Czech Golf Courses and Clubs - History

1904 - The first two Czech golf courses were established at the turn of the 20th century. The first was in Karlovy Vary established 1904, and a nine hole course in Mariánské Lázně opened the following year. Both courses used primarily by foreign clientele and golfing in the Czech Republic only started to gain in popularity before the First World War when the well known Ringhoffer family converted some of their land near the village of Volešovice into a golf course later known as the Ringhoffer Volešovice Golf Club.

1923 – A group of friends bought an old set of golf clubs in from the UK began playing not on one of the already established Czech golf courses but in the meadows near the village of Stránčice.

1926 - The Ringhoffer’s organised various activities for the locals which encouraged their participation in the sport. This eventually led to the first formal club for golfers which was officially launched in 1926 called the Prague Golf Club.

1927 - the Prague Golf Club opened their first Czech golf course in Motol in Prague, where they held their firs tournament. The course became the centre of Czech golfing competitions until 1934 when it was in such bad condition that they had to cancel the championship that year.

1928 – ‘the group of friends’ playing with those old clubs began to grow and finally led to the creation of the second official Czech golf club known as - Líšnice Golf Club and the existing course has heritage back to 1928.

1929 - The Mariánské Lázně golf course was extended to eighteen holes, while the construction of a new eighteen hole course began in Karlovy Vary.

1930 – The first national Czech Championship was held at the Prague golf course of Motol and was won by none other than F Ringhoffer Jnr.

1931 – the two official clubs joined with the Slovakian Piešťany Golf Club to form the Golf Association of the Czechoslovak Republic. The first golf club match was played between Líšnice and Prague Golf Clubs which the former won.

1932 – the women’s golf championship was played at the Czech golf course of Piešťany

1935 – The Marienbad Golf Club stole the baton from Motol held three champoionships including holding Czechoslovakia’s first Open Golf tournament at Mariánské Lázně which was won by a Scottish professional Mark Seymour. The new course at Karlovy Vary was opened.

1936 – Two new Czech golf clubs emerged the Třemšín and the Brno Golf Clubs.

1937 – Henry Cotton won the Czech Open Golf competition at Mariánské Lázně and also the following year when the new open went to the new course Karlovy Vary . The European Golf Association was established at the end of the year. The course at Motol was finally closed and the popular winner of the 1930 Open F Ringhoffer Jnr. Died..

1938 – The death of Ringhoffer inspired Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně to join the Czech Golf Association so that they could commemorate his death by playing in the national team championships. A new golf course was opened at Klánovice that year.

The opening of the new course in Klánovice in 1938 coincided with the closing of the Motol course in 1937. It seems likely that the two Czech golf clubs from Western Bohemia (Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně) joined the association in 1938, since they entered the national team championship the Ringhoffer Memorial, named to commemorate František Ringhoffer Jr., who died in 1937.

1938 - Czechoslovak Republic began to loose territory and with it several Czech golf courses, due to political pressures and German invasion.

More history on Czech golf courses and clubs......

CZECH GOLF COURSES--> Mariánské Lázne | Karlovy Vary | Karlstejn |