Krakow Valley Golf & Country Club

Krakow Valley not only looked stunning in indian summer weather but also was very well maintained despite heavy rains in southern Poland in the last few days. Perphaps with exceptions on bunkers which recieved a lot of water and sand was tight and muddy. Fairways was pleasure to play with juicy grass. Greens were quite fast and even. Roughs were cut extensively, Practice facilities were top-notch as well and the stand out was idea green range area. Course sit on vast and hilly piece of land and in strong winds a number of holes are very demanding. Par 4 hole #9 plays like par five into the wind. Signature hole is #10 downhill and uphill par.

Beeindruckende Landschaft. Freundliches Personal. Sehr gepflegte Fairways, schwieriges, etwas hohes Semirough. Große, wellige Grüns. Sehr anstrengend zu Fuß, da extrem hügelig. Golfcart sehr empfehlenswert. Preis-/Leistungsverhältnis OK. Deutlich außerhalb von Krakau, lange Anfahrt. Diese wird belohnt mit einem tollen Golferlebnis. Gastronomie mit großem Speisenangebot und hervorragendem Cappuccino.

First round of golf in Poland for me and I was not disappointed. The ride up there is worth it. It is a nice hilly course with plenty interesting and challenging holes. Play was a bit slow when I visited but I was playing alone and fast so most of the groups in front of me let me through. Quieter on the back 9. Hole 10 is a very tricky one which I will remember given the huge drop you face from the tee box and then the super elevated shot you need to make to reach the elevated green. The course was in really good condition and weather really sunny which helped the positive experience. I could not have a beer after the round since the clubhouse was closing. All in all, it is worth a visit.

I was here on a rainy day in April with no people. But boy, did the course look and feel great. How they manage to keep these greens and fairways in such great shape is beyond me. The climate is cold and wet, but I see one golf course after another in Central-Eastern Europe seemingly unaffected.

Krakow Valley is a championship course laid out in open landscape, 20 years on not so open, as trees here and there have a significant presence, catching some of the winds. The green complexes are amazing, find an entrance of your choosing but be prepared for punishment, not severe but still felt.

The back nine are more hilly, fun and varied than the front. Hole 10 will divide golfer conaisseurs, as it goes down and then up, not in normal fashion but shelf after shelf. Getting caught at the very bottom shelf is no picnic.

The vistas are beautiful, not dramatic, the golf course design adds that. Thanks to Ronald Fream and his team for putting this gem in an unlikely part of Europe.

Being in area I decided to use my Golfhaftet card and play a round there. Its my first time visit. To reach a course you need use a Google maps, its not very easy, you do not see many signs. Nevertheless it will take you to nice part of the Polish country. Do not expect any fancy entrance like at some other courses in Poland or big clubhouse. It will give you impression of small country club, reason for that is that hotel and conference rooms are not next to it, you are passing them on the way there.

Anyway to the course. Checking was quite fast and very pleasant. Unfortunately they were sold out on logo balls, so I will need to come back probably. At this time of the year course is not much busy. I did not check the pro-shop or rent anything, this time I did not even go to driving range so I cannot much judge training areas, but they are close to clubhouse. I played alone and from yellow tees. Opening hole is par 4, from first hole I seen that course is in good shape with nice fairways and large greens. Greens for me were a bit slow but its Ok I have to adjust my game. What I realize, that members does not fix the pitchmarks after them, it was a bit disappointment. Front nine is a bit easier than back nine. There is not much water hazard on the course only 2 lakes but basically you can easily avoid them. Back nine will bring you few interesting shot which are up and down, however would be very difficult to choose the signature hole for me there. Overall I will say it will give you a nice round of golf however it will not leave a big mark in your memory.

So if you are in area its worth of visit but not wroth of special trip. Thanks for hospitality. And most interesting shot is on hole number 10.