Modry Las Golf Club in Choszczno an hour in car South-East of Szczecin, is celebrating its first award for its championship course in miniature, The Orli Las.
The 18 hole Modry Las championship course at the West Pomeranian resort was the first Gary Player designed golf coruse in continental Europe when it opened in 2009.
The short-course, Orli Las opened in 2015 (1st hole pictured above, photo by Mark Alexander) was a clear contender for the nine-hole category in the Polish Golf Awards 2017. The course has multiple tee options, lush tree-lined fairways and stunning infinity greens.
However, as the resort’s Director of Development, Pamela Gromadzki, explained, receiving an initial award was as much about confirmation as it is about elation:
“We wanted to create a nine-hole layout that would appeal to everyone, not just beginners. We wanted to create a facility that offered good players a quick but testing round. Attempting to design a visually appealing course that delivered all this was a huge challenge but this award suggests we got it right.The idea behind Orli Las was to move with the times”
Modry Las’ short-course stands proper at just above 600 yards
Measuring just 560 meters (613 yards) and covering 2.5 hectares (6.2 acres), Orli Las is a short-course layout that can be enjoyed by players of all standards in under an hour.
Indeed, while the intention was to create a design where the longest hole would be just 91 meters (100 yards), visual aesthetics were of equal importance with the course weaving through a lush Polish forest with stunning lakeside views.
“It is a very scenic course set in an undulating forest on a beautiful lake edge,” said South African golf course designer Theo Geertshuis who carved the original 18-hole course at Modry Las for Gary Player and masterminded Orli Las:
“Although it is beautiful, it is also an extremely rewarding challenge. On each hole, I tried to create intrigue to keep the golfer on his toes. In the end, Orli Las turned out to be one of the best short courses I have seen anywhere.”
The average size of the greens at Orli Las is just 120 square meters, but contained within each are numerous pin placements and countless breaks and borrows. Each green features undulations and testing surrounds that offer various approach options or recovery routes.
“On many holes, you have either glimpses of the lake through the trees or the green appears to be right on the water’s edge,” said Gromadzki. “That combined with the undulations on and around the greens mean you have to be a pretty good player to get it right.”
Modry Las Golf Club‘s 18-hole Gary Player designed championship course has hosted the World Amateur Golfers Championship and the International Polish Ladies Championship.
Visitors to the resort who play Modry Las should take the opportunity to test their short game abilities on the acclaimed nine-holer. Something that should appeal to golfers of all standards.
