Tour Report- Waltzing Through Central Europe 2019

Group Photo at Adamstal GC, Austria 

 

Day 1

 

 The Drive to Karlovy Vary

 

We successfully picked everyone up and the bus headed to Karlovy Vary- a beautiful town in the north west  of the Czech Republic

In the afternoon some of the group headed to Cehilny GC to play a warm up 9 holes, while the rest of the group took in the town of Karlovy Vary

The bus driver got lost en route to the golf course and we had to take control of navigation…

 

 

Our opening Dinner at Olympic Palace was quite wonderful and an ideal way to make acquaintances..

 

Karlovy Vary

 

Our accommodation in the heart of Karlovy Vary was Quisisana Palace- and they were most welcoming...

 

Day 2

 

Karlovy Vary GC

 

Karlovy Vary.

 

This morning our golf competition kicked off at the picturesque Karlovy Vary GC, just 15 minutes out of town.

Designed by Gary Player the course is currently rated no 3 in the Czech Republic and has the highest membership of any club in the country

Cut from undulating forest, the holes are all framed by dense vegetation- and although not a long course we found it could be quite challenging. There is certainly an emphasis on accuracy off the tee!

 

 

The team competition today was won by Janet, Bart, Nigel & Peter B.

The individual winner was Janet with 37 pts, and the NTP was won by Sue P.

 

Karlovy Vary GC- hole 7

 

After golf we all headed back to explore the historic spa town of Karlovy Vary- which was founded in 1358- and is the best known spa town in the Czech republic

 

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Day 3

 

Prague

 

Prague night cruise

 

We drove to Prague and spent the day seeing the sights of this gloriously preserved city. Unlike many of the ancient cities Prague avoided the destruction of war, and presents an impressive collection of bridges, cathedrals, castles etc

We had arranged a local guide to join us on the bus for a tour of the outer city, and then we joined her for a walking tour of the inner precincts after a 3 course lunch at brewery

 

Prague: the view from the castle

 

Prague: lunch at the brewery

 

We had a late afternoon break- checked in to the Boho hotel, and reconvened early evening for a boat cruise and 3 course dinner- it was brilliant!

 

 

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Day 4

 

 Karlstejn GC

 

Karlstejn GC- hole 16

 

Departing at 9am we headed out to Karlstejn Golf, where the Ladies Open Championship ofThe Czech Republic is soon to be held.

The course was quite hilly but with little rough. Thank goodness we had carts because the walks between green and tee were long and strenuous…

 

 

 

The course was a little better maintained and a more recent design than our previous adventures, but even without any long rough the course was quite challenging. The greens had a lot of movement and 3 putts were not uncommon…

 

 

Gary won the NTP on hole 12, and Helen won the day event with 36 pts. The team event-  yellow ball- was won by Bridget, Helen & Terry with 30 pts

 

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Day 5

 

Moving Day- Adamstal Wallenbach 9 hole course

 

 

It took nearly 5 hours to drive to Adamstal GC west of Vienna where we enjoyed playing the nine hole Wallenbach course- one of our ’Nine wonders of the Golfing World’

 

 

Wallenbach is a very entertaining 9 holes through some heavily forested, hilly terrain

Some holes are so tight players need to walk single file down the fairway! 

Others have huge elevation changes. It is a beautiful setting and a fun course to play

 

 

The event of the day was a skins event, but individually Raewyn had 23 pts and Bernie 21.

 

Adamstal: Wallenbach course- hole 3, the drop shot green

 

Our accommodation for the night was at the club

 

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Day 6

 

Adamstal Championship Course

 

Adamstal- Championship course- hole 6 

 

Golf Club Adamstal's Championship Course  is a gorgeous mountain course rated the best course in Austria. With significant elevation change throughout and brilliant views, Adamstal challenged each of the Travelling Golfers, who loved the experience

 

 

NTP was won by Jan B

The couples team event was won by Jan & Peter B with 44 pts

Individual honours went to Peter B  with 36 pts, and Raewyn with 37

 

 After lunch we drove just over an hour to Vienna to Beethoven hotel- our home for 4 nights

 

Vienna

 

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Day 7

 

Vienna

 

Today everyone took advantage of a planned free day to explore Vienna and do some shopping...

 

 

 

But we gathered for Dinner at the Bristol hotel & then crossed the street to attend a performance by The Vienna Mozart Orchestra. It was a memorable night with the conductor very active and theatrical, and a number of audience participation numbers which added to the fun!

 

 

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Day 8

 

Schönbrunn & The Wachau Valley

 

Schonbrunn Palace 

 

We started the day with a visit to the iconic Schonbrunn Palace where we all checked out the gardens and the palace. The cherry on the top was the impromptu horse and carriage ride around the gardens which was a lovely experience

 

Horse & Carriage ride at Schonbrunn Palace

 

Then back in the bus we headed to the Wachua Valley we our first stop was the impressive Melk Abbey where we did a guided tour

 

 

Next up was a leisurely cruise down the Danube- this section of the river is reputed to be amongst the prettiest sections of the famous river cruises- so we opted to just do that!

 

 

Finally we alighted at Dürnstein we we had time to explore the old town, and lose one bus and driver

After dinner we attended a String Quartet concert in St Anne’s church

 

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Day 9

 

Schloss Schonborn

 

Schloss Schonborn GC- hole 11 & clubhouse

 

Golf today was at Golf Club Schloss Schonborn, a pleasant parkland course rated no 3 in Austria

The course meanders through heavy forest with the occasional water hazard, and is beautifully maintained

 

Schloss Schonborn- hole 6

 

The Travelling Golfers played ‘Battle of the sexes’, and the boys prevailed on a count back..

NTP on the ninth hole was Julia with a wonderful shot that was recorded for posterity

 

 

Helen streeted the ladies field with 40 pts, and Peter Barber took the boys award with 35pts

 

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Day 10

 

Bratislava

 

Bratislava Castle

 

 We boarded the bus and departed Vienna- one of the great cities of the world- and travelled to Bratislava where we met our guide and enjoyed a 3 hour guided tour of the old town.

The guide was very good and we essentially got a feel for Bratislava's vast history and saw many of the key sights in a timely fashion..

 

 

After lunch we boarded the bus for the drive to Budapest

 

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Day 11

 

Budapest

 

Budapest on the night cruise

 

Our exploration of Budapest commenced with a bus tour where we were joined by Susanna- an experienced local guide.

The combination of bus and walking with a guide gave us all a head start on getting to know the extended history of Budapest- and where everything was! In the afternoon we all had time to further explore, do some shopping or rest…

 

 

 

Spot the heroes in Budapest

 

After dinner we enjoyed an evening cruise up the Danube- seeing the city sights at night was a highlight of the day

 

 

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Day 12

 

Zala Springs

 

Zala Springs Resort- group pic

 

The drive from Budapest to Zala Springs Resort was prolonged with traffic works slowing our progress, but eventually we made it to Zala Springs Resort for afternoon golf

Regarded as the best course in Hungary, Zala Springs was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jnr and opened for play in 2006. It is a strategic course, but the low profile bunkering would suggest it to be a course that needs to be played more than once to work out the lines of play

 

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