Par-3 3rd hole The V Golf Club
“Welcome to the Capitals Golf Club,” says the Director,
Tomas Pranevicius as he hands us glasses of refreshing birch
water, a popular Lithuanian drink made from the sugary sap
tapped from birch trees. The golf course name is derived
from being located approximately in the geographic centre
of the four historical capitals of Lithuania, the current one
Vilnius, and the previous three of Kernavė, Kaunas and
Trakai.
The Capitals Golf Club which opened in July 2006 was
the first professional golf club in Lithuania. Designed by
golf architect Peter Chamberlain, the layout is routed
through an area which is part of the state-protected
Pipirišks geomorphological reserve, which helps preserve
the relief forms of Eastern Lithuania. When the golf course
was being planned, it was of great importance that all
environmental and ecological aspects, and in particular the
sensitive nature of the surroundings would be taken into
account. The Capitals Golf Club captured top honours in
the 2007 Golf Inc. Development of the Year contest in the
International Division, surpassing such projects as the Jack
Nicklaus designed Punta Espada in the Dominican Republic
and Pete Dye’s Mission Hills in China.
Vilnius Cathedral
Chamberlain said this about the design: “The golf course is
situated in undisturbed, rolling countryside comprising leafy
woods and three large, natural lakes that come into play on
nine of the eighteen holes. These natural features means
that the number of sand bunkers are kept to a minimum
and are designed in conjunction with environmentally
natural grass swales.” The course features many excellent
strategic holes that really get you thinking, including the
index 1, par-4 4th which doglegs right to a steeply elevated
green, and the par-5 6th and par-4 13th, where wetland
areas need to be avoided on the tee shots to achieve a
good score.
After our round we visit the former Lithuanian capital of
Trakai and its centrepiece attraction – the Island Castle.
This wonderfully restored red-brick fairytale castle atop a
tiny island recalls the grandeur of the country’s medieval
empire which once stretched from the Baltic to the Black
Sea, and every July during the Trakai Festival, the Island
Castle hosts concerts and mock medieval battles. We find
a lakeside café, order a couple of cold, local Švyturys beers
and take in the picture-postcard view. Cheers to a great golf
trip, or as the locals say, “sveikat.”
Volume 4 • Issue 49
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