Slovenia and the greenest golf in Europe
Golf swings with a mountain, lake and forest view
There are not many countries like Slovenia where you can experience 15 golf courses in one week and feel as if you visited a brand new green world each time. Slovenia's biggest treasure is a wide variety of natural beauties on a small surface. The majority of golf courses are accessible
within an hour's drive from Ljubljana. During the game, the golfers can listen to the birds singing on the tree tops and smell the meadow flowers. They can really enjoy pristine nature in this land between the
Alps and the Mediterranean – surrounded by 2000-metre-high mountains and lakes, in the middle of forests, vineyards, fields and flat lands, in the castle gardens or just a stone's throw away from the best natural spas and wellness centres. Slovenia is green, active and healthy: on golf courses and elsewhere. This makes Slovenia and its 9- or 18-hole golf courses more and more popular as a golf destination, attracting golfers from all over the world.
A rich variety of Slovenian landscape comes in handy for different playing surfaces. Well-arranged and easy-to-access golf courses and training sites are attracting professionals as well as beginners. The fact that everybody is able to enjoy golfing was the wish of Englishman Donald Harradine, one of the most famous European golf architects, who also designed three Slovenian golf oases: the largest and oldest Golf Bled, the second Slovenian golf course in Lipica and the golf course near the Mokrice Castle in the wine-growing region of Dolenjska. Slovenia is golfing and indulging
Golf tourism is becoming an increasingly important part of the Slovenian tourist offer. Specialised European and global golf agencies offer various arrangements in Slovenia: from prestigious packages, which include green fees and services in luxury hotels, restaurants, and wellness centres, to golfing adventures with campers.Slovenian golf courses provide the players with a great pleasure of movement, contact with the unspoilt nature surrounding the golf courses, as well as fresh food and wine of superior quality. Some offers also include unique ethnological specialities. The goal of Slovenian golf industry is to be environment-friendly in order to preserve its setting in the natural and cultural landscape, which is, besides the hospitality, one of the most important values of Slovenian tourism. Slovenian golf courses offer excellent classes for beginners and proficiency courses for golf masters and golf academies. In 2012, the idea of the project Slovenija igra golf (Slovenia is golfing) came to life. This incentive of the Slovenian Golf Association connected all Slovenian golf courses and brought them closer to the broader public.
A licence to play or a 54 club handicap can be yours in 12 hours for EUR 99.
Green golf tradition in Bled since 1938
Slovenian golf tradition started after the World War II. The first golf club for the then Yugoslav king was built in 1938 in Bled. This 27-hole golf course with magnificent mountain view and iconic alpine lake nearby is still one of the most popular in Europe.
Many players find the largest Slovenian golf course with 27 holes a real challenge. The King's Course boasts with 18 holes and the Lake's Course with 9. It is also possible to combine them. The swings here are angel-like, just like the fresco of the painter Gabrijel Stupica in the Golf club restaurant shows. According to the Golf World Magazine, this alpine resort was ranked in the first half of 2014 TOP 100 golf courses
in the continental Europe. The second Slovenian golf course was inaugurated in 1989 in Lipica. What makes it special is not only the fact that it is open all year long, but also the fact that it is placed in the mystery karstic world where the balls can easily go for an underground wander. Just a step away is the oldest stud farm in Europe where one of the oldest horse breeds has been continuously bred since 1580. The famous Lipizzaner horses add a special touch to the elegant posture of the golfers during their swings. Golf courses as botanic and castle gardens Ljubljana and the sub-alpine golf in Western Slovenia The greenest golf in Europe has spread its wings over the last 20 years and its current offer is very rich. In the Soča Valley in south-west Slovenia, the town of Bovec is waiting for you with a real golf fairy tale with 9 holes, all named after the surrounding attractions: Soča, Trenta, Boka, Juliana, Kluže, Mangart, Narnia, Sušec and Kanin. The location of the Hit Holidays Golf Club Bovec gives incredible views of the Julian Alps which amazed Disney cinematographers who decided to use this setting for the second part of The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian.
Ljubljana can boast with two golf courses: Golf Trnovo Ljubljana, the first such golf course in the capital with 9 hoes where the golfers no longer need licence to play, and the Diners Club Ljubljana course with 18 holes which is located near the popular Šmarna Gora. This picturesque golf resort with wooden facilities and a great restaurant also offers night golfing.
The Arboretum Golf Ljubljana course near Kamnik is surrounded by pine forest and small lakes. The view of the Kamnik Alps and the Arboretum with more than 3,500 plant species and thus one of the richest plant collections in Central Europe promise an excellent experience. This varied golf course with 18 holes is a challenge even for the most experienced golfers.
Golf among the eastern vineyard hills In the eastern part of Slovenia you can take a swing in the Sava Hotels & Resorts golf courses. In Ptuj, the oldest Slovenian town, a 18-hole golf course is enrapturing. The nearby Terme Ptuj spa has a rich offer of swimming pools and wellness in the ancient Roman style. Your golfing getaway there is marked by the old town centre, the medieval castle and a nearby wine cellar. Further to the east the flat land is a trademark of the prestigious Livada Golf Course in Terme 3000, located in Moravske Toplice. The hospitable Prekmurje region makes the time stop. The richness of the thermal water and a laid-back life has convinced even golfers, who have an incredible control of their body and spirit. Seeing green beauties on every step makes them slightly lose control, but only to make them happier. The stories about wine are closely linked with the Zlati Grič golf course which is situated in the middle of the Slovenske Konjice vineyards. The varied terrain of this 9-hole golf course is surrounded by brooks, ponds and forests. Golf course A Golf Olimje in Podčetrtek in south-east Slovenia is famous for its 18 holes and photogenic sandy and natural water barriers. It is located near the TermeOlimia spa and the prestigious Orhidelia wellness centre. The Amon estate is known for its long culinary and wine-making tradition and proud of its orchard with more than 100 indigenous apple, pear, plum, peach and cherry species as well as its vegetable and herbal gardens where they grow organic produce.
Situated in south-east Slovenia, in the middle of the hills of the Bizeljsko wine-growing area is the 18-hole Grad Mokrice Golf Course which invites golfers to Terme Čatež. The castle garden gives the games a special charm, while the health and beauty centre pampers the golfers outside the courts. Very popular activities are also visits to the wine and champagne cellars offering wine tasting and home-made cold cuts.
Otočec is a charming town in the south of Slovenia located along the emerald river of Krka. This golf course is one of the most modern and, with more than 6 kilometres, also one of the largest Slovenian 18-hole golf courses. It was designed by Howard Swan, a renowned English golf architect, and a Slovenian Peter Škofic. It meets the highest standards of golf industry. It is located just a stone's throw away from the picturesque Otočec Castle which offers a prestigious boutique hotel and a luxury restaurant which cater even the most demanding guests. The Otočec Golf Course is managed by Terme Krka, which has a rich programme of wellness pleasures right in the middle of the hills of Dolenjska.
(slovenia.info/press)
the photo gallery of the Slovenian Tourist Board
