In 2022, inspired by Michael Portillo’s Great Railway Journeys , we hosted our first Grand Europe group on a tour through six European countries, playing golf in Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, Italy and France. Such was the popularity of this tour that we are off again in 2025 to these amazing destinations.
We visit six iconic cities to immerse ourselves in their culture, architecture, cuisine and of course play some stunning golf courses – look out Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Lake Bled, Milan and Evian – here we come!
A brief overview of our Grand Europe Golf Tour:
• 20 days / 19 nights in luxury 5-star hotels
• Championship golf courses, all in carts
~ Golf Club Bad Saarow, Berlin
~ Golf Club Seddiner See, Berlin
~ PGA National The Oaks, Prague
~ Albatross, Prague
~ Adamstal Golf Club, Vienna
~ Fontana Golf, Vienna
~ Royal Bled Golf Club, Ljubljana
~ Golf Villa d’Este, Lake Como
~ Castelconturbia Golf, Milan
~ Evian Resort, Evian
• Breakfast daily
• Welcome dinner & drinks on the Elbe River, Berlin
• Sightseeing in Dresden
• Welcome drinks hour in Prague
• Sightseeing Vienna’s historic ring road
• Evening in Vienna’s Grinzing Wine Village
• Champagne in Ljubljana
• Prosecco and pasta in Milan
• French style evening dinner and farewell in Evian
All travel will be in a luxury air-conditioned coach with the personal guide services of the PaR nz team. Add in an
extensive welcome player’s pack and electronic tour APP.
Let the romance of Grand Europe unfold as you read on and, yes, book right now – the tour will be limited to 28 golfers. Are you joining us?
Denise & Kim
The PaR nz Team
denise@parnz.co.nz | kim@parnz.co.nz
Berlin, Germany’s capital, dates back to the 13th century. Reminders of the city’s turbulent 20th-century history include its Holocaust memorial and the Berlin Wall’s graffitied remains. Divided during the Cold War, the 18th-century Brandenburg Gate has become a symbol of reunification. The city is also known for its art scene and modern landmarks, like the gold-coloured, swoop-roofed Berliner Philharmonic, built in 1963.
We start our tour here with three nights at the Ritz Carlton Berlin in the heart of the city at Potsdamer Platz, neighbouring Berlin’s largest inner city park “Tiergarten” and situated just a seven-minute walk to the Brandenburg Gate.
We play two Berlin golf courses: Golf Club Bad Saarow and Seddiner See Golf & Country Club.
Golf Club Bad Saarow
– previously known as Arosa Golf & Spa Resort.
Designer: Arnold Palmer (1995)
Style: Tree lined parkland www.gcbadsaarow.de
Promoted as 63 holes of Nature (previously known as the Berlin Sporting Club), the Golf Club Bad Saarow boasts three world class courses – the Palmer (1995), Faldo (1996) and Eby (2001) all named after their famous designers. The sporting complex is located in the town of Bad Saarow which is famous for its hot springs and mineral rich mud along with being a mecca for hikers and bikers.
The Resort is just outside Berlin right on Lake Scharmutzel, where water sports are popular. The front nine of the Palmer course features large greens, wide open fairways and creative doglegs and is a good warm up to the back nine which is far more challenging and visually exciting as it carves through the Brandenburg Forest. The signature hole on the Palmer course is the par-3 11th with creeks cutting across the hole and deep bunkers to protect the green. This hole is placed in Germany’s Top 10 most beautiful holes. The Palmer course is a tree-lined parkland course similar to Woburn in England and is a great contrast to the tougher Faldo links style course.
Interesting fact: Bad Sarrow, as the Berlin Sporting Club, bid for the 2022 Ryder Cup but lost out to Rome in Italy.
Golf & Country Club Seddiner See
Seddiner See
Designer: North Course Robert Trent Jones Jnr (1994) / Upgrades Kyle Philips (1997)
Designer: South Course Rainer Preissmann (1996)
Style: Parkland www.gccseddinersee.de
Seddiner See Golf and Country Club was founded in 1994 by a group led by Ferdinand von Bismarck (great grandson of “Iron Chancellor” Otto von Bismarck). They acquired almost 600 acres of farmland in the heart of the lake district, only about 30 minutes south of Berlin City Centre. This convenient location drove a sizeable real estate development and two golf courses, the North course (designed by Rainer Preißmann) opened in 1996 and one year later Robert Trent Jones Jnr. delivered the South course, still his only layout in Germany. Golf & Country Club Seddiner See is popular with golfers in Germany and internationally. The courses are now enjoying international fame after being included on the Leading Golf Courses of Germany, in 2010.
