The Dolina Kardinala Golf and Country Club lies in the valley of Krasic, birthplace of two of Coatia’s cardinals and two of its bishops. The par 71, 6,200 metre course features sweeping inter-linked lakes and ponds throughout. The 8th and 17th greens lie within one large water feature with cascading falls and stepping stones.
As well as the tournament course, where it is hoped to stage a future Croatian Open, there is a 9 hole par 3 family course, range and golf academy. There is also a 30 bedroom hotel, health and fitness facilities and a village of 48 houses is adjacent to the golf course.
The design of The Dolina Kardinala club has been the responsibility of Howard Swan, president of the British Institute of Golf Course Architects, who with his project team has developed the courses to opening and initial play in six months.
“It has been a wonderful experience working in a new golfing country,” said Howard Swan. “I believe that the course at Krasic will be a fine one. It has been designed and built to the highest standards yet has kept strictly to my philosophy of naturalism and integrating it into the environment. The land abounds in wild flowers in the spring and with the creation of many wet and aquatic habitats we have already seen the return of tortoises to the course.”
Swan’s design practice in Essex has signed a contract with the developers and operators of The Dolina Golf and Country Club for a further five courses over the next five years. The first of these is already in its design stages and is located in Istria, near Pula on the Adriatic coast.