6062M (~6600 Yds), Par 72, Slope 130.
They Say:
"The Marianske Lazne Golf Club course may serve as an example of Scottish and Irish golfing architecture from the end of the 19th century. The course lies on an upland plain 787 meters above sea level, built under the governance of Scottish professional Duig. It was opened in 1905. Therefore it is the oldest course in The Czech Republic.
"The course forms a clearly bounded area. Only holes No.2 and 3 go out of the compact course boundaries. They were built in 1978 to replace the non-regular old ones. The greens are relatively small (but well protected by bunkers), especially when compared with newly built courses. Most of the course lies on a plain terrain. It seems to be easy at first sight. However, players find many hazards and places demanding an accurate and technical play.
"It is surrounded by a pine forest so that even on very hot days, it is a fine place to be. The surrounding picturesque landscape is natural, not harmed by any construction or buildings. The air is full of oxygen and saturated with ozone, so that it is a real cure for your lungs."
Played in an Intercompany Golf Match over 2 days . . . First day was wet and cold. 2nd day was sunny and cold . . . 8^) . . . Good course, but not all the holes are interesting . . .
#1 is not nuthin', but it's not much sumthin', neither. Flat, straight. Small Green.
#2 is a good hole. Sort of a blind tee shot, then a risk-reward decision . . . I tried to make myself go for the green in 2 the second day, but couldn't make a solid swing . . . that creek just takes all the fun out of the shot . . . That big green is really steep back-to-front, so if one *could* fly it to the green, it would hold, for sure.
#3 is straight, and uphill. A solid drive and a half-decent 7iron would get you where you want to be. But hitting two solid shots in a row is my challenge, thesedays . . .
#4 another straight, and slightly uphill. Yawn.
#5 is interesting . . . tho' it could also be considered a little gimmicky... that tight dogleg right, enforced with trees, with a bunker pinching the other side of the angle makes the drive a little testy, but if you can get up in the neck it's just a wedge in the rest of the way. Easy green, but the first day there was standing water that slowed the ball to a crawl, so that was tough.
#6 is straight, downhill to the green, narrow (like so many holes here).
#7 is the markee hole here. The first day, we hit a tree on the left trying to cut the corner, hit a 7wood to just below the traps, pitched onto the green, then made a 40 ft bender . . . par on this hole is good enough. The second day, I hit a perfect 5wood 15m short of the creek, then caught a case of the yips like I hadn't had in years. . . couldn't pull the trigger on my 5iron . . . grip felt like it was falling apart in the backswing . . . after 3 backoffs, I just went ahead and tried to hit it, pullhooked into the woods. My partner'd hit a good shot almost where we'd been the day before. I pitched up just off the back of the green. up-and-down from there for bogey was almost as satisfying as the par the day before. That is one heck of a hill going up to the green, as you can see.
#8 is a long par 3 . . . first day was a wipeout . . . 2nd day, with the yips from #7 in my head, I concentrated consciously on technique, which by some odd turn of fate actually resulted in a super shot, a 4iron that came up short of the pin by 3 feet. My partner made the birdie, I don't think I could've, my putting is that bad.
#9 is another par 3 . . . I'm not sure I've seen that before on a "real" golf course, back-to-back par3s. It's a measly 135m, a 7iron I oughtta be able to hit in my sleep, but we bogeyed it twice, missing the green.
#10 is a short par4. Both days, trying NOT to go for the green, I foozled drives. The first day, I turned around and hit a 7iron 4 ft away from the pin, then missed the birdie putt.The second day, bogeyed missing the green.
#11 is the #1 handicap hole: long par4, *skinny* beyond belief, with an elevated green that means you will be trying to up-and-down. Both days, I just *gravitated* a drive upinto the neck of that tiny opening. First day was in the fairway, so we reached greenside in 2, managed a bogey. Second day was in the rough, still soggy, and didn't reach greenside till 3. doublebogey.
#12 is long wide flat par5 . . . easy enough to reach the green in 3 and 2putt for par.
#13 is a long par3. Perfect ordinarily for my 7wood. So I hit a half5wood in the cold & wet conditions. Had this for birdie the second day. No go.
#14 short par4 dogleg right around deep woods. The first day I was too conservative and wound up still 80m away from the pin (only 60 from the front of the green), so the second day I wound up on the edge of the woods trying to *annie oakley* thru the trees. Not recommended. way wide left is much better.
#15 is one of those short par4s with a bunch of bunkers that makes you put the bigdown down and hit 5iron instead . . . once I do that, of course, if the second shot isn't stiff, then I'm unhappy, and whether a 7iron or 8iron, it just can't keep up with such elevated expectations . . . 8^D . . . This is my playing partner the second day, *Wrong Way Connolly* . . . 8^D . . .what a pair we make with our unorthodox styles. . . comes from his youth playing Irish Hurling he says . . . I say Who Am I To Criticize . . . 8^D . . . he hit some great shots during the day, bailed us out several times when I flaked out.
#16 is another great hole, psychological-impediment-wise . . . that big water hazard on the right combines with the woods on the left to make a very intimidating tee shot . . . IF I could ever hit one good shot I could do it everytime, but I'm O-fer-2 so far, using my partners balls both times . . . First day, I did hit a 7wood up short-left of the green so we salvaged a tap-in bogey, and the second day I hit a 5wood right at the pin that was so good it drew gasps from idle passers-by walking their dog . . .but it was in the front trap . . . got out of the trap expertly, but missed the 4ft par putt . . . those two missed par putts on this hole is what I remember most. . . very upsetting.
#17 is along uphill par5, both days we were looking at *very* makeable par putts after some mis-hits, but we made neither . . . come to think of it... those upset me too . . . 8^D . . . Those traps that cross the fairway at 130m are *right* where you want to put your second shot . . . like there was malice of forethought in their placement . . . 8^D . . .Somehow that water hazard seems more intrusive in real life, too, closer to the fairway and green.
#18 I like to finish strong, regardless . . . but both days, I was just so wore-out, cold, and irritable that I let the drives wander off into the trees on the right, where then you're looking at a safety, then a LONG shot into the green . . . first day we floundered, but the second day, I had some sudden insight into why my irons were all going left and hit an 8iron 17ft below the hole. My partner made a good run at the bogey putt, so there was nothing left but for me to make it, which felt like a victory of some sort.
