A Golf Vacation In Slovenia: Picture Perfect

Paint a picture with your imagination – take the imposing beauty of the Julian Alps, the luxuriant Adriatic Sea and add lush green land in between; chances are you’ll be looking at a map of Slovenia! Now imagine a golf holiday in this picturesque terrain…pure bliss.

Populated since the sixth century, Slovenia has a deep and storied history with several cultures like the Celts and the Romans contributing to its development. This has resulted in a delicious potpourri of a rich and unique mix of people who are enterprising, warm and known for their hospitality. Add to this a naturally blessed and diverse terrain of mountains, plains and sea side and you have a golf vacation that’ll be hard to get away from.

Tourism is booming in Slovenia, attracting thousands of wandering feet from all over the world. They come to Slovenia to see the Julian Alps, to soak in the natural beauty of its rivers, lakes, beaches and increasingly, on golf travel. With 9 courses open to tourists and plans afoot for more, Slovenia is all set to become a golf vacation hotspot in Europe.

One of the most favored destinations figuring on golf packages to Slovenia is the seventy year old Lake Bled Golf & Country Club near Lake Bled in the Julian Alps. This resort consists of two courses – the 18-hole championship King’s Golf Course and the recently added 9-hole Lake Golf Course. The King’s course was redesigned in 1972 by Donald Harradine and offers a very tough challenge on every one of the 18 holes spread over 6,256 meters. A must have on your golf travel checklist a round at BledE will cost betwee EUR 60 - EUR 70.

Hard as it would be to get over the Alpine charms of Lake Bled, your Slovene golf vacation needs to pass the test thrown up by the Mokrice Golf Club to be truly memorable. Mokrice is a parkland style course set around the 14th century Mokrice Castle in a town of the same name near the border of Croatia. The 18–hole course, designed by Donald Harradine, makes excellent use of the surrounding terrain to give you holes that lie on different elevations and natural obstacles like the nearby lake. Mokrice tests your technical skills at different levels especially at the 5th, considered by most to be Europe’s hardest. Include Mokrice in your golf travel itinerary even if it will cost EUR 38 to EUR 47 for a day’s play because it is worth it.

No golf tour to Slovenia can be called complete without playing the 18-hole, parkland style Donald Harradine designed Lipica Golf Club. Lipica’s greatest drwa lies not so much in its layout for it is easily tame, but in the unparalleled Karst landscape where it is set. Situated north of the town of Trieste bordering Italy, Lipica is appealing to most golf holiday makers because it is not just a leisurely course to enjoy but also a very affordable one.

Traveling in Slovenia is easy and pleasurable and you can pack in a few other courses too in your golf package. Include Ptuj Golf Course located in the ancient town of Ptuj a few miles south of Maribor and the 9-hole Slovenske Konjice for a more fulfilling golf tour of Slovenia.