Royal Golf Club Mariánské Lázně

Golf club in the Czech Republic

49°58′45″N 12°44′11″E / 49.9792°N 12.7364°E / 49.9792; 12.7364LocationMariánské Lázně, Czech RepublicEstablished1905, 119 years agoTypePublicTotal holes18Events hostedCzechoslovak Open
Czech OpenWebsitegolfml.czOld CourseDesigned byRobert DoigPar72Length6,135 metres (6,709 yd)

Royal Golf Club Mariánské Lázně, also known as Royal Marienbad Golf Club, is a golf club in the spa town of Mariánské Lázně (German: Marienbad) in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic.

History

The club, one of the oldest in Central Europe, was at the time of its founding located in the empire of Austria-Hungary. Marienbad, as it was then known, enjoyed a golden era as one of the Great Spa Towns of Europe, where many celebrities and European rulers came to enjoy the curative carbon dioxide springs. The original 9-hole golf course and clubhouse were opened in 1905, in response to numerous requests from western spa guests. The course was built according to plans by Robert Doig of Musselburgh, Scotland, and sits at an elevation of 787 meters above sea level.^[1]

King Edward VII, who financially supported the club, together with the British ambassador to Vienna, became two of club's first members. The first game at the newly opened 9-hole course was played on 1 June 1905, while the clubhouse opening ceremony took place on 21 August 1905, in the presence of Edward VII. A tournament was also organised, with prizes donated by the king.^[1]

The course was presented at the Imperial Austrian Exhibition world's fair held at Earl's Court in London in 1906.,^[2] where the special Marienbad section featured a relief model of the course. The club became popular particularly among the English and American guests, and some noteworthy visitors to the club in the summer months included British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, his friend Lord Reading, and Rudyard Kipling.

The course was extended to 18 holes in 1923.^[3] Queen Elisabeth II bestowed Royal status on the club in February 2003, and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex visited the course to mark its centennial in 2005.^[4]

Notable members

Members include Alex Čejka, who has won two majors on the PGA Tour Champions, and tennis legend turned golfer Ivan Lendl.^[5]^[6]

Notable tournaments hosted

The club has hosted both amateur and professional international championships, including the Czechoslovak Open in the 1930s and the Czech Open on the European Tour in the 1990s.

Professional

Year	Tour	Tournament	Winner	Ref
1935		Czechoslovak Open	Mark Seymour	^[7]
1936		Czechoslovak Open	Mark Seymour	^[8]
1937		Czechoslovak Open	Henry Cotton	^[9]
1992	CHA	Playboy Charity Challenge	Lucien Tinkler	^[10]
1993	CHA	Corfin Charity Challenge	Ian Spencer	^[11]
1994	EUR	Chemapol Trophy Czech Open	Per-Ulrik Johansson
1995	EUR	Chemapol Trophy Czech Open	Peter Teravainen
1996	EUR	Chemapol Trophy Czech Open	Jonathan Lomas
1997	EUR	Chemapol Trophy Czech Open	Bernhard Langer

Amateur

European Youths' Team Championship – 1979
European Amateur Team Championship – 1993
St Andrews Trophy – 2006
Jacques Léglise Trophy – 2006

References

^ ^a ^b "History". Royal Golf Club Mariánské Lázně. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
^ Pelle, Kimberley D. "Appendix D:Fairs Not Included". In Findling, John E (ed.). Encyclopedia of World's Fairs and Expositions. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 414. ISBN 9780786434169.
^ "Golf". Mariánské Lázně. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
^ "The Club" (PDF). Royal Marienbad. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
^ "Members". Royal Golf Club Mariánské Lázně. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
^ "Andy is too nice sometimes. I want his shots buried". The Times. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
^ "From the golf courses – Brilliant win for Mark Seymour". The Glasgow Herald. 26 August 1935. p. 6.
^ "Mark Seymour's success – Retains Czechoslovakian title". The Glasgow Herald. 28 August 1936. p. 6.
^ "From the golf courses – Another title for Cotton". The Glasgow Herald. 23 August 1937. p. 4.
^ "Playboy Charity Challenge". European Tour. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
^ "Corfin Charity Challenge". European Tour. Retrieved 17 October 2020.