Laid out over a forested, undulating landscape, Krakow Valley’s generous, wide rolling fairways are tempered by massive, steep-faced greenside bunkers that defend par on many of the putting surfaces.
Laid out over a forested, undulating landscape, Krakow Valley’s generous, wide rolling fairways are tempered by massive, steep-faced greenside bunkers that defend par on many of the putting surfaces.
Before the end of the millennium, only a handful of golf courses existed in Poland. Since 2000, over a dozen new courses have sprung up all over the country and Krakow Valley Golf and Country Club is home to one of the very best of these new designs.
Situated between Krakow and Katowice in the south of Poland, the country club offers more than just a 7,200 yard 18-hole championship golf course – it has a wide range of amenities including a hotel and restaurant, shooting range and horse riding club.
American Ron Fream and his Golfplan design company are better known in Europe for their work in Finland, France and Portugal so it was quite a departure from those countries when they made this their first foray into the east of the continent in 2004.
Laid out over a forested, undulating landscape, Krakow Valley’s generous, wide rolling fairways are tempered by massive, steep-faced greenside bunkers that defend par on many of the putting surfaces.
Krakow Valley was proud host to the European Seniors Tour, venue for the 2008 Polish Seniors Championship. Ian Woosnam emerged victorious, claiming his first European Seniors Tour title.
Ron Fream – course architect writes: “Krakow Valley Golf Club has transformed a former Communist collective wheat and barley farm into a visually dramatic, memorable golf course. Dealing with local conditions and people educated in the Communist ideals and methods added to the challenge.
The design intent was to capture the existing natural flow and contour of the open site. The golf holes have been laid out to capture the diversity of the terrain without extensive earthmoving and the adjacent beach forest areas give a nice frame edge to some holes. There are scenic long vistas to surrounding mountain outcrops that design solutions captured.
Golfplan tried to introduce “Scottish style” feeling within some holes. Bunker arrangement and strategic placement blends the almost links contours with the Scottish looking bunkers. Large, well-contoured green sites offer six to eight distinct pin positions and large, diverse tee areas join to add very distinct playing alternatives and variety within each hole.
Krakow Valley has true tournament ability yet is user friendly for average golfers. The practice facilities are some of the largest, most comprehensive in Europe. Learning to play and refining ones game here is well met and our design objective was also to encourage new players.”
The latest ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World serves as the ultimate global golf bucket list. Most members of our World Top 100 Panel are seasoned golfers, each playing 20-30 of these courses annually while travelling extensively over decades to form their opinions on others. We recognise that opinions vary—even among our panel members. Rankings are subjective, and there are undoubtedly 50 or more courses in the UK and USA alone that could easily fit onto this list. Links Golf Pilgrimages The rankings
California, United States
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New York, United States
We've curated four exceptional gifts for the discerning golfer—from handcrafted Sunday bags to contemporary art that reimagines golf's greatest holes. Pine Coast Golf Sunday Bags The Sunday bag represents golf at its purest. Pine Coast Golf has elevated this concept with bags handcrafted in a Polish workshop using Italian leather from a fourth-generation Tuscan tannery and waxed canvas from Dundee, Scotland. Founded by Lisette and Johan from a love for golf and commitment to mental health awareness, each bag features brilliant functionality: a skewed pocket that secures valuables naturally, accessible water bottle storage, and strategically centred shoulder loops that balance perfectly over 18 holes. The collection—The Dirty Shirley, The Whitecap, The Pine, The Moss, The Beach, The Sunset and The Orchid—ranges from 3,490 to 4,890 SEK (£260-£370/$350-490) for canvas models. The premium Leather Bag: 9,995 SEK (£750/$995). Personalised embroidery available. 