The golf course at Ptuj Golf Club lies a couple of kilometres from Ptuj Castle with fairways laid out as two returning nines inside a 52-hectare property that’s largely devoid of any serious contours.
The golf course at Ptuj Golf Club lies a couple of kilometres from Ptuj Castle with fairways laid out as two returning nines inside a 52-hectare property that’s largely devoid of any serious contours.
The small settlement of Ptuj lies in the northeast of Slovenia, not far from the border with Croatia, and it’s said to be the oldest recorded city in the country. Located at an important crossing point of the Drava River, Ptuj was once an important stop on the trade route between the Baltic Sea and the Adriatic.
The golf course lies a couple of kilometres from Ptuj Castle – on the opposite side of the river from this 12-century fortification – with fairways laid out as two returning nines inside a 52-hectare property that’s largely devoid of any serious contours. It’s rather an easy walking parkland track which can be stretched to a moderate 5,727 metres from the back tees.
Notable holes include the par four 7th, played to a large two-tiered green that tilts from back to front, and the long par three 8th, where a sleepered bunker protects the front left of the green. Both the short holes on the back nine are also terrific, featuring an island green at the 14th and an elevated tee on the highest point of the course at the 16th.
Europe's golf map stretches well beyond the famous names. Away from the links of Scotland and Ireland and the better-known resort destinations of Spain and Portugal, there are outstanding courses tucked into mountain valleys, Baltic coastlines and forests across the continent. From Switzerland to Estonia, these are courses that can be easy to overlook when planning a golf trip, despite offering the scenery, character and quality to make the journey worthwhile. We've picked 10 of Europe's biggest hidden gems, with every course coming from a different country. Andermatt Golf Course (Uri, Switzerland) Switzerland Ranking: 12th | Green Fees: From 130 CHF (€137) At around 1,400 metres above sea level, Andermatt Swiss Alps is surrounded by mountains, but the course itself is not quite the mountain layout you might expect. Designed by Kurt Rossknecht and opened in 2016, much of the 130-hectare course is relatively flat, with long rough lining the fairways and few trees giving it a links-like character. The third and fourth holes provide a dramatic change of pace, climbing through the rocky terrain at the end of the valley, while natural streams and water hazards feature elsewhere on the layout. The surroundings are impossible to ignore, with mountain ranges encircling the course and the sound of Alpine streams and grazing cows completing the experience. Pärnu Bay Golf Links (Pärnu Maakond, Estonia) Estonia Ranking: 1st | Continental Europe Ranking: 52nd | Green Fees: From €75 Estonia is hardly the first country that springs to mind when planning a European golf trip, which is precisely why Pärnu Bay Golf Links deserves a place on this list. Opened in 2015, the Lassi Pekka Tilander design occupies a narrow strip of sandy land where forest meets the Baltic Sea. Wide fairways, expansive waste areas and bold, multi-tiered greens give the course a links-like character, while the firm fescue surfaces reward a low, running game. Lead shaper Mick McShane, whose CV includes Kingsbarns, helped bring the design to life. Pärnu Bay may be off the beaten track, but it is one of the Baltics' standout layouts. Adamstal Golf Club - Championship Course (Niederösterreich, Austria) Austria Ranking: 1st | Continental Europe Ranking: 89th | Green Fees: €115 Tucked into a wooded valley southwest of Vienna, Adamstal feels a long way from the Austrian capital and even further from the usual European golf itinerary. Yet this spectacular mountain course has been Austria’s No. 1 on Top100’s national rankings and has hosted several editions of the Challenge Tour’s Euram Bank Open. Canadian architect Jeff Howes shaped the Championship course around the natural contours of the valley, with the 10th and 11th climbing into the mountains before dramatic elevated tees reveal the landscape below. The course even has a settle-the-bet 19th hole, a par three tucked into a pretty valley beside a mountain spring that has supplied Adamstal with drinking water for more than a century. Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort (Dobrich Province, Bulgaria) Bulgaria Ranking: 1st | Continental Europe Ranking: 43rd | Green Fees: €119 Perched on Bulgaria's northern Black Sea coast, Thracian Cliffs is one of Europe's most spectacular coastal golf courses. Gary Player’s signature design opened in 2011, with the holes carved along a narrow strip of land between high cliffs and the sea. The Black Sea is visible from every hole, while dramatic elevation changes add another dimension to the experience. The course hosted the 2013 World Match Play Championship, won by Graeme McDowell, and has featured prominently in Top100’s Continental Europe rankings. Alongside nearby BlackSeaRama and Lighthouse, Thracian Cliffs forms part of an unlikely but compelling golf destination on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. Zala Springs Golf Resort (Hungary) Hungary Ranking: 1st | Green Fees: 41,900 HUF (€114) Set among the rolling hills of western Hungary, Zala Springs combines a Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed course with the thermal waters of nearby Hévíz. Opened in 2016, the 160-hectare layout winds through a landscape of lakes, natural rock formations and mature vegetation, with plenty of water coming into play. The 12th is among the standout holes, requiring an all-carry shot over an intimidating lake, while the ninth features a distinctive Biarritz green. Zala Springs is ranked Hungary’s No. 1 course by Top100 and offers something increasingly rare in modern golf: a high-quality course paired with a destination where golf is only part of the holiday. Kytäjä Golf – South East Course (Finland) Finland Ranking: 4th | Green Fees: From €90 Just 30 minutes north of Helsinki, Kytäjä's South East course offers a very different side of Finnish golf. Designed by Canadian architect Thomas McBroom and opened in 2003, it was his first Scandinavian project. The front nine winds through undulating woodland, before the back nine opens out across flatter terrain and towards the shores of Lake Kytäjä. Those lakeside holes provide some of the course’s most impressive views, with the surrounding Finnish landscape never far from sight. Kytäjä may be a relatively unfamiliar name to travelling golfers, but visitors are warmly received and there is plenty to discover. Karlštejn Golf Resort – A&B Course (Central Bohemian Region, Czechia) Czechia Ranking: 4th | Green Fees: From 1,900 CZK (€78) Golf in the grounds of a medieval castle is a pretty good way to spend a day in Czechia. Around 30 kilometres southwest of Prague, Karlštejn Golf Resort winds through a hilly, wooded landscape beneath the famous Karlštejn Castle, with limestone outcrops, ravines and a couple of lakes adding plenty of character. The 6,324-metre course was designed by Canadian architect Les Furber, who returned in 2006 to add a further nine holes. The original layout has also hosted a Ladies European Tour event, adding some serious pedigree to an otherwise wonderfully secluded setting. With Prague close by and the castle looming over the landscape, Karlštejn offers a memorable combination of golf and sightseeing. Golf Club Tále - Gray Bear Course (Slovakia) Slovakia Ranking: 3rd | Green Fees: From €75 Set in a mountain valley beneath the Low Tatras, Gray Bear was the first 18-hole championship course to open in Slovakia when it welcomed its first golfers in 2002. Designed by Americans Bob Walton and Skip Malek, the course occupies 160 acres of spruce forest within Tále National Park, weaving between open meadows and dense woodland. Streams, boulders, stone walls and specimen pines are incorporated throughout the layout, giving it a distinctly natural character. The 6th is the signature hole, with a stream crossing the fairway before the hole sweeps downhill towards a green surrounded on three sides by water. With the Low Tatras providing a dramatic backdrop throughout, Gray Bear is a memorable introduction to golf in Slovakia and an easy addition to a wider trip through the country. Golf Grad Otočec (Novo Mesto, Slovenia) Slovenia Ranking: 2nd | Green Fees: €80 Set among the heavily forested hills of Dolenjska, Grad Otočec winds through an undulating 185-acre property beside the River Krka. The course is a collaboration between Howard Swan and local architect Peter Škofic, with tight playing corridors creating an unusual sense of seclusion as the fairways twist through the woodland. The 3rd is a standout, with the par five turning towards a sunken, blind green, while the 12th stretches to 568 metres and demands three long, straight shots. Adding to the appeal, Otočec Castle sits nearby on an island in the river, giving visiting golfers the chance to stay in a genuine Slovenian castle after their round. Miklagard Golf (Viken, Norway) Norway Ranking: 2nd | Green Fees: From 850 NOK (€78) Just 10 minutes from Oslo Airport, Miklagard is remarkably convenient for a course of its stature. Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed it as Norway’s first championship course, with the layout purpose-built to host national and international tournaments. It is a big, bold test, with significant elevation changes, large bunkers and fast, contoured greens. A 2019 remodelling project added five new holes and reshaped the opening, while a hotel now occupies the former practice area. Its combination of accessibility, pedigree and championship credentials makes it an easy addition to a golf trip through Norway.