Interesting fact: The logo of Golf & Country Club Seddiner See is three oak leaves which was taken from the family coat of arms of Honorary First President Ferdinand von Bismarck (great grandson Otto Von Bismarck: The Iron Chancellor) wo died in 2019 at the time of the club’s 25th anniversary.
Seddiner See
Prague, capital city of the Czech Republic, is spread over two sides of the Vltava River. Nicknamed “the City of a Hundred Spires,” it is known for its Old Town Square, with colourful baroque buildings, Gothic churches and the medieval Astronomical Clock, which gives an hourly animated show. Completed in 1402, the pedestrian Charles Bridge is lined with statues of Catholic saints – a must do walk, night or day.
We have booked 4 nights in this spectacular city at the Prague Marriott. The hotel is located in the Old Town city centre close to the Old Town Square, and the Charles Bridge.
Drinks hour on arrival at the hotel, followed by two days golf at Albatross Golf Resort and at the recently opened Oaks Golf Course –home of the PGA National Czech Republic.
The Oaks Prague
Designer: Kyle Phillips (2020)
Style: Wooded parkland www.oakspga.cz/the-course
Oaks Prague is home to the PGA National Czech Republic, the premier golfing experience in the country, unmatched by any other club in the region. Operated by Troon Golf it is part of Oaks Prague, a modern community of premium homes nestled in a beautiful 140-hectare country estate, southeast of Prague. The course is open parkland in its layout with several tree-lined stretches and rustic bunkering to catch wayward shots from the tee.
The course was created by leading designer Kyle Phillips who has designed courses on every continent including three of the world’s top 100 – Kingsbarns, Scotland (42), California Golf Club, USA (74), and South Cape, South Korea (90).
The first nine holes of The Oaks Course were opened in August 2019 and the full 18-hole course was opened in the summer of 2020. It will be to our delight to play this course in 2025.
Interesting fact: The Oaks Prague won Best New Course in Europe in 2020 and is ranked #1 in the country. Centuries before, Bohemian noblemen came in droves to hunt this land – now the hunt for birdies of a different kind continues!
Albatross Golf Resort
Designer: Keith Preston (2009)
Style: Parkland surrounded by wooded countryside www.albatross.cz/cs
One of the best courses in the Czech Republic, Albatross is ranked #2 and is host to numerous amateur and professional golf events including the European PGA Tour.
Albatross is privately owned by billionaire and entrepreneur Jiri Simane who, in his business portfolio, also owns SmartWings Airlines and Global Wines & Spirits. Built at a reputed cost of Є30 million the course occupies a gently undulating countryside area beside the Cesky Kras Nature Reserve just outside Prague.
Its signature holes are the 9th and 18th which are essentially water hazard laden holes and provide an interesting finishing challenge to both 9s. In fact, the final three holes 16, 17 and 18 have had minor upgrades in recent years to improve their layouts and visual appeal.
Albatross is recognised as one of the best manicured and best prepared courses in Europe.
Interesting fact: The Czech Masters is held annually in August at Albatross, with prize funds up to € 1million. The course is a happy hunting ground for Belgium golfer Thomas Pieters having won the Czech Masters twice and once runner-up.
Vienna, Austria’s capital, lies in the country’s east on the Danube River. Its artistic and intellectual legacy was shaped by residents including Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. We are in good company. The city is also known for its Imperial palaces, including Schönbrunn, the Habsburgs’ summer residence. In the Museumquartier, historic and contemporary buildings display works by Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt and other famous artists.
We stay in the city centre at the Luxury Collection Hotel from the Marriott group, the Bristol Hotel Wien. This exceptional hotel, an Art Deco gem, dates back to 1892. It is wonderfully located by the magnificent Vienna State Opera, St Stephens Cathedral and the famous Vienna ring road to easily take in all the cafés and shops.
We will also take the opportunity to have an evening in Grinzing: a wellknown wine village famous for its Heurigen, which are traditional wine taverns, serving delicious local wine and food.
Two quite different golf challenges await us in Vienna.
