Royal Bled Golf Club ( sl, Kraljevski Bled Golf Klub) is a 27-hole golf facility in the

Municipality of Radovljica The Municipality of Radovljica (; sl, Občina Radovljica) is a municipality in the Upper Carniola region of northern Slovenia. The administrative seat of the municipality is the town of Radovljica.

in the Upper Carniola region of

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

History

The club is located in

Bled Bled (; german: Veldes,''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 146. in older sources also ''Feldes'') is a town on Lake Bled in the Upper C ...

, a small town surrounded by the dramatic mountains of the

Julian Alps The Julian Alps ( sl, Julijske Alpe, it, Alpi Giulie, , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretch from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia. A large pa ...

near the border with

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, about northwest of the Slovenian capital of

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

. In the second half of the 19th century the historical town of

, famous for glacial

Lake Bled Lake Bled ( sl, Blejsko jezero; german: Bleder See, Veldeser See) is a lake in the Julian Alps of the Upper Carniolan region of northwestern Slovenia, where it adjoins the town of Bled. The area is a tourist destination. The lake is from Ljublj ...

and the iconic

Bled Castle Bled Castle ( sl, Blejski grad, german: Burg Veldes) is a medieval castle built on a precipice above the city of Bled in Slovenia, overlooking Lake Bled. According to written sources, it is the oldest Slovenian castle and is currently one of the m ...

perched on a rock overlooking the lake, developed into a

health resort A destination spa or health resort is a resort centered on a spa, such as a mineral spa. Historically, many such spas were developed at the location of natural hot springs or mineral springs; in the era before modern biochemical knowledge and p ...

, attracting nobility and wealthy guests from all across Europe. King Alexander I of Yugoslavia chose

as his summer residence in 1922, due to its mild climate. Austrian Rudolf von Gelmini designed the original layout and in 1937 the first nine holes of the course was completed, marking the birth of golf in the region. In 1938 it became the only 18-hole course in Yugoslavia prior to the Second World War. After the outbreak of the WWII, the course was largely abandoned until its resurrection by Donald Harradine in 1972. In 2014, Howard Swan was commissioned by new owners to bring the course up to modern standards while respecting the original heritage. In 2017, the King's course reopened after a 2-year renovation that saw considerable updates made to the original layout. At a combined 80th anniversary and re-opening ceremony,

Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia ( sr, italic=yes, Jelisaveta Karađorđević / Јелисавета Карађорђевић; born 7 April 1936) is a member of the royal House of Karađorđević, a human rights activist and a former presidential ...

hit the first ceremonial shot and bestowed Royal status upon the club. The facility comprises the 7,275 yard 18-hole Championship King's Course, and the 3,332 yard 9-hole Lake Course. In 2020, ''Golf Digest'' ranked the course the best in Slovenia.

Notable tournaments hosted

The club has hosted both amateur and professional international championships, including the Slovenian Open.

Professional

Amateur

European Boys' Team Championship The European Boys' Team Championship (Jean-Louis Dupont Trophy) is a European amateur team golf championship for men up to 18 organized by the European Golf Association. The inaugural event was held in 1980 and it has been played annually since. S ...

– 19972008 * European Mid-Amateur Men's Championship – 2005 *

European Senior Men's Team Championship The European Senior Men's Team Championship is a European amateur golf championship for men over 50 (previously 55) organized by the European Golf Association. The inaugural event was held in 2006 and the match is played every year. Before the e ...

– 2007 *

European Ladies' Team Championship The European Ladies' Team Championship is a European amateur team golf championship for women organised by the European Golf Association. The inaugural event was held in 1959. It was played in odd-numbered years from 1959 to 2007 and has been pla ...

–

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

European Senior Ladies' Team Championship The European Senior Ladies' Team Championship is a European amateur golf championship for women over 50 (previously 55) organized by the European Golf Association The European Golf Association (EGA) is a non-profit organisation based in Epali ...

– 2013 *

European Senior Ladies' Championship The European Senior Ladies' Championship is an annual European amateur golf championship for women over 50 (previously 55) organized by the European Golf Association. The inaugural event was held in 1996, with 25 editions have been contested so fa ...

– 2018

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Golf Club Marianske Lazne Golf clubs and courses in Slovenia Royal golf clubs