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.