Tourism has rocketed, and though most travel to visit the beautiful capital city of Prague, with it magnificent buildings and churches, there is a growing awareness of the other attractions of the country. There are seventy seven golf courses, and they are spread throughout the country, my travels took me about a hundred and twenty kilometres north of Prague into West Bohemia, the region of the famous Spa Towns, that had attracted many visitors from the turn of the last century, including many Royal guests, as will be explained later..

Golf has been played in the Karlovy Vary region for over one hundred years, and the Karlovy Vary Golf Resort was opened in 1904, it was designed by Noskowksi in the valley of the River Tepla, it is one of the oldest in Europe and one of the most beautiful, nestling in the lee of the Krusne hory Mountains. The first nine holes lasted until a new eighteen hole course was built and opened in 1933. It is hard to imagine that it has taken such a short time to re-establish the club and present it in such fine condition, the greens just superb, fast and true. The signature hole is the par 3 17th hole, over water to a well bunkered green. A real surprise and a very pleasant one.

The next course was an even bigger surprise. I had not expected to find a genuine Royal Golf Club in the Czech Republic, but the fact is that Queen Elizabeth granted the title in 2003, a unique event for a club outside of the Commonwealth. Royal Golf Club Marianske Lazne was opened in the presence of HRH King Edward VII on August 21st 1905. He solemnly cut the ribbon and signed his name in the memorial book with a gold pen, to become the first founder member.

He loved visiting the region, and made ten trips to the club, the last in 1910. The opening is commemorated with a plaque located close to the first tee. When General Patton liberated Bohemia in 1945, his officers found the course the ideal relaxation. It is set in a beautiful valley, and the course runs up and down the sloping terrain with spectacular scenery and testing golf holes.

In the 1930's Henry Cotton played there, and in recent times European Tour events have been held very successfully. On the centenary of the opening, Prince Edward attended the celebrations, endorsing once again the royal patronage. A superb course with a clubhouse to match, topped only by the warmth of the welcome to visiting golfers. The clubhouse at both of these old clubs has that members feel, so reminiscent of old English or Scottish clubs, a touch of home from home.

The next course was in Frantiskovy Lazne, it opened as recently as 2003, and became the first Czech course ranked by the German Golf Union. It was designed by the team of Heinz Fehring and Peter Walker, and they have laid out a venue among the mature pine , spruce and birch trees so well it is difficult to believe it is so new. A fine test, with a signature hole that merits the title, the 16th a long snaking par five, with clever bunkering and a lake adjacent on the right of the green.

The most amazing course of the whole trip, was the club at Sokolov. This course was constructed on the site of a massive opencast coal mine, that had been a blot on the landscape for many years. From the desolation came a real beauty of a course, changes in elevation, lakes, and superb greens, designed by the German company of Stadler.

It opened in 2005 and is blessed with some spectacular holes, in particular the 15th, a superb hole from an elevated tee to a fairway that swings around two lakes to a bunkered green, a par here is a treasure to remember.

Four courses in West Bohemia, close to the German border, each a delight to play, and all with a different but fascinating pedigree.

With a little time to spare, a sightseeing tour of Prague was a must, made all the more entertaining and memorable by the knowledge and generosity of our guide Milos Curik. His knowledge of the city, architecture and jazz, were all of the highest quality, all disseminated with humour. Leaving us with the desire for more.

The hotels and restaurants which hosted our visit, had one thing in common, a desire to please and first class service. In Marianske, The Hotel Butterfly and in Prague the Grand Hotel Bohemia and the Hotel Crown Plaza. All organised by the two stars of the trip, our young ladies from the Czech Tourist Office, Denisa and Katrina, who showed remarkable patience and understanding in handling a varied group of golf journalists, but did so with humour, and even managed to play good golf into the bargain.

A country of surprises, but one that wields a very strong attraction to make a return visit, to see some more of the courses and the country. If you want to sample something a little different, with history and sightseeing thrown in, this could be your perfect choice. Golf in the Czech Republic.