Interviews

Oakmont: An interview with Gil Hanse

With the 2025 US Open arriving at Oakmont, Richard Humphreys spoke with the architect, who renovated the course in 2023, about what to expect

Martin Ebert: Design journey

With a portfolio that includes eight of the ten Open venues, Mackenzie & Ebert occupies an enviable position in the golf design industry. Adam Lawrence spoke with principal Martin Ebert to learn how they got there

Designs for the big screen

Chad Goetz and Agustin Piza discuss their design decisions for the virtual holes that featured in the first season of TGL

Bob Harrison: Wizard of Oz

The Australian designer has had a long career and, like many of his countrymen, has spent much of it away from home. Adam Lawrence listened to his tales from the road

Ben Cowan-Dewar: Shock and awe

Golf development firm Cabot now has properties in six countries. Richard Humphreys speaks with co-founder and CEO Ben Cowan-Dewar about what makes a great site, selection of golf course architects, and more

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

Brian Curley: Life of Brian

The designer has surely clocked up more air miles than anyone else in the business. Adam Lawrence caught up with him in between flights to discuss his career and his new venture with Jim Wagner

Oakmont: An interview with Gil Hanse

With the 2025 US Open arriving at Oakmont, Richard Humphreys spoke with the architect, who renovated the course in 2023, about what to expect

Martin Ebert: Design journey

With a portfolio that includes eight of the ten Open venues, Mackenzie & Ebert occupies an enviable position in the golf design industry. Adam Lawrence spoke with principal Martin Ebert to learn how they got there

Designs for the big screen

Chad Goetz and Agustin Piza discuss their design decisions for the virtual holes that featured in the first season of TGL

Bob Harrison: Wizard of Oz

The Australian designer has had a long career and, like many of his countrymen, has spent much of it away from home. Adam Lawrence listened to his tales from the road

Ben Cowan-Dewar: Shock and awe

Golf development firm Cabot now has properties in six countries. Richard Humphreys speaks with co-founder and CEO Ben Cowan-Dewar about what makes a great site, selection of golf course architects, and more

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

Brian Curley: Life of Brian

The designer has surely clocked up more air miles than anyone else in the business. Adam Lawrence caught up with him in between flights to discuss his career and his new venture with Jim Wagner

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.

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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

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