Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) Golf Club - Czech Republic

Golf began in Czechoslovakia at the famous spa town of Karlovy Vary (better known by its German name, Carlsbad) in western Bohemia, which attracted aristocracy from throughout Europe. The town bears the name of Charles IV of Bohemia, who founded the spa in around 1360. In 1904, a nine-hole course was organized by members of the Gentlemen's Fencing Club in the Imperial Park in the valley of the River Tepla. In 1935, Czechoslovakia's first 18-hole course was completed at a new site in a splendid setting overlooking the Doupovske hills, the forests of Slavkov, and the Krusne Hory or Ore Mountains. After it was destroyed during World War II, the course was restored by a small group of dedicated enthusiasts. Since the fall of Communism, golf has blossomed again in the Czech Republic and Karlovy Vary and Marianske Lazne (Marienbad) remain two of the leading courses.

Golf Club Crans-Sur-Sierre - Switzerland

Crans-Sur-Sierre is synonymous with golf in the Swiss Alps. The original course was laid out in 1905 by Sir Arnold Lunn, an early pioneer of downhill skiing and the proprietor of the famed Palace Hotel at nearby Montana. When the English golfers who formed the course's clientele disappeared during World War I, the course was abandoned. After the war, two local hoteliers, Elysee and Albert Bonvin, took the initiative in creating a new course, with the full1S holes completed in 1929. The present course covers a gently contoured plateau 5,000 feet above the firclad Rhone Valley. There are breathtakingly sublime views across the valley to the snow-covered majesty of the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa. Crans-Sur-Sierre has hosted the Swiss Open, now known as the European Masters, since 1939 and it is a favorite stop for the players on the European Tour and their families.