Bohemian Rhapsody: Why This Undiscovered European Golfing Destination Deserves Far More Attention

Until last October I had only once played in the Czech Republic. That was back in 2007, and it hardly stopped raining which meant we barely squelched our way out onto any of the courses near the capital and over to the east. I was therefore excited to be returning to a country now preferring its post-revolution name, Czechia. After flying to Prague, this time I would be heading west in the country’s largest region, Bohemia.

Karlovy Vary

Travelling with four other golf writers - from France, from Sweden and two from the States - our first port of call was Karlovy Vary. This is the oldest club in the country dating back to 1904, and its original course was a 9-holer. In 1933, it relocated to its current, densely-wooded site and a full 18 holes. Now, when I say densely-wooded, I do mean densely-wooded! If you’ve played it, then by comparison I would describe the Duchess’ at Woburn as very forgiving off the tee. Despite that, it’s a classy and interesting course with five par 5s and five short holes.

Here we were joined by Czech professional, Klara Spilkova, winner of the 2022 Women’s Irish Open and a former world Top 100 golfer. Charming, funny and very friendly, she is a perfect ambassador for golf in her country. Witnessing my flailing, faltering attempts to get out of a greenside bunker on the penultimate hole, she kindly gave me a bunker lesson that has really paid dividends… for now, at least. Buoyed by this, I narrowly missed my birdie putt on the uphill par-5 closing hole, and I look back on this as a course that keeps improving all the way.

That night, following an excellent dinner at the nearby award-winning Le Marché, we stayed at the Grand Hotel Pupp. This historic and stately spa hotel dates back to 1701. The English name for Karlovy Vary is Carlsbad, and the town is home to one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals with many of its visitors such as Morgan Freeman and Renee Zellweger staying here. Scenes from Casino Royale with Daniel Craig were filmed at the hotel, although bafflingly they didn’t ask me to pose for their star-studded gallery. The following morning, we enjoyed a guided walking tour of the picture postcard town under a bright blue sky, sampling the spa waters and the Carlsbad wafers, a local speciality.

Cihelny

It’s a short drive through the wooded hills to Cihelny Golf and Wellness Resort, but everything seems to change as you leave sophisticated suburbia for this pretty, rural location and its modern hotel and course. Originally known as Astoria, it is the only Gary Player Design creation in the country and opened for play in 2001. There are two quite different loops of nine, with the opening holes on the southern, slightly more undulating side. You need to have your wits about you, especially when crossing the railway line following the tiny, downhill par-3 5th.

There are plenty of doglegs where positioning from the tee is important, as well as a number of ponds, lakes and the snaking River Teplá which is the same river that goes on to bisect Karlovy Vary. I very much enjoyed the local food and the friendly service, while my room was spacious, comfortable and peaceful. Its spa includes Thai massage, a herbal sauna and much more. The nearby village of Loket and its scenic and historic castle are well worth visiting, as is its St Florian restaurant and brewery.

Sokolov

A few miles further west and the landscape changes again. Up on the plains at about 1,500 feet, Sokolov is an old industrial town. Its golf course is a remarkable transformation of an old coal mine 20 years ago by German architect, Christoph Städler. The exposed setting means that wind is more of a feature here, and again there are five par 3s and five par 5s offering variety and the chance of a birdie.

There is plenty of space with far-reaching views of the distant mountains. I particularly enjoyed the elevated par-3 5th and the serpentine par-5 8th which claws its way up to a well-sited green. The back nine is just as strong, especially the short 13th which plays over a pit of doom, and the excellent three-shotter at 15 which keeps veering right for so long that you think you must be heading back towards the tee.

The atmosphere in the clubhouse was lively and friendly, and it was clear that plenty of non-golfing locals like to come along to enjoy the food and atmosphere. Following a very enjoyable lunch, we headed down to the lovely spa town of Mariánské Lázně, also known as Marienbad. Here we stayed at another exquisite, old-school, grand spa hotel, the Nové Lázně. Wellness is a major feature of this region with plenty of international travellers arriving to take the waters and many treatments on offer.

Royal Mariánské Lázně

Having a passing interest in the many regally-endowed clubs dotted around the world, Royal Mariánské Lázně was a name I already knew. If Karlovy Vary is the oldest club in the country, then this is the oldest course, opening in 1905. It has a rich history and has hosted many important events. Seve Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer competed in the Czech Open in 1994, while Rory McIlroy represented GB&I here in the St Andrews Trophy in 2006. And now it was my turn!

The par is 72 with three par 5s and three short holes. Unusually, two of the par 3s are consecutive and they close the front nine. The signature hole might just be the par-5 2nd which is one of two newer holes from 1978 that are sequestered away outside the original boundary of the course. It plays down to an attractive green with a pond to the left from which a stream crosses to enforce an aerial approach.

I also very much enjoyed the par-4 7th with its awkwardly positioned ditch, and throughout the round you feel that you could be playing in Scotland. En route to our final destination, we stopped off at the Pilsner Brewery for a fascinating tour of this huge multinational enterprise while sipping some tasty samples.

Greensgate

Prior to playing our final course, Greensgate, we enjoyed another very good dinner in the clubhouse before an overnight stop in its dormy hotel. Formerly the Pilsen Golf Club but now saddled with one of golf’s less enticing names, my expectations hadn’t been high. Happily, apart from a Hollywood style sign festooning the hillside behind the otherwise excellent par-3 7th, everything exceeded expectations.

Greeted in the morning by a thick mist, our start was delayed and so the first few holes are literally a hazy memory, though I do remember thinking they were probably very good! The mist lifted after an hour or so to reveal an attractive, undulating and pleasingly varied course in fine shape. There are plenty of memorable holes, none more so than the par-3 11th played to an island green out in the lake.

My favourite was the two-shotter 16th that skirts the River Klabava. You drive from way up high while the green is flanked by the river on the left and a steep bank on the right. A real beauty of a hole on a lovely course. And no, I’m not just saying that as I managed a par!

From a personal and quite subjective perspective, I would say that the courses improved every day with the final one being my personal pick of the bunch. Others, I am sure, would feel quite differently.

For more information, please visit the Czech Tourism golf website.

For those keen to visit somewhere new and unexpected, where golf is reasonably priced, varied, of good quality and plentiful, and where there is history, culture and much more besides, Bohemia is an ideal golf and wellness destination.