Adamstal Golf Resort
Designer: Canadian Jeff Howes (1998)
Style: Alpine wooded parkland, undulating, hilly www.adamstal.at
Adamstal ranked #2 in Austria is one of the world’s most beautiful golf courses. Set in the alpine mountains just outside Vienna the course constantly weaves through undulating forests and valley floors resulting in simply breath-taking views with every shot.
Former 12 times Austrian Rally champion Franz Wittman bought Adamstal to life in 1995 when a 9-hole course was laid out (Wittman in fact won the Rally of New Zealand in 1987). But it was Canadian born Jeff Howes who extended the course to 18 holes in 1998 in the same year he was commissioned to ‘toughen up’ Foto Island ahead of its first Irish Open. Howes had gained extensive experience prior to the Adamstal project
working with Jack Nicklaus and today still regards Adamstal as one of his greatest designs.
Each of the golf holes are named after the enchanting picture they paint. Panoramic views of the Unterberg summit are on offer at the 5th, where rock formations (discovered during construction of the fairway), are a prominent feature on this par 4. The short par-4 10th is the highest point on the course (named Unterbergrast or lower mountain) and from here you can enjoy (on a clear day) the drama of the 4,400-foot peak. The 11th “Hausbergkante” (taken from a tough downhill ski run) is also set at altitude and the view is spectacular. From the elevated tee, you can’t help but reach for your driver on this 345-metre par-4. The ground falls away in an alarming manner. Reaching the green in two is no problem, but the green also slopes from front to back, so staying on the putting surface is easier said than done.
Fontana Golf Resort
Designer: Original co-design by Canadian Doug Carrick and Austrian Hans-Georg Erhardt (1997) with modifications by the same team in 2018
Style: Parkland open tree-lined www.fontana.at
Ranked the #1 course in Austria, Fontana is located just south of Vienna in the spa town of Baden. The course was created as part of an American-styled luxury residential development owned and funded by Austrian-Canadian businessman Frank Stronach. The Stronach family are a post-war rag to riches story associated with Magna International, an auto parts company, and more recently politics and horse racing. Canadian golf architect superstar Doug Carrick was invited by Stronach to build the best golf course in the country, and he did!
The result is a stylish master plan design where water hazards and large bunkers come into play on most holes – accuracy off the tee and target golf to the greens are the key to scoring well at Fontana.
The residential properties were to take full advantage of golf course views, and this was achieved as the area is now an affluent suburb.
The course has hosted 12 Austrian Opens, the most famous being in 2009 when Spaniard Rafael Cabrera Bello fired a European Tour recordequalling 60 to claim his maiden European Tour win at Fontana. The clubhouse is impressive, set in front of a sandy beach with palm trees –golfers need not worry as this area is exclusively for the swimming club rather than errant shots!
Interesting fact: Golf in Austria was established in 1901 when a British Diplomat Andrew Percy negotiated the lease of the royal hunting grounds in Vienna with Emperor Franz Joseph. Well-known Scottish architect of his era Willie Park Jnr was commissioned to lay out the first course which remained in play until just after WW2.
Ljubljana is Slovenia’s capital and largest city. It’s known for its university and green spaces, including the expansive Tivoli Park. The curving Ljubljana River, lined with outdoor cafés, divides the city’s old town from its commercial hub.
Ljubljana has many museums, including the National Museum of Slovenia, displaying historic exhibitions, and the Museum of Modern Art, home to 20th-century Slovene paintings and sculptures. Make sure you take the tourist train around the Old Quarter and up to the castle –touristy but fun!
Champagne on the rooftop bar of our chosen hotel, The Intercontinental, sets the scene. Located close to the historic Old Town, the hotel also offers custom city tours – something to consider on our day off here? The lake and district of Royal Bled is close – golf on Royal Bled is a must.
Designer: Original course laid out 1937, extensive renovations and extensions by Donald Harradine (1972) and upgrades by Howard Swan (2017)
Style: Open parkland, tree-lined www.royalbled.com
Royal Bled Golf Course (27 holes – 18-hole Championship King Course and 9-hole Lake Course) is the oldest and highest ranked course in Slovenia. Built in 1937 and once the playground of the Czech King and other noble families from around Europe, it was largely left abandoned after WW2.
An extensive rebuilding in 1972 by Donald Harradine bought the course back to life and regular renovations to lengthen and improve the layout have delivered a Top 25 European Course. Surrounded by the dramatic and immensely scenic mountains and sweeping valleys of the Julian Alps and Triglav National Park, the course offers some glimpses of the castle at Bled.
