PGA National - Oaks Prague
The Czech Republic, or Chechia, is now home to more than 100 golf courses. Situated just a few miles south-east of the historic and cultural city of Prague, the course at PGA National Czech Republic is part of the upmarket Oaks Prague country estate, a modern development of high-end property. It was designed by leading architect Kyle Phillips, the man responsible for some of the UK’s finest newer and more recent developments such as Kingsbarns, The Grove and Dundonald Links. All three of these are in the Golf Monthly Top 100 courses of the UK and Ireland.
- GF: £110-£125
- Stats: Par 72, 6,616 yards
Fully opening in 2020, it has quickly gained a reputation as one of, if not the very best courses in the country. As you would expect from the name, oaks and plenty of other specimen trees do feature, but there is much of the course that is on far more open terrain as well. Never is there the slight sense of claustrophobia you sometimes get at more tree-lined courses.
Unusually, and refreshingly for a modern design, water is conspicuous by its almost complete absence. Instead, the architect’s bunkering is the greatest defence here with his bold, larger-than-life statements key to the strategy and the visual framing of the holes. Avoid them, and there is still much to think about on the large, contoured greens.
The course is kept in magnificent shape with carpet-like fairways and greens that are true and fast, and it received glowing praise from the DP World Tour professionals in the 2024 D+D Real Czech Masters which was won by Frenchman David Ravetto with a mightily impressive score of 23 under par. With plenty of golf courses in the Prague area, the city makes for a fascinating and quite different golfing destination. The Oaks Prague also has stay and play deals that will appeal to the travelling golfer looking for somewhere new and different.
