Communist, Golfing Europe,
Banned during the Communist Europe period, its only in the last 15 – 20 years the increase in Golf Course has been fast and in some ways spectacular, dramatic, a game of elite, presented by the elite.
With "new money" and rising “discretionary” income, EU funding, the future of golf looks to be a promising in this region. But is this growth to fast? Maybe yes when a number of golf clubs are already struggling, in places like the Czech Republic, now there are more than 100 golf course in the country, stunning and presented in the grandest of forms but is there something missing?
Is the game presented as a game which one can be social accepted? By playing golf, you are recognised with social standing, in this case does having a set of new Homna Gold golf clubs and only bring them out to play during corporate events for those one or two games a year! Does this really help the game evolve into a thriving industry?
Have these "Fat Cat, New Money Owners" who randomly build these wonderful golf courses, with lush green fairways, carefully manicured greens, and prestigious club houses, have they got it right? or are they destroying the industry with their lack of experience and need to impress?
“The posed question”, can you buy atmosphere, history and tradition, sadly for the likes of the Czech Republic and other countries in this part of the world, No! this only comes with time.
Example, developments in Hungary like Birdland Golf and Country Club, Bük has opened a 208-room luxury wellness centre, with the development of a residential park, focus towards the golf tourism market. Does this make sense in a non-golfing country in today’s current climate, when many people across the globe are travelling less and less? You could maybe understand this in Turkey.
1905 Marianske Lazne Golf Club opened, in forma Czechoslovak, the first of many courses but it was some 90 years before Golf really got going in the country. Marianske Lazne is now maybe regarded as the St Andrews of Czech Republic and is rich with members proud of its history, atmosphere and a warm welcome. So how do the new big courses in this part of the world stack up? Albatross or Konopiste in the surrounding area of Prague completely miss the point, offering to many corporate days, when you begin to look at this in more details, corporate golf days in Czech Republic total more than 4000 events a year, you have to wonder when members get the time to play and does it make sense that so many golfers get golf for free because they have a number of business links, this is not growing the game!
Then there is the thought that real estate developments being a sure way, which seems to be the thought of the new recently opened, about to close Belarusian Golf Course, near to Minsk, all again a play on the social standing you might think. For the new countries like Belarus, Georgia, Montenegro a few countries about to start on this adventure of stepping into the industry of golf, there is no formula to what works but for every country consideration should be made to building a strong membership focused golf society to help grow a country of golfing tradition and history, like you might see Japan, Great Britain and the United States.
Unique selling point is not the one great golf course that hosts a big tournament; it’s the thriving region of golfers who value a game, active competitive golf, good relationships between golf clubs that builds popularity, income and golf tourism.