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Although golf appears to be just getting a start in Hungary it actually has a long and charming history. Golf saw its Hungarian debut in 1902, held on a racecourse by Count Géza Andrássy. The first golf course was built in Tátralomnic in 1906-1909 and the fi rst Hungarian golf tournament was held here in 1909.
In the first nine holes of the Széchenyi-hegy golf course opened in 1918, followed by the second nine holes in 1922. By 1938, the beginning of the World War II, Hungary had a vibrant golf culture. Even Bobby Jones travelled to Budapest in 1936 to play on the 25th Anniversary Tournament of the Hungarian Golf Club. He played together with Mrs Elizabeth Szlávy, who was pronounced to be the best woman golf player in Europe 1926.
At the beginning of communist era in Hungary in 1949, golf was proclaimed an imperialist sport suited for espionage. Golfers were bully into not going to the golf course any more. Two years later, the soviet army marched onto the Szécheny-hegy golf course and annexed it to a newly built radar station that remained in operation there until 1992.
Golf was then totally prohibited in Hungary until the late seventies, when Dr. Ferenc Gáti after returning home from Cuba tried to reintroduce golf to Hungary and formed Blue Danube Golf Club in 1979. Despite political opposition they started to build a new golf course and were later able to establish the Hungarian Golf Federation in 1989.
Today seven professional golf courses in beautiful surroundings await lovers of the sport of golf. And why should you come to Hungary to play golf? Because golf is about relaxation, and Hungary is not only renowned for its excellent courses, but also for its cuisine and thermal springs, providing a perfect opportunity to combine a round of golf with a good meal and some wellness – at practically every golf club.
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