Prague City Golf Club Review

November 6, 2018

Date of Play – October 13, 2018

Prague City Golf (PCG) club is a little harder for me to review. Let me explain. I have lived in Prague for over four years now and PCG is one of the first courses I played when I got here. It has a few flaws that no matter how good the shape of the course is, the flaws will not be changed. So, PCG has never been my go-to course. But if someone called and said, “Let’s play golf at PCG”, I would go. I also use it as a fall back course if the other two courses that I like better are booked.

With all that said, I played in the Bohemian International Golf Society’s (BIGs) last event of the year at PCG. I have to say that the course was in the best shape that I have ever seen it. Making this the most honest review I can give of the course as I see it.

Lets start with the flaws. The course lay out is poor at best. And because of the layout there are a few issues that are not addressed by the course that compounds the problem. Almost if ignoring them will make them disappear. The first problem with the layout is that there is a lot of distance between each hole. Because most players in Europe walk, close attention should have been made to ensure this was a walking friendly course. I use a GPS and it tracks how long I walk as I play. I tracked 7 miles during my last round. That is a bit over 1 mile longer than my average. The second problem, and it is a big one – none of the holes bring you back around close to the clubhouse. Getting a refill on any drinks or food is a struggle. You have to run across two holes and back for water, bathroom or whatever you need. Then the walk to the next hole is one of the longest distances between holes. And to make matters worse, there isn’t even a cart going around offering food or drink. The third issue is, with all the space you have to walk between holes, they put a par 3 as the last hole. Almost as if they forgot to put in a hole and said, “Hey just squeeze in a par 3 here”. To top that off, it has OB on both sides. It is not a hard hole if you land the green. But then that seems to be your only real option. The last thing that is a major design flaw is the driving range. It is not located at the golf course. It is a mile down the road. Don’t get me wrong, it is a great range. The practice area is large and has everything you need and more. But if you only have a short amount of time to warm up, forget it. In an effort to overcome this, the PCG installed a short iron area just before the first hole. OK in a pinch. For sure not optimal.

Now lets talk about the course. As I said, it was in the best shape that I have ever seen it. The tee boxes were smooth and well maintained. The fairways were in great shape. A very low amount of divots and the grass was lush and green, and not much brown anywhere. The greens were wow, perfect. All of them were smooth and green. None of them had areas of repair. The ball ran true and quick. I am sure the stimpmeter was an 11 or 12. That is love and hate all at the same time. To top it off, the grounds keeper put every hole on a slope of some sort. So, if you missed your putt the ball kept rolling. I three and four putted more this weekend than ever. Proving putting can make or break a round.

The hole layouts were challenging. And just as you think you got the feel of the course they changed it up a little. One of my playing partners said that he felt as if the last four holes were at a different course. They kept the course interesting, using water, sand, rough and layout to continue to challenge you on every hole. There are a few holes that you can step up, grip it and rip it. And other holes that need special attention payed to them in order to have a second shot. There are not many trees. They use rough and water instead.

Giving this course a par is tough. Because the layout flaws can out weigh the course playability. There are no electric trollies. But the course is not hilly. Man this is a tough one. So, here is how I will rate this course. If you are only able to play this course one or two times – I give it a bogie. If you can play more than a few times – I give it a par. Because you will know what to bring to enjoy the round and overcome the definite issues that the layout offers.

Fairways and Greens, we are 18 Holes and Counting.

Written by: Marc Festa

COURSE: Prague City Golf DATE: 13 October 2018
HOLE	PAR	SCORE	COMMENTS
1 – Tee Time Availability	4	4	Most of the time you can get the tee time you want. They do host tournaments, blocking out some times.
2 – Cost of Green Fees	4	4	The cost is about the same at PCG as anywhere else in the Prague area.
3 – Starter/Marshal	3	4	No Starter. No Marshal. Check-in at the counter and self start.
4 – Condition of Tee Boxes	4	3	The tee boxes are in great shape and spaced out for every player level.
5 – Condition of Fairways	5	5	The fairways are in great shape, with nice risk and reward areas.
6 – Condition of Greens	4	3	Speed and shape of the greens were pro level. Some of the best I have seen in Prague.
7 – Length of Course	5	6	The length of the playing field is very nice. The distance between hole is way too far apart.
8 – Hazards	4	5	The variety of the hazards are good. The consistency of the sand was poor. One hole would have lots of very soft sand and the other would have none or hard pan.
9 – Women Friendly	3	4	The layout was nice for women. There are a few port-a-johns. Once you start playing there are no real facilities.
OUT	36	39
10 – Practice Area	5	6	This is a hard one. The practice area is one of the best in Prague. However, it is not on the course. There is a putting area and iron area on the course.
11 – Locker Rooms	3	3	I didn’t use the locker rooms. But the bathrooms are clean and nice.
12 – Pro Shop	4	4	There is a Pro-shop separate from the clubhouse. It is nice and you can get anything you need.
13 – Location	4	4	Very close to the city. Easy to get to for a quick round of golf.
14 – Rental Equipment	4	4	You can get good equipment to rent.
15 – Resturant/Food Cart	4	5	Restaurant has good food. There is no cart on the course for refreshments.
16 – Club House	4	4	Plenty of area to host small tournaments and there is nice inside and outside seating.
17 – Parking	3	4	Ample parking and close to check in. It is a long walk to the first tee.
18 – Customer Service	5	5	The customer service is good here. Everyone is nice and people are glad you are playing at PCG. But, no on course employees
IN	36	39
TOTAL	72	78	PLAYER: Marc Festa