The course is laid out in quiet woodland and rural countryside near the River Sava. Water hazards provide interesting challenges particularly on the back nine holes #14 and #16. While the scenery is alpine, the course itself is a relatively flat, easy walking course.
The King’s Clubhouse, an original structure, is now a boutique lodge and a very inviting place for golfers to enjoy after their round.
Interesting fact: In the early-1920s, the then Yugoslav King Aleksander Karadordevic chose Bled as his summer residence, attracting wealthy guests, nobility and royalty from across Europe. The first round of golf was officially played at Bled in 1937 after completion of a nine-hole course, marking the birth of golf in Slovenia.
The golf club is one of very few outside the Commonwealth of Nations (formerly British Commonwealth) to have received its prefix at the prerogative of a British monarch. These non-Commonwealth courses include Curragh (Ireland), Dublin (Ireland), Homburger (Germany), Mariánské Lázne (Czech) and Bled (Slovenia). The Royal title was conferred on Bled by Queen Elizabeth II, recognising the club’s strong historic connections with British royalty, and especially visits made by the Duke of Kent.
So many words to describe this city – where do we start?
Milan, located in Italy’s northern Lombardy region, is the global capital of fashion and design. Home to the National Stock Exchange, it’s a financial hub also known for its high-end restaurants and shops.
The Gothic Duomo di Milano Cathedral and the Santa Maria delle Grazie Convent, housing Leonardo da Vinci’s mural “The Last Supper,” is testimony to centuries of art and culture.
We have four nights here with a day off to explore, and two days golf at Como’s Villa d’Este and the beautifully presented Castelconturbia.
Our hotel of choice is the luxurious Milan Excelsior located across from the Grand Central Railway Station and right in the heart of the shopping and café districts.
Circolo Golf Villa d’Este
Designer: Peter Gannon (1926)
Style: Undulating parkland www.golfvilladeste.com
Villa d’Este is said to be the history of Italian golf told in 18 holes. Designed in 1926 by Peter Gannon, its 18 holes are dotted with carefully studied natural obstacles, which challenge the skills of enthusiasts and professionals and offers an unforgettable experience.
A naturalistic and landscape setting among the most evocative in the world: over 30,000 trees – pines, chestnuts, birches – the Pre-Alps in the background and glimpses of Lake Montorfano. Villa d’Este has hosted the Italian Open 12 times.
Interesting fact: Villa d’Este has six wonderful par-3’s, only one of which is under 165 metres!
Golf Club Castelconturbia
Designers: Original 18-hole layout 1898, recent 27-hole design by Robert Trent Jones Snr (1986)
Style: Parkland, open tree-lined www.golfclubcastelconturbia.it
Set in an undulating wooded terrain, Golf Club Castelconturbia, about 60 minutes from Milan, is an excellently-crafted course by legendary US architect Robert Trent Jones Snr who has been involved with over 500 golf design projects around the world.
Castelconturbia is a ‘big-dimension’ layout of 27 holes – Blue (Chestnuts), Red (Oaks) and Yellow (Pines) and offers a stadium finish in front of the clubhouse with all three finishing greens. The majority of tee boxes are elevated looking down upon generous fairways but then the challenge begins to the greens which are wide but not always deep and fiercely protected by water and bunkers. The island green par-4 7th hole on the Yellow course is definitely the signature hole.
The Red course is the easier and the more player friendly of the three nines. The Yellow is the most creative in eye appeal and the Blue the most technically challenging requiring accurate iron play to wicked pin placements. Take your pick on your best course combination to play!
Interesting fact: The original Conturbier was established in 1898 in the Earldom of Conturbia and is the secondoldest course in Italy behind Rome GC (1885). In 1991 and 1998 (Winner: Jose Maria Olazabal) the club hosted the Italian Open using the Blue-Yellow combination.
Our final stop in our Grand Europe Golf Tour 2025 – Evian on the border of France and Switzerland and across from Lausanne.
Evian is an upmarket holiday resort and spa town on the shores of Lake Geneva. It has been visited, over two centuries, by royalty such as King Edward VII and George V and King Farouk of Egypt, along with celebrities such as the Countess Anna de Noailles and Marcel Proust. The springs of Evian were rather unknown at the time of the Revolution but the First Empire’s interest for spa towns inspired a scientist to analyse the Evian springs in 1807 and 1808.
