One golf hole costs one to 3.5 million crowns

Prague - The net costs of constructing a single golf hole range from approximately one million crowns for low-cost courses to three to 3.5 million for very expensive resorts. Golf architect Jakub Červenka estimated this in an interview with ČTK. These amounts do not take into account the price of land, fees for removal from the agricultural land fund, or other payments associated with project preparation.
     During the twenty-five years since the fall of the communist regime, the profile of investors has changed significantly according to Červenka. In the early years after November 1989, golf courses were primarily built by restitutors who did not want to farm the returned land or did not want to use the entire area for agricultural purposes.
     According to Červenka, this way resulted in dozens of suburban and village low-cost courses scattered across the country. "In the overwhelming majority, these were enthusiasts who said that now they have the land and will build a course here, cheaply, often by themselves. They required minimal landscaping," said Červenka.
     At that time, there was not much attention paid to following construction recommendations for golf courses, but due to the boom, there was a supply for a relatively large number of players. "In this regard, we are unique compared to other post-communist countries. We have the advantage of diversity in courses and also in costs for the average golfer," noted the architect.
     Current investors are mostly entrepreneurs who decide to build a golf course in a location where they already have other activities, such as hotels or other recreational facilities. "These are people who have the financial means to build a course without taking out loans. They carefully consider where the golf course will be built. They want the golf course to be part of a mosaic, to expand their service offerings," described Červenka. Locations with recreational potential near water bodies or with winter utilization options are particularly sought after.
     Before the economic crisis, a trend of extensive modeling prevailed in golf architecture for decades, which brought high costs for construction and subsequent maintenance. The recession at the beginning of the 21st century brought a return to designing courses in a natural way, as was done overseas in the early 20th century.
     Currently, there are about a hundred courses in the Czech Republic according to statistics from the Czech Golf Federation, but the demand for new ones is still high according to Červenka. If the Czech Republic were to reach the level of developed countries in terms of the number of golfers, where about one percent of the population participates in this sport, it would mean about 120,000 players. For that number, around two hundred eighteen-hole courses would be needed.
     The federation recorded more than 56,000 members last year, but Červenka pointed out that many golfers are counted repeatedly due to membership in various clubs. The actual number is around 40,000, according to him, with a constant increase.