Royal Marianske Lazne

Marianske Lázne is the second largest spa town in the Czech Republic with some forty mineral springs within the town itself. The town literally sprung up in the late 19th century and attracted those seeking wellbeing from the healing waters. By the beginning of the 20th century, Marianske Lázne was one of the most important spa centres in Europe and naturally, the town required a golf course to complement the physical therapy.

His Majesty King Edward VII conducted the opening of the original nine-hole Marianske Lazne golf course in 1905 and a memorial plaque remains near the 1st tee. According to news reports of bygone times, an English professional then at Karlovy Vary originally designed the golf course but we’ve also read that a Scottish professional called Robert Doig from Musselburgh built the original nine-holer.

A second nine holes were added in 1923 on land to the north – holes 7 to 15 – then two very short par three holes at the old 2nd and 10th were replaced by Ivan Rais in 1978, these new holes becoming the current 2nd and 3rd. If you know the definitive history, we’d love to hear from you. One thing we do know for sure is that Marianske Lázne is the second oldest club in the Czech Republic, Karlovy Vary being the eldest.

Golf in the former Czechoslovakia almost died a death during the socialist era but the course was brought back to life in the late 1980s and Marianske Lazne has never looked back having played host to numerous important championships.

The layout is routed across an upland plain, which is perched at more than 700 metres above sea level. The turf was once reported to have “healthful radioactive emanations and ground as soft as Persian carpets”. Pine trees surround the Marianske Lazne property and this majestic parkland course will test your driving skills and flatter your distances in this altitude. You’ll also need accurate iron play to find the sanctuary of the small and well-protected greens.

In 1994, the inaugural Czech Open was hosted at Mariánské Láznì. This was the first European Tour sanctioned golf event to be played on the eastern side of the Iron Curtain which was lifted when the Cold War ended after the 1991 Soviet collapse. The Czech Open remained at Mariánské Láznì for three years and was won by Per-Ulrik Johansson (1994), Peter Teravainen (1995) and Jonathan Lomas (1996). The event moved to the Karlštejn Golf Resort near Prague in 1997.

2003 heralded perhaps the proudest moment in Marianske Lazne’s long history when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II granted the golf club royal patronage. Royal Marianske Lazne Golf Club – hip hip hooray!