The town is home to Evian Mineral Water which adds significantly to the economy, together with the Casino d’Evian, the largest themed casino in Europe, and the Evian Royal Resort, the reported favourite holiday destination of former French President François Mitterrand.
We stay in none other than the Hôtel Royal Evian known as ‘A Palace at the heart of the Evian Resort’ for our last two nights on tour. A panorama that includes the foothills of the Alps and Lake Geneva – a rare palace setting.
Evian
Designer Cabell B. Robinson 1989 Style; Parkland, undulating and scenic www.golf-club.evianresort.com
Evian – a legend amongst golf courses – the benchmark of French courses since 1904. The Evian Resort Golf Club is an exceptional venue and has always been a favourite among the legends of the golfing world. The biggest names, including Seve Ballesteros, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland, Annika Sörenstam and, more recently, Céline Boutier, have all taken up the challenge offered by The Champions Course.
Inaugurated to coincide with the opening of the Hôtel Royal, the Evian Resort Golf Club’s original nine-hole course has doubled in size over the years. In the late 1980s, well-known golf course architect Cabell B. Robinson completely redesigned the layout, and the Evian Resort Golf Club course now offers an excellent competitive environment. Indeed, The Champions Course was designed to challenge the golfer.
Strategic hazards, within a meticulously maintained natural setting but a highly technical course. Enhanced by breath-taking views over Lake Geneva and the mountains, “playing Evian” (now a recognised expression) is a thrilling challenge! The course was already popular among keen amateurs and professionals in 1994, when it was selected to host an international tournament: the Evian Masters. A new chapter began for the spa town of Evian-les-Bains as a prominent destination for women’s golf.
In 2013, the tournament was renamed The Evian Championship. Its reputation soared and it became one of the five Majors on the LPGA Tour and the only such event held in continental Europe. It is also the only Major to be played on the same course every year. In 2021, the tournament was renamed The Amundi Evian Championship. Over the years, The Champions Course at the Evian Resort Golf Club has crowned some illustrious champions, Lydia Ko, Min-Jee Lee, Annika Sörenstam, Céline Boutier and Dame Laura Davies.
SPECIAL FEATURE – PaR nz TRAVEL APP
When you register for this 2025 Grand Europe Tour, you will receive a link to our special PaR nz Travel App.
A detailed electronic itinerary can be downloaded on your laptop, iPad or smartphone, enabling you to review tour highlights and access daily updates while on tour.
INCLUSIONS
Accommodation
5 Star Hotels throughout including
• Berlin, Ritz Carlton, 3 nights
• Prague, Marriott Hotel, 4 nights
• Vienna, Bristol Hotel Vienna, 3 nights
• Ljubljana, Intercontinental, 3 nights
• Milan, Excelsior Hotel, 4 nights
• Evian, Hôtel Royal Evian, 2 nights
~ Full cooked breakfast daily
Golf with carts (10 rounds)
1. Golf Club Bad Saarow, Berlin
2. Golf Club Seddiner See, Berlin
3. The Oaks, Prague
4. Albatross, Prague
5. Adamstal, Vienna
6. Fontana, Vienna
7. Royal Bled, Ljubljana
8. Circolo Golf Villa d’Este, Como
9. Castelconturbia, Milan
10. Evian, Evian-les-Bains
Special additions
• Welcome cruise on the Elbe River, dinner and drinks Berlin
• Sightseeing in Dresden
• Welcome drinks hour in Prague
• Sightseeing Vienna’s historic ring road
• Evening in Vienna’s Grinzing Wine Village
• Champagne in Ljubljana
• Prosecco and pasta at Villa d’Este
• French style evening dinner and farewell in Evian
PaR nz Services
• Luxury air-conditioned coach throughout
• Travel notes & guide services by Denise & Kim
• PaR nz Travel & Tour APP
• Welcome players pack with quality FJ clothing, souvenir bag tags
Last words from Kim & Denise
An exceptional grand tour from start to finish – experiencing the best of continental Europe, playing each country’s best championship courses from Berlin through to Evian.
We hope you have been inspired by our tour programme, so come join us. Places are limited to 28 golfers and we hope to hear from you soon.
Denise & Kim
The PaR nz Team denise@parnz.co.nz | kim@parnz.co.nz
