LATEST
NEWS

Richard Humphreys
/ Categories: News

New golf course in the Czech Republic nears opening

A new golf course, designed by Jakub Cervenka of CZGDA, will open in May 2020 at Golf Resort Dobrouč in Czech Republic.

“My task was to design a golf course sensitively set in the landscape without disturbing the amazing character,” said Cervenka.

The course is situated in the foothills of the Orlické Mountains with dramatic steep slopes, ravines and valleys.

“For my design, the question was how to combine the scenery and character of the landscape with game strategy,” said Cervenka. “And, how to balance the unmistakable uniqueness of the landscape so that the golf course could fit into it. The layout has to be attractive for the players.”

Cervenka also considered how to design golf features so that they would fit into a site with a large amount of elevation change as well as the rugged terrain.

“I mainly used steep and high-faced bunkers as they are strong hazards and, at the same time, a constructional element that enabled us to overcome large elevations,” said Cervenka. “To be part of the strategy, they are all visible from the shot area. The best example of this is the system of bunkers on the seventeenth hole.”

Cervenka wanted to have greens large enough to offer as many interesting pin positions as possible. “Each green is different, one of them — the thirteenth — very significantly,” said Cervenka.

Another hole Cervenka highlights is the short par-three ninth. “Some of the best three pars in the world are the shortest,” he said. “Their uniqueness is due to what happens between the tee and the green. This hole is no exception! The hole was part of the course design from the very beginning. Its uniqueness lies in the difference in height between the tee and the green — the fact that the ball goes above the treetops during its flight makes it necessary to choose the right club. The green to the right side is protected by a bunker, while the left side is open and safe. The green itself has a rich interior modelling and is elevated compared to the surrounding terrain.”

Read: hole-by-hole descriptions by golf course architect Jakub Cervenka

“Creating a golf course in such an exceptional landscape led me to follow an internal vision and to perceive individual parts of the landscape with maximum sensitivity even in very small detail,” said Cervenka. “I have tried to create a unique course that emphasises the landscape as well as the strategically provocative game situations.

“It was important for me, when creating a routing plan and laying out individual holes during the construction process, to ensure that it fit into the landscape rather than just observing the conventional principles of golf architecture.”

Golf Resort Dobrouč also has a putting course, practice green and and a 250-metre driving range.

Previous Article Golf & Land Design and Graham Marsh collaborate for Cyprus design
Next Article Real Club Puerta de Hierro under way with Colt restoration work
Print
4267 Rate this article:
No rating
Slideshow HTML
  • Dobrouc

    The new Golf Resort Dobrouč in Czech Republic is complete

  • Dobrouc

    It was designed by Jakub Cervenka of CZGDA

  • Dobrouc

    The site includes dramatic steep slopes

  • Dobrouc

    “I have tried to create a unique course that emphasises the landscape,” says Cervenka

  • Dobrouc

    The course is expected to open in May 2020

Richard Humphreys

Richard HumphreysRichard Humphreys

Other posts by Richard Humphreys
Contact author

Contact author

x
Winter 2024 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now
Magazine, News | Wed 11 Dec, 2024

Winter 2024 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now

Golf course architects take on the challenge of redesigning the Road hole at St Andrews

The October 2024 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!
Magazine, News | Thu 17 Oct, 2024

The October 2024 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!

The Keep at McLemore, a Bill Bergin-Rees Jones mountaintop design in northwest Georgia, features on the cover

FEATURE
ARTICLES

Taking time to recapture character
Inwood Country Club
Opinion | Daniel Friedman

Taking time to recapture character

Inwood’s Daniel Friedman talks about how the New York club has spent the last 20 years trying to make up for the previous 80 years of change that had slowly eroded the character of its Herbert Strong-designed course

A masterpiece comes into view
Cobbs Creek
Opinion | Mark Wagner

A masterpiece comes into view

Mark Wagner provides an update on progress of the revival of Cobbs Creek

Bill Amick: Long calling for short
ASGCA
Interview | Adam Lawrence

Bill Amick: Long calling for short

Adam Lawrence spoke to the designer about his life and his attempts to encourage golfers to play shorter courses

The triumph of the Dyeciples
ASGCA
Feature | Adam Lawrence

The triumph of the Dyeciples

Adam Lawrence asks why architects who trained with Pete Dye are so dominant in today’s golf design business

The Keep: On top of the world
Evan Schiller
On site | Richard Humphreys

The Keep: On top of the world

Richard Humphreys reports on a new layout that is destined to catch the eye. Designed by Bill Bergin and Rees Jones, McLemore’s second course occupies a spectacular setting on a mountaintop plateau

Goodwood: Down in the woods
Report | Richard Humphreys

Goodwood: Down in the woods

Golf At Goodwood has a new practice facility designed by James Edwards and built by MJ Abbott

Cedar Rapids: Blown away
Vaughn Halyard
On site | Adam Lawrence

Cedar Rapids: Blown away

After an acclaimed 2015 restoration by Ron Prichard, Iowa club thought it was set fair for the future. But Mother Nature had other ideas, says Adam Lawrence

North Ranch: Time for transformation
North Ranch CC
Report | Richard Humphreys

North Ranch: Time for transformation

Fifty years after it was originally laid out, the Ted Robinson layout has been re-envisioned by Jackson-Kahn Design and rebuilt by Landscapes Unlimited

Team building
Turfgrass
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Team building

Turfgrass has launched its US arm with the appointment of John Lawrence, Adam Moeller and Brad Owen. Richard Humphreys speaks with them, Turfgrass founder John Clarkin and director of agronomy Julian Mooney to find out more

Birdie Act: An end to templates?
Kevin Murray
Feature | Adam Lawrence

Birdie Act: An end to templates?

Legislation before the US Congress would extend the copyright protection that currently exists for buildings architecture to golf course design. But would that preclude the construction of classic hole designs, asks Adam Lawrence?

The art of project management
Leeds Golf Design
Opinion | Giulia Ferroni

The art of project management

Giulia Ferroni of Leeds Golf Design spells out the intricacies of executing a masterplan and the skills required from a golf course architect

Gopher Watch Competition – October 2024
Gopher Watch, News | Mon 21 Oct, 2024

Gopher Watch Competition – October 2024

Which course has Sandy the gopher visited this month?

MOST
POPULAR

FEATURED
BUSINESSES