Set in the heart of Europe, Slovakia features a quiet and relaxed pace of life, with wonderful architecture and medieval castles and cities. For now, the country remains quaint and congestion-free, making for a perfect setting for a golf getaway. Article continues after video advertisement Article continues after video advertisement
According to the Slovak Golf Association, there are now almost thirty golf courses in the country. So while golfers are suffering through this COVID-19 crisis, wearing the mats down on their indoor putting greens or hitting Wiffle balls around the yard, now would be a good time to take a good look at some of the courses to include on the list for when the courses open again.
Penati Resort – Heritage Course, Legend Course
About an hour’s drive to the north of Bratislava, the Penati Resort opened in 2012 with the Jack Nicklaus designed Legend Course. In August of 2013, the Legend was joined by the Heritage Course, and today the resort is the nation’s largest golfing facility.
Penati Golf Resort was selected for the 2014 list of the Top 100 Golf Courses in Europe. (Source: Courtesy of Penati Golf Resort)
Heritage Course
Designed by Jonathan Davison, the rolling sandy ground features a pair of nine-hole loops and is reminiscent of some of the classic courses of London and Melbourne. The Heritage provides golfers with the opportunity to play running shots on many of the holes, with relatively flat green sites. The bunkering is subtle with the sand traps relaxing naturally on the ground.
Legend Course
The par-72 Legend Course measures just under 7,000 yards from the tips, but be sure to bring the big sticks along to tackle the monster par-six 15th hole, which can be a massive 787 yards from the back tee – however, there are eleven tee boxes to choose from for those wishing to have an easier test of skill.
While the 15th gets much of the attention, the dramatic par-4 finishing hole heads directly to the clubhouse terrace, as those who’ve completed their round are typically watching as players finish up their round navigating the waters surrounding the 18th’s island green.
Black Stork Resort
The Black Stork Resort in Veľká Lomnica is uniquely positioned on the southern side of the protection zone of the Tatra National park. Unspoiled nature, rocky hills and lush air welcome guests on the 120 plat set in the beautiful scenery.
As the story goes, a black stork used to come from nearby swamps to watch the golfers play their rounds. While there are still many storks around, the resort took its name from the legend.
Featuring 27 holes – a combination of three courses, each course offers fabulous views of the Tatras massif, with some holes on the Vardon golf course offering a panoramic view of the central Tatra.
(Source: The Black Stork golf resort in Veľká Lomnica)
Borša Golf Club
The 18-hole championship course at the Borša Golf Club features top-quality Bent Grass fairways, similar to the courses on the PGA Tour sites. The course measures from 6,691 meters from the back tees, but drops to 4,677 meters from the short tees.
Green Resort in Hrubá Borša (Source: Sme – Gabriel Kuchta)
The flooded woods, surrounded by predominantly deciduous trees are integrated through eight of the holes, with the water’s edge from the lake touching up to half of the eighteen holes.