its sense of place.

Earlier, the par 4 seventh stands out as a stiffer test, an uphill dogleg left guarded by a large bunker complex on the inside of the turn that punishes the greedy line. Around these highlights the bunkering is largely strategic rather than penal, and the tree lined corridors reward straight driving and a thoughtful route to each green more than brute distance.

What gives the course its enduring appeal is the combination of mature parkland, good upkeep and a layout that has had nearly a century to settle into the land. It is not a long modern championship test, but it is a genuinely enjoyable, well crafted round with real history under your feet.

Where to stay nearby

The obvious base is the spa town of Karlovy Vary itself, where grand 19th century hotels line the river and the colonnades, and the whole town is geared to relaxation, from thermal baths to the famous Becherovka and the annual film festival. Staying in the centre puts you a short drive from the first tee and turns a golf trip into a genuine spa and culture break.

For a wider Bohemian golf tour, Karlovy Vary pairs naturally with the strong cluster of courses around Prague and West Bohemia, so many visitors combine it with a few days in the capital and a round or two at the country's modern championship layouts. It is an easy, characterful addition to a Central European itinerary.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts in Karlovy Vary.