http://www.karlstejn-golf.cz/
Par 72, 6324M, Slope 143
They say:
"The first 18 holes of the Golf Resort Karlstejn were opened in 1993. The project comes from workshop of two canadian golf architects, Les Furber and Jim Eremko. The names of these architects are signed under 70 golf courses around the world. Two of the most famous are definitely Valderama in Spain or Varadero in Cuba. Thanks to sensitive approach of integrating the golf course into picturesque countryside, where the romantic scenery comprises of the most famous Czech castle Karlstejn, the residence of the Czech kings, unique place was created. Hilly landscape with limestone rocks, rich fauna and flora is oasis of calmness and peace which will gratify event he most demanding players.
In 1997 the course had the honour of hosting European PGA Tour event. Number of golf celebrities from all over the world took part in it. The winner, Bernhard Langer, won with the score 265 (-20) after four rounds. Record-holder is Swedish player Patrik Sjöland with 61 strokes in the second round of Chemapol Trophy, which has taken place on 8.8.1997.
In 2008 the current 18 hole course was enlarged on the South slope of the hill Voskov by new 9 holes. Designed by the Furber/Eremko team again, it interconnects together perfectly. The project derives benefit from natural stripes of matured greenery. With narrow fairways, three ponds and numerous sand bunkers, it is a quite difficult and technical course where the planning of the shots and the strategy of the game will be very important to achieve success.
"Easy bogey, difficult birdie" was the designer´s strategy while building the course, enabling golfers of different levels to play together. Located in the protected landscape area of Karlstejn with rare species of plants and animals, Golf Resort Karlstejn provides an excellent opportunity for active relaxation, only 15 km from the city of Prague."
#1 Par 5, my favorite thing, to no avail . . . you need to challenge that corner with the bunkers and OB, but it's terrifying . . . out of this 4, 3 challenged the corner, 2 in trouble, 1 over safely, and me flared out to the right. Hit a miserable little 3wood, leaving a wedge out of the rough on the right, came up short out of the sidehill, dew-heavy lie, chipped long, 2putt bogey.
#2 Par 4, was kinduva challenge so early in the round. . . hit a perfect 5wood well left of the big bunkers on the right. . . had only 8iron left, so no need to challenge any further but that's a tiny looking green from the fairway, with trouble left and in front. Chunked in the creek. Double.
#3 Par 3, well-designed to give the willies. . . not so long, but psycho-wise, intimidating. weak ass slice into the bunker, out-and-over, chunk on & 2putt double.
#4 par 4, dogleg left, you definitely want to hang left here, but it is hard . . . the whole mountain is pushing you down-right. Long haul approach too. Double.
#5 par 5, half the 4some was saying don't miss left and the other don't miss right here . . . OH! Just hit it in the fairway . . . 8^) . . . Hit a good drive and smoothed a 7iron onto the green left side without using the big slope. Par.
#6 par 3, long ass, tho' downhill . . .deep trouble short right, so I flew a half-7wood left of the trap, double bogey.
#7 par 5, I didn't realize that first leg is uphill a bit . . . no wonder I didn't get my distance . . . straight-forward dogleg after that. Standard 3putt for double.
#8 par 4, I don't see how all the holes can seem uphill . . . a short hole but still challenging.
#9 par 4, again uphill . . . longest drive hole in the tournament . . . you want to drift to the right here, since everything will come down, but I hit a tight pull-hook, overswinging a bit, down the middle curling just past the bunker on the left, safe. . . .not quite enough to move the marker. Did my calculus and hit a full 9iron uphill to the front of the green . . . dumbass . . . first time mistake . . . big double green (God, How I Hate Double Greens), pin way in the back. . . slammed my lag putt 20 ft past, 2 putted from there. Tough Hole.
#10 par 4, downhill. Easy hole. Don't remember much, except sloppy bogey.
#11 par 4, way-downhill again, lot of consternation on this hole, Everybody seemed to be right of the fairway in various forms of trouble, except me, right down the middle, past the tree in the middle, 300m with the roll, come to rest just off a sprinkler head . . . no relief . . . sort of similar to #2 at Rancho Manana in SCX, same issue for me, that short, downhill half-wedge shot that I can never master. Chunk. Blade, 3 putt.
#12 par 3, finally a breather hole, and totally hashed it up. . . double.
#13 par 5. one of those par 5s where I got off track and couldn't get back on. . . pull hook (weary legs) in to left rough . . . chop out to right rough chop out left rough short of green, etc . . . double bogey.
#14 par 3, I was feelin' kinda delirious at this point. . . hot as it ever gets in europe, 2nd day in a row of tournament golf, walking, and no frickin' water to drink . . . forgot to get a bottle to start, no place along the way neither . . . somehow sucked it up to hit a half-7wood on a rope to the center of the green and 2 putt for par. Qaulity Par. Character Par.
#15 par 4, is short but so severely dogleg-left around the bunker on the right, with trees, that caution is required . . . since I was reconsituted after my skillful par, I roped another drive over the bunker and saw it bouncing high off the slope. OK! Nope. could not find it anywhere. . . it must've been so long off the bounce it rolled thru the dogleg & rough into the woods & tall grass. trudged back to the tee and hit a short liner in the fairway next to the bunker. trudged up to the ball, yelled FORE, and hit a half-7iron to the green, without premeditation. trudged up to the green where my 4some was already thru and waiting. bladed a chip off the hill behind the green to kickin distance for a virtual par. Good Hole, but just killin' to not find my ball . . . totally sapped everything I had left, out.
#16 par 4, short, with a downhill drive. . . what's not to love? I like the "True" front on the green too, if you see how I mean. A little more generous than the rest of the course. I popped up right of the fairway, behind the trees, and tho't I was in trouble, but it's wide open over there. Lob it onto the green and 3putt, no worries!
#17 par 5, generous fairways, slight dogleg left, fair. . . my partners were worried and amused by me now. . . I was struggling so bad with no water, but still hitting quality tee-shots, but my short game was even-more-abysmal than usual . . . double bogey after missing the green in regulation.
#18 one of my partners gave me a bottle water between holes . . . I had no choice but to drink it all in one go . . . I needed it, but it was too late to keep me going, if you see how I mean . . . but I hit another good drive down the left side fading off the traps that drew admiration from my partners. But I still seemed a l-o-n-g way from the green. . . I should have hit a 7wood, but I tried a 4iron that just tailed off into a nasty copse of briars and thistles. Just dropped out of there and putted out indifferent to my fate.
Now, ever-body says Karlstejn is the hardest course in CZ, and maybe the best, and I know what they mean . . . there's not a bad hole on the course, and its a brutal walk for golf (oxymoron-alert!) in the ultimate heat of summer, and it contends for the most beautiful course with it's landscape and castle views.
I would point out for special mention #2,3,6,8,9,4,15,16,18 as a great holes. . . all the rest were merely "good" . . . every hole has interest, even the very short par 3s, tho' I felt like the par5s were sort of ordinary, not that I birdied them all, or parred them, or bogeyed them . . .8^D . . .
Would like to play the new 9 sometime, it looked awfully nice from the club house patio . . .
Definitely a 2 on the SCX Scale. . . harder than most of the courses there or here, more beautiful & picturesque, and hilly, hilly, hilly. I think it's on the "good" holes (vs the "great" holes) where I would improve next time . . . just a lot of chances with a short iron in my hand that I failed due to unfamiliarity with the course.