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The newly launched Shooter's Club line really hits the Scottish sporting estate vibe hard. Perfect for: Traditionalists, Scotland lovers, golfers who value heritage craftsmanship Why we love them: They age beautifully, developing character with every round. "Buying better and buying less." Gary Lisbon's "Great Golf Courses of the World" Melbourne-based photographer Gary Lisbon has spent two decades capturing 685 courses across 26 countries. This panoramic coffee table book showcases over 400 images—many never published—from 100+ courses in 20 countries. Playing off a mid-single-figure handicap at Royal Melbourne, Lisbon brings a golfer's eye to his dawn photography. Journey from Norway's Lofoten Links to the British Isles, Australia's Melbourne Sandbelt to New Zealand's clifftop masterpieces, and continental gems like Valderrama and Morfontaine. Over 95% of featured courses are accessible to travelling golfers. 1991 Open Champion Ian Baker-Finch feels it is "undoubtedly the best collection of golf course images from around the world." $135 with worldwide shipping. 18-month desktop calendar: $25. Perfect for: Dreamers, trip planners, course architecture enthusiasts Why we love it: Trip-planning material disguised as art—a worldwide golfing journey from your living room. Mymo Golf Personalised Prints Every round has a story. Mymo transforms those memories into watercolour-style prints featuring any hole from any course worldwide. Founded by Chris Pyatt after his first hole-in-one, Mymo creates personalised aerial prints capturing every detail. Choose your course and hole, add a custom message, and receive a digital proof within 48 hours. Printed on premium matte paper (189 g/m²) with water-based inks. Available in Medium (12 × 16") or Large (16.5 × 23.3"), framed or unframed. Course Map collection features all 18 holes with space for player names and dates—perfect for commemorating trips. You can also capture your three favourite holes on one print. Partnership with Arccos integrates shot-tracking data. Orders typically take 7 days. First-time customers: 10% off. Perfect for: Commemorating holes-in-one, bucket-list rounds, cand elebrating achievements Why we love it: Turns memories into masterpieces worthy of display rather than hidden in your golf bag. Editor's Choice Smathers & Branson Needlepoint Belt Founded by college roommates in 2004, Smathers & Branson now employs over 2,000 artisans creating 100% hand-stitched needlepoint using French cotton thread, full-grain Italian leather, and solid brass buckles. Arrives in a handmade wooden gift box. $185. Pro tip: add 2-3 inches to your pant size. Editor's Note: "The St Andrews Scene belt is my personal favourite. The detail is extraordinary—a daily reminder of golf's spiritual home." Vessel Skyline PrimeX Backpacka For travelling golfers, the right backpack is essential. Vessel features crosshatch embossed synthetic leather—durable, weather-resistant, easy to clean. Padded laptop compartment (15" MacBook Pro), velour-lined valuables pocket, internal water bottle sleeves, hidden top pocket, trolley sleeve, compression-moulded neoprene back panel. Once you have one you'll wonder how you travelled without it. Available in Black, Maroon, Navy: $195. Editor's Note: "A lifesaver on 50+ flights. Transitions seamlessly from airport to office to course." Gift Pairing Ideas Heritage Collection: Pine Coast Sunday bag + Fyfe headcovers for European craftsmanship Art Lovers: Charcoal Golf print + Lisbon's book contrasting contemporary and classical Travel Package: Vessel backpack + Smathers & Branson belt for the well-travelled golfer Memory Makers: Mymo personalised print + Lisbon's book with a promise to book a featured course Scottish Links Experience: Fyfe headcovers + Smathers & Branson St Andrews belt Why We Selected These Gifts Each product celebrates craftsmanship, sustainability, and artistic vision whilst supporting small businesses with genuine purpose. From Scottish workshops to Polish leather artisans, from contemporary artists to master photographers, these gifts honour the game and inspire golfers to play with intention. And don't forget about Top 100 swag at shop.top100golfcourses.com