The King’s course at Royal Bled heads our new Slovenian Top 5 chart Last month’s Golf Participation Report for Europe 2017 from KPMG’s Golf Advisory Practice threw up what we thought was a very interesting statistic: the percentage increase in Slovenian registered golfers between 2015 and 2016 (49%) was the second highest of forty-three countries and territories across the continent. It just so happened that Top 100 Golf Courses attended a press trip a couple of weeks ago in nearby Slovakia, so we thought it made sense to stay an extra few days and travel to Slovenia to have a look around some of the main golf complexes that are attracting local people to the game. We’d heard too that the King’s course at Royal Bled had just reopened in August after a three-year renovation led by Swan Golf Designs, when Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia played the ceremonial opening shot from the 1st tee to formally launch the refurbished course and mark the 80th anniversary of the original layout. Four teams (led by Scotland’s Sam Torrance, Italian Costantino Rocco, Marcel Siem from Germany and Slovenia’s own Challenge Tour professional, Tim Gornik) competed against each other at the reopening event and Rocca’s team emerged as winners, with Siem posting the new course record after carding an impressive three under par score of 69. Located within the Julian Alps, close to the Triglav National Park, Royal Bled changed ownership in 2013 after it was acquired by Serbian entrepreneur and passionate golfer, Dragan Šolak. The new owner then embarked on an ambitious (and costly) mission to upgrade the King’s course and its infrastructure, returning the club to its former position as one of Europe’s most sought after golfing destinations. As we witnessed, the results of this makeover are simply stunning. The King’s course bears little resemblance to the layout that first opened in 1937, having been lengthened and largely rebuilt, especially on the back nine where exciting new risk/reward water features have been installed. The appropriately named King’s clubhouse is also now fit for royalty, having been furnished with downstairs locker rooms and upstairs overnight accommodation of the highest standard. Royal Bled is now one of a select group of twenty-six top-end golf facilities across Europe participating in the IMG Prestige elite reciprocal program, and its inclusion in this prestigious enterprise is an indication of just how far the club has come in recent times. We’ve absolutely no reservations about naming the Royal Bled (King’s) course as our number 1 layout in Slovenia – indeed, we fully expect it to debut in a prominent position when we re-rank our Continental Europe Top 100 before the end of the year. We had a look around two other courses that are located close to Ljubljana. Arboretum (our new national number 3) was an absolute delight, sited close to the largest botanical park in the country, where tree-lined fairways are set out within an expansive, undulating property. Italian Marco Croze designed the original nine at the end of the 1990s, with local designer Peter Škofic adding another nine a few years later. Nineteen kilometres from Arboretum, the course at Diners in Smlednik (at number 5 in our new Slovenian chart) lies in the shadow of the Šmarna gora hill, which rises 664 metres above sea level, offering terrific views of the Kamnik and Julian Alps and the Ljubljana basin. First opened for play nine years ago, this golf operation has recently suffered financial problems, leading to a new consortium taking over the management of the course and its extensive practice facilities. Away from the capital, Grad Otočec remains at number 2 in our national listings. It’s a Howard Swan and Peter Škofic co-design, with the Englishman setting out the original nine in 2005 and the Slovenian architect doubling the size of the layout a few years later. For those who think the course at Arboretum might be too undulating, they should come here and see what really contoured land looks like – if thrilling golf is what you’re looking for, then this is the place to find it in the midst of a fabulous forested property near the old castle. The small town of Ptuj is situated a two-hour drive to the northeast of Otočec and the landscape of this pleasant 18-hole layout at Golf klub Ptuj (at number 4 in our Slovenian rankings) is almost totally flat as the course lies on the floodplain of the Drava River. The Studencnica brook comes into play from time to time but the main aquatic challenge on the course arrives at the par three 14th, where the hole plays to an island green in the middle of a lake. A further 50-kilometre drive northeast of Ptuj lies Murska Sobota, in the very northeast corner of Slovenia, not far from the border with Austria, Hungary and Croatia. The small spa town of Moravske Toplice sits nearby and one of its main sporting attractions is the course at Golf Livada, where the par three 15th is the signature hole on the card and the fairways are set around the indoor water park and swimming pools of the Terme 3000 thermal resort. Unfortunately, Livada didn’t quite make the cut for the current Slovenian Top 5 chart but that might change when we next re-rank. Rank/ To view further details of our newly updated Slovenian Top 5rankings click the link. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses
The King’s course at Royal Bled heads our new Slovenian Top 5 chart Last month’s Golf Participation Report for Europe 2017 from KPMG’s Golf Advisory Practice threw up what we thought was a very interesting statistic: the percentage increase in Slovenian registered golfers between 2015 and 2016 (49%) was the second highest of forty-three countries and territories across the continent. It just so happened that Top 100 Golf Courses was attending a press trip a couple of weeks ago in nearby Slovakia so we thought it made sense to stay an extra few days and travel to Slovenia to have a look around some of the main golf complexes that are attracting local people to the game. We’d heard too that the King’s course at Royal Bled had just reopened in August after a three-year renovation led by Swan Golf Designs, when Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia played the ceremonial opening shot from the 1st tee to formally launch the refurbished course and mark the 80th anniversary of the original layout. Four teams (led by Scotland’s Sam Torrance, Italian Costantino Rocco, Marcel Siem from Germany and Slovenia’s own Challenge Tour professional, Tim Gornik) competed against each other at the reopening event and Rocca’s team emerged as winners, with Siem posting the new course record after carding an impressive three under par score of 69. Located within the Julian Alps, close to the Triglav National Park, Royal Bled changed ownership in 2013 after it was acquired by Serbian entrepreneur and passionate golfer, Dragan Šolak. The new owner then embarked on an ambitious (and costly) mission to upgrade the King’s course and its infrastructure, returning the club to its former position as one of Europe’s most sought after golfing destinations. As we witnessed, the results of this makeover are simply stunning. The King’s course bears little resemblance to the layout that first opened in 1937, having been lengthened and largely rebuilt, especially on the back nine where exciting new risk/reward water features have been installed. The appropriately named King’s clubhouse is also now fit for royalty, having been furnished with downstairs locker rooms and upstairs overnight accommodation of the highest standard. Royal Bled is now one of a select group of twenty-six top-end golf facilities across Europe participating in the IMG Prestige elite reciprocal program, and its inclusion in this prestigious enterprise is an indication of just how far the club has come in recent times. We’ve absolutely no reservations about naming the Royal Bled (King’s) course as our number 1 layout in Slovenia – indeed, we fully expect it to debut in a prominent position when we re-rank our Continental Europe Top 100 before the end of the year. We had a look around two other courses that are located close to Ljubljana. Arboretum (our new national number 3) was an absolute delight, sited close to the largest botanical park in the country, where tree-lined fairways are set out within an expansive, undulating property. Italian Marco Croze designed the original nine at the end of the 1990s, with local designer Peter Škofic adding another nine a few years later. Nineteen kilometres from Arboretum, the course at Diners in Smlednik (at number 5 in our new Slovenian chart) lies in the shadow of the Šmarna gora hill, which rises 664 metres above sea level, offering terrific views of the Kamnik and Julian Alps and the Ljubljana basin. First opened for play nine years ago, this golf operation has recently suffered financial problems, leading to a new consortium taking over the management of the course and its extensive practice facilities. Away from the capital, Grad Otočec remains at number 2 in our national listings. It’s a Howard Swan and Peter Škofic co-design, with the Englishman setting out the original nine in 2005 and the Slovenian architect doubling the size of the layout a few years later. For those who think the course at Arboretum might be too undulating, they should come here and see what really contoured land looks like – if thrilling golf is what you’re looking for, then this is the place to find it in the midst of a fabulous forested property near the old castle. The small town of Ptuj is situated a two-hour drive to the northeast of Otočec and the landscape of this pleasant 18-hole layout at Golf klub Ptuj (at number 4 in our Slovenian rankings) is almost totally flat as the course lies on the floodplain of the Drava River. The Studencnica brook comes into play from time to time but the main aquatic challenge on the course arrives at the par three 14th, where the hole plays to an island green in the middle of a lake. A further 50-kilometre drive northeast of Ptuj lies Murska Sobota, in the very northeast corner of Slovenia, not far from the border with Austria, Hungary and Croatia. The small spa town of Moravske Toplice sits nearby and one of its main sporting attractions is the course at Golf Livada, where the par three 15th (with a low-lying ornamental hedge next to the left hand bunker) is the signature hole on the card. Unfortunately, Livada didn’t quite make the cut for the current Slovenian Top 5 chart but that might change when we next re-rank. Rank/ To view further details of our newly updated Slovenian Top 5rankings click the link. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses
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
New Jersey, United States
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
New York, United States
New York, United States
