STYL
Golf Resort Lipiny Is the Course for You
The Lipiny golf course in Karviná is a favorite among golf enthusiasts from the Moravian-Silesian
region. The resort was first opened to the public on the 2nd of May 2012, and managed to rack
up 17 000 visitors in its first year. That same year, the resort was also voted the best golf course
in the entire country. The course is still maintaining its standard of quality 11 years later and is
continually working on improving the services it provides.
Mr. Malina, this year will mark
the resort’s 12th season since its
opening. What are your thoughts going
into this upcoming season?
You are right, time sure does fly and a lot
has happened over these past 11 years.
I still recall when we first decided to turn
this meadow near Karviná, which at
the time was definitely not a famous golfing
destination, into a suburban golf course.
I can remember those early days very well.
What did the locals think of the newly
built resort?
We were not exactly in the easiest of spots.
Golf was, and maybe still is, portrayed as
a sport for the rich elites by the media,
and so the locals were pretty skeptical in
the beginning. Thanks to the course owner,
however, we were able to offer attractive
pricing from the beginning which made
the sport a lot more accessible 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.
What are some things that stick out in
your memory with the resort?
I still remember the first day I spent at
the resort vividly. I entered the empty main
building with a couple boxes that contained
what was to become my table. After
assembling it, I pulled out my laptop and
started working on our website. We spent
the winter buying lawn mowers and other
equipment while hiring staff. On the 2nd of
May 2012, we were finally able to open the
course to the public. At first, we opened
our championship course, and the public
course opened later that summer.
In our first couple of years, we experienced
a golf boom to the likes of which we will
probably never see again. Those that were
here back then can tell you about the long
waiting lines that formed at the driving
range. Both of our courses were
completely packed to the point where we
had to start placing groups that had never
met each other before into the same time
blocks. Without this we would have had
to start rejecting all new incoming golfers.
Furthermore, golf is a social sport anyway,
so why not?
17 000 golfers visited the resort within
its first year, and they must have enjoyed
themselves, as we then received multiple
awards, including “Best Rated Golf
Course” for 2012 and in 2013 the Golf
Course of the Year Poll.
96 ǀ POSITIV 1/2023
I have heard that in some areas, golf is
even being taught at schools, is that true?
We started a large campaign aimed at
teaching primary school children in Karviná
how to play golf. Fleets of buses drove children
on school trips to our courses and driving
ranges. Golf is slowly being integrated into
the physical education curriculum of some
schools. Školská primary school in Karviná,
for example, has been making regular use of
our courses within their curriculum.
What did your last season look like?
We opened last season on the 11th of April
with a senior tournament at our summer
course. In total we hosted 48 tournaments
and other events such as Ladies Golf Day,
public and club tournaments, entry level golf
classes, junior tournaments and many others.
The climax of last season was our annual
LIPINY CUP 2022 public tournament, which
we host to close off every season. Both of
our courses remained open from summer
operation until the 25th of November, which
means that the season lasted 228 continuous
days. This is our historical record. We intend
to follow up on last year’s momentum and
give our visitors another action packed year.
Do golfers from Poland or Slovakia
come to give the courses a go?
I must say that we get a lot of Polish golfers
in particular. The pricing of golf in Poland
is on another level and they have nowhere
near as many courses as Czechia.
How would you rate your courses? What
level of golf skill are they appropriate for?
I believe that we have something to offer
for anyone. We have a championship
9 hole course (3 671 meters, featuring
black tees), a fantastic public course, and
also a 80 meter training chipping green.
In short, we have something for everyone.
Are you planning anything new with
the courses?
Our biggest and most recent addition
will be a new fairway at the 4th hole of
the championship course.
What about your relationship with golf,
do you like playing it? How long have
you been a golfer?
I first started playing golf in 2001 in the UAE
and Oman. I then continued to work within
the golf industry in the USA, after returning
to Čeladná, and now in Karviná. I play
golf recreationally and I tend to follow
the saying: “Bogey golf is good golf.”
You mentioned the UAE, Oman and
the US. What about these countries
attracted you?
Well that is a lengthy story, but in summary,
the winds of fate took me there in 1994,
when I was 19, and that escapade turned
into a 12 year journey. Back then, Dubai
was not much more than a large village and
Oman barely had any tourists. I worked at
many different clubs and hotels as a tennis
coach.
The scorching heat of the Middle East
eventually became too much for me to
handle and so I moved to Colorado for the
winter, and as a change of pace, and taught
children how to snowboard. This little
detour turned into 3 years. Throughout
the summer I worked at the Eagle Ranch
golf course, which gave me the experience
to eventually start developing golf services
in Karviná.
Mr. Malina, thank you for the interview.
Best of luck.