REGION

Our Course Is Different Every Day

A suburban playground that attracts inhabitants of Havířov, Karviná, Orlová and Ostrava.

The jubilee tenth year brought sixty-one tournaments and events; the highlight of the whole season

was the public Lipiny Cup 2021 tournament. Lipiny Golf Resort is betting on a favourable pricing

policy and its manager, Pavel Malina, wants to improve it every year.

Time flies fast—this year your resort celebrates its tenth

birthday. What were these years like?

Yes, we recently opened a suburban course on

a greenfield and, I dare to say, not a very golf-friendly

location, and now we have already had our tenth season.

The Lipiny Golf Resort lies next to the main road between

Ostrava and Karviná. I remember that after the opening,

there was a lot of swearing from the passing cars at

the golfers who were practising on the driving range.

Golf was simply portrayed in the media as a sport for

the wealthy elite and locals were initially very sceptical

about our course. I used to hear questions like ‘Who is

going to go there? Just the rich and privileged again’, but

thanks to the owner we were able to set a favourable

pricing policy from the start so the sport has become

accessible, especially to families with children.

Pavel Malina first encountered golf in 2001. He gained

experience in the United Arab Emirates and the USA,

but eventually landed in Karviná. Among other things,

he worked as a tennis coach and snowboard instructor.

Can you mention some of the successes of your golfers?

You will certainly find young talented golfers here, for

example, Matyáš Sliwka, a two-time Club Master, who

started golf in the first years of the resort's operation as part

of the introductory golf foundation. Another great talent is

Vojta Mazurek, three-time Master of the Lipiny Golf Club.

Do players from Poland or Slovakia also come to you?

It is particularly golfers from Poland who have found their

way to us. Golf prices in Poland are completely different and

they don't have nearly as many courses as we do.

Text: redakce

Foto: archiv Golf

resort Lipiny

78 ǀ POSITIV

Are there any big changes caused by mining? Or does

the average player not notice them?

The average player does not recognize the difference, but

who knows what it will look like in ten years. Maybe we'll

play nine uphill instead of downhill.

1/2022

Can you tell us what we can look forward to

at the Lipiny Golf Resort this year?

You can look forward to a well-prepared course, nice

staff, public and club tournaments and events, and even

new driving balls.

What about you and golf? Do you like to play? How

long have you been playing and how do you enjoy

playing on your course?

I started playing golf in 2001 in the United Arab Emirates,

where I worked as a tennis coach for twelve years.

But there wasn't much to do that year after the 9/11

attacks, so I took up golf, as it was my work benefit.

I continued my work on the golf course in the USA and

after returning home, in Čeladná, and now in Karviná.

I play golf for fun and the saying, "Bogey golf, good

golf" applies to me.

You mentioned the United Arab Emirates. What took

you to that country?

That would probably be a longer story, but fate took

me there when I was nineteen years old in 1994 and

it ended up being twelve years of my life. I got twenty

pounds from my parents for the trip, there were no

bank cards, no internet. A minute phone call home cost

120CZK, a totally different world. I worked in various

clubs, hotels, as a tennis coach. Back then Dubai was

just a big village. It wasn't always easy, but what doesn't

kill you makes you stronger.

What are you responsible for in Karviná?

I take care of the administration of the resort,

the marketing and, when the receptionist gets sick, I sit

at the reception desk or on the mower.

The golf course in Karviná celebrated ten years. If you

were to look into the future, what would the next

decade look like?

I'm an optimist, so it will be great!

Mr Malina, thank you very much for the interview.