Pannonia Golf & Country Club

Pannonia Golf & Country Club is located twenty-five miles west of Budapest, on the outskirts of Alcsútdoboz village. In this rural idyll, Hans G. Erhardt collaborated with Doug Carrick to design one of the best golf courses in either architect's portfolio. Interestingly, around the same time, these two designers also jointly fashioned Fontana, the Austrian Open venue near Vienna.

Open for play since 1996, Pannonia is laid out in the style of an old country estate that winds its way through a sweeping valley landscape that is blessed with defined elevation changes where the often-present wind can dent the scorecard.

Water comes into play at eight holes but none more dramatically than the 129-metre 17th where an island green sits precariously below the teeing ground. Pannonia’s greensites are striking and invariably raised, strategically bunkered, large and well contoured, placing a premium on accurate approach play.

Measuring a tad more than 6,400 metres from the tips, Pannonia is no shorty, but numerous tee boxes cater for all abilities – the layout plays less than 5,000 metres from the forward tees.

A chapter titled “Driving the Danube” was written by Jim Lamont and published in Chris Santella’s book, Fifty More Places to Play Golf Before You Die. “For trips that begin in the east, players fly in to Budapest. After a day of touring the twin cities of Buda and Pest, you’ll make your first golf stop at Pannonia Golf & Country Club, the finest of Hungary’s courses… The grounds of Pannonia once belonged to the Hungarian branch of the Hapsburgs, and the ornate clubhouse where you’ll dine after golf once housed a greenhouse.”