Eight Beautiful Golf Courses for the Most Demanding Golfers

Eight Beautiful Golf Courses for the Most Demanding Golfers

25.11.2008 at 14:16 by STO media release

Golf is becoming an increasingly popular sport in Slovenia. The first golf course was built in Bled in 1937, so this young but rapidly flourishing branch of sport already has more than seventy years of tradition in Slovenia. Because of their marvelous natural settings and special features, Slovenia's golf courses can easily match courses in other countries for attractiveness and challenge. Both novices and experts can enjoy the game on eight beautifully laid out courses and numerous practice ranges across Slovenia. In the coming years, more courses will be built, confirming Slovenia's position as one of Europe's most attractive golfing destinations.
So that foreign guests can become more familiar with golf in Slovenia, the Slovenian Tourist Board is organizing a golf tournament and familiarization tour for foreign journalists in May. The tournament will be held in Bled on May 12, and the following day the familiarization tour will visit the 18-hole golf courses at Mokrice Castle and the Volčji Potok Arboretum.
One of the oldest and most beautiful golf courses in Europe is the Bled Golf Course, which is also called the "Royal Golf Course." This eighteen-hole course below the mighty Karavanke Mountains, designed by the famous golf architect Donald Harradine and opened in 1972, is distinguished by luxurious spaciousness and its arrangement of greens and fairways in the embrace of Slovenia's tallest mountains. Along with the "Royal" golf course, the nine-hole "Lake" course is very popular because its undulating terrain and water hazards present a special challenge for golfers. Bled's golf course is very popular among European golfers, especially Germans, Austrians, and Italians. During a game, players can enjoy outstanding views of Bled, a gem of Slovenia's tourism, Bled Castle, and the surrounding mountains.
Thanks to the influence of the Mediterranean climate, the Lipica Golf Course is the only one in Slovenia where it is possible to play all year round. This nine-hole course designed by Donald Harradine spreads across the undulating karst terrain beside the pastures of the unique Lipizzaner horses. The karst terrain, groves of oak, and the bora wind, which they say "guides the course of the game," give this course a special appeal. The course is only ten kilometers from the Italian border beside the Lipica Stud and close to many karst farms famous for their excellent pršut (prosciutto) and Teran wine. The convenient location of the Lipica Golf Course offers rapid connections with Slovenia's coastal towns, particularly Portorož, which along with golf offers relaxation for body and soul at the wellness centers in its hotels and health resort complex.
In a marvelous natural setting in the Dolenjska region of eastern Slovenia, the Mokrice Golf Course is the third designed by the eminent Donald Harradine. Renowned as one of the most beautiful courses in Slovenia, it lies in the idyllic surroundings of medieval Mokrice Castle. Along with the challenges of this eighteen-hole golf course, visitors can enjoy the ambience of the historic castle, now a first-class hotel, stroll along the lake and through the pear orchards, and relax at the nearby Čatež Thermal Spa. In summer, the concerts of the international Brežice Festival of Early Music, whose excellence draws many Slovene and foreign guests every year, are held at nearby historical and cultural sites.
Closest to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, is the Volčji Potok Arboretum Golf Course, which winds through a picturesque natural landscape among pine woods between lakes and other natural beauties. Open from March to the middle of November, this undulating eighteen-hole golf course is intended as much for novices as for the most demanding golfers. For a pleasant and peaceful stroll in the immediate vicinity of the course is a marvelous park of flowers and unique plants that has been proclaimed a cultural monument. Not far away are many interesting excursion points such as the old city core of medieval Kamnik and the high alpine meadows of Mount Velika Planina where the traditional life of mountain herdsmen and cheesemaking has been preserved.
The Ptuj Golf Course lies close to Slovenia's oldest city and has frequently captured the flattering title of "best arranged golf course" in Slovenia. Its layout makes the course suitable for recreational golfers since it does not demand excessive physical condition although its water hazards do require precise swings. Along with unforgettable golfing moments, the ancient city of Ptuj, the treasury of millenniums, offers abundant possibilities to explore Slovenia's historical and cultural heritage, particularly while enjoying the local ethnological and traditional events that take place in Ptuj throughout the year. Also varied are the food offer and the wine tradition since Ptuj's wine cellars are very well known, especially the four-hundred-year old wine cellar below the Minorite monastery.
Truly special playing pleasures in a picturesque setting are offered by golfing among the vineyards in Slovenske Konjice, one of Slovenia's most beautiful towns. The Zlati grič ("Golden Hill") Golf Course, whose small but very challenging greens are entirely surrounded by vineyards, offers outstanding views of Stari grad Castle above the town, the Drava River valley, and Mount Konjiška gora. This year a second nine holes will be added to provide even greater pleasure on the fairways among the vineyards. The rich wine cellar and excellent cuisine of Slovenske Konjice will not disappoint even the most demanding guest. Only three kilometers away is the climatic Zreče Health Resort, famous for its luxurious thermal spa pleasures.
Near Moravske Toplice in idyllic Prekmurje lies the Livada Golf Course whose eighteen-holes and natural beauties attract both novice and expert players. Along with Bled, this is the only golf course in Slovenia that can boast a diverse tourist and thermal spa offer immediately beside its fairways. A special feature of the Livada course is the ninth hole whose nearly 600 meters make it the "longest hole in Slovenia." The Terme 3000 spa and tourist complex beside the course is a genuine center of recreation for everyone who wants peace, recreation, and sport pleasures. The complex has long boasted four-star hotels, and a new five-star hotel will open this fall. Especially attractive are the Thermalium Center, an oasis of relaxation that offers various wellness and therapeutic services, and the region's restaurants that offer outstanding local dishes. Prekmurje is famous as a land of healing springs and friendly people.
The nine-hole Olimje Golf Course near Podčetrtek charms visitors with it special sand traps and natural water hazards. Each of the greens requires a special approach and presents a real challenge for beginners. The golf course is complemented by the diverse sport and recreation offer of the Olimje Thermal Spa, only two kilometers from the fairways. In a tranquil oasis of green set among forests, vineyards, and streams, the Olimje Thermal Spa offers a genuine revival for body and soul.
Slovenia's newest golf course in Otočec, which will officially open on July 1, 2006, lies in Dolenjska, a hilly region rich with medieval castles, rivers, and forests. The course beside the Krka River near the remarkable Otočec Castle is only five kilometers from Novo mesto, the capital of Dolenjska. Proud to be the longest golf course in Slovenia, it will be attractive for both novice and expert golfers. Initially offering nine holes, the course will expand to eighteen holes over the next two years. In addition to pleasures on the fairways, the area offers an abundance of opportunities to enjoy an active holiday. Especially inviting are boating, rafting, fishing, tennis, horseback riding, archery, and panoramic plane or balloon flights. The Otočec Castle Hotel is famous for its fine cuisine, and for relaxation the nearby health resorts of Šmarješke Toplice and Dolenjske Toplice have a rich offer of wellness services.

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