Experience golfing with a glorious mountain backdrop in Slovakia – just beware of the bears, wolves and big cats
It is difficult to tear your eyes away from the stunning backdrop
A GOLF course in the heart of Slovakian bear country? Why not? My game swings between polar opposites anyway and is often pretty grizzly.
But it is not just the brown bears who periodically wander about on the fairway that make this a walk on the wild side. There are golden eagles, deer, wolves and even lynx in the surrounding forests.
Hacking my way round this beautiful course during my three-night stay at the Black Stork golf resort in northern Slovakia, I met no bears, lynx or wolves. Although I did stumble across a wooden bunker rake that had been badly gnawed by something with sharp teeth.
We sighted the rare black stork after which the course is named — a stately yet gangly creature with a 5ft wingspan who was sunning himself beside the seventh green. Sadly, that was the round’s only birdie.
This golf break is very different from the crowded hustle and bustle of more mainstream destinations in Spain and Portugal. Set in an area dubbed “the Alps of the East”, the spectacular course soars 2,200ft above sea level.
The air is so pure here, it is said lords and ladies of the Austro-Hungarian empire with failing lungs would visit the region to be cured. What takes your breath away now is the Black Stork course. I could blame my poor scoring on the stunning backdrop. It is difficult to tear your eyes away.
The course is dominated by the steep peaks of the High Tatra mountains, which rise another 6,000ft from the high plateau to tower above you as you tee off. It makes for a novel target when preparing to hit a drive.
“Aim for the third snow-covered peak from the left and you should have a great line to the green.”
The course itself is a confident statement of modern Slovakia — and the triumph of capitalism over communism. Golf, that most bourgeois of sports, is now played on land where just a few years ago, potatoes were grown on a collective farm.
Row upon row of Slovakia’s favourite veg has been replaced by 27 golf holes of ingenious if slightly sadistic variety.
I mixed and matched during my stay, playing two of the three nine-hole courses each day.
The fast-flowing Skalnaty stream, lakes and marshes, and devilishly squiggly bunkers, made this an exceedingly challenging test.
Some of the holes are too long and too difficult for a 24-handicapper such as myself, as you would expect from a course that has received the stamp of approval from the Professional Golfers Association.
The course provides a thorough examination for golfers of all abilities, in fact, including those with single-figure handicaps. There are flat holes dominated by water features in a parkland setting and an undulating section among the pine trees.
The resort also boasts amazing practice facilities and, best of all, getting there is so easy. The flight takes just two hours and 40 minutes from Luton to Poprad airport, before a drive of 15 minutes.
The golf course is built around the 4H Hotel International, which has fairly basic rooms and beer for two euros a pint.
Or book into the 5H Grand Hotel Kempinski, a half-hour drive away and well worth the money if you can stretch to it.
If you tire of trying to dodge the bunkers and bears at Black Stork, take an unforgettable ride to the top of the Lomnicky peak, fully 8,642ft above sea level.
GO: SLOVAKIA
GETTING/STAYING THERE: Mountain Paradise offers a two-night half-board golf package – staying at the Hotel International, with flights, accommodation, transport and green fees included – from £499 per adult. It also does a four-night golf package from £699 per adult. Upgrade to the 5H Grand Hotel Kempinski, breakfast included, and the two-night package is from £599, with the four-night break from £949. Find out more at .
MOST READ IN TRAVEL
After three cable-car rides — the last in a tiny red box where a dozen brave souls cram in, standing room only — you reach the summit to enjoy a view to die for.
On the day we visited, the top was covered in clouds. But as we waited at the viewing deck, the wall of white broke here and there, revealing the splendours of the panorama in a succession of tantalising glimpses. Other day trips in the region include hiking in the mountains and taking trips to spot bears, lynx and other creatures.
With its spectacular scenery and resident wildlife, Black Stork is a unique golfing experience. Perhaps it should reinvent itself as the home of lynx golf.