We’ve published a Top 10 chart for Poland every two years since 2010 but an increase in panellists allows us to add another five courses this time around. As there are only around thirty affiliated golf courses across the country (according to the R&A’s Golf Participation in Europe 2021 report) we think we’re doing well enough to cast a spotlight on half those golfing layouts. Modry Las First up, we have a new national #1 with the Gary Player-designed 18-hole Modry Las layout at the Modry Las Golf Resort moving up two places to the top spot, a position it last held between 2014 and 2018. Designated as PGA National Poland, the venue is now also home to a lovely little 9-hole par three track called Orli Las which overlooks the crystal-clear waters of Lake Raduñ, close to the clubhouse. Rosa Also rising two places from #4 to #2 we have the 18-hole layout at Rosa Private Golf Club. Built almost twenty years ago by Arkadiusz Muś – the owner of Press Glass, whose new company headquarters are located next to the course – the course was laid out by Hans-Georg Erhardt, with several lakes excavated and quite a bit of soil shifted to fashion a really interesting series of holes on a largely flat landscape. Wroclaw The course at Wroclaw Golf Club – formerly known as Toya Golf & Country Club – rises two spots to #6 in our Polish rankings. Designed by French-based architect Jeremy Pern and opened for play in 2005, this 18-hole layout occupies an old military training ground where some of the old bomb craters and bunkers are said to have been incorporated into the design! Black Water The new course at Black Water Links is our highest new entry at #11. It only opened for business last year but it’s already making a name for itself with golfers in the Poznan area. Situated less than half an hour’s drive from the city airport, the layout is a Caspar Grauballe design with holes routed across a gently rolling landscape, surrounded on all sides by agriculture. A temporary clubhouse is in place for the time being. To view the entire detailed list of our latest Top 15 Golf Courses of Poland click the link. View list here. If you have any comment to make on the above article then please use the “WRITE A RESPONSE” link at the bottom of this page. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses
The purpose of the Review of The Month feature is twofold. Top100GolfCourses has always aimed to salute and encourage those who are putting admirable effort into reviewing the world’s great golf courses. Moving forward, we are also looking to learn from these experts! We’ll be chatting with the month’s star authors and discussing topics such as golf in their area, what they like to see in a strong course review, and of course dig a little deeper into their own winning review. March 2023’s Review of The Month comes from Philip Thinggard, who made his first golfing journey to colorful Kenya, and from it produced a wonderful writeup on Limuru Golf Club. Was this your first round of golf in Kenya, or have you had the opportunity to play any other courses in the region? Yes, it was indeed my first round. Also played three others (Muthaiga, Royal Nairobi, VetLab) in Nairobi but that was it for now, unfortunately. Kenya is obviously not a golf trip hotspot, and Limuru does not have a renowned course designer to its name. When considering the merits of a course such as Limuru, is it unfair to hold it up against quality clubs in other nations? I guess it is unfair, but I try to judge courses I visit keeping in mind their particulars and circumstances. Which is why I always try to talk to locals. You cannot simply show up at X golf club expecting to find the standards of an affluent golf course in the U.S. or Spain, or some other bigger golf nation. However, resort courses are an exception, as good condition and playability are integral parts of the standard deal. We hear about kikuyu annually during the PGA's Genesis Open at Riviera. Did the turf type seem to mesh with the design of the course? I'd say yes, the stiffness of this grass type is a great contrast to soft greens they had when I was there. But hard to say based on my visit, as everything was very dry. Now that you're a celebrated "Review of The Month" winner, let us know what factors you appreciate in a strong golf course review! Personal touch, paint a story with no fear of including yourself as an experiencer of the reviewed course. Readers need to feel the writer was there for them and noticed stuff and details. What did this course make me think and feel? If I was there one day only, I try to imagine how the course is under different conditions. Try to select and describe holes that made an impact on me as a golf writer and as a golf player, rather than trying to characterize the whole course. It's boring hearing about every hole, and most courses do not have a clear profile anyway. They have great holes and not-so-great holes. I'd go play a course based on a convincing description of three to four holes that stand out and are worth the visit in and of themselves. The remaining 14 to 15 holes? It's still golf! What's one course that you're excited to write a review for in the upcoming year? Sand Valley (Poland)
