Krakow Valley, Poland, hope to build a golf tradition in Europe

Golf is a game that rests heavily on tradition. Imagine looking back 20 years on the game and seeing...nothing.

Such is golf in Poland, a country of 38 million but just 2,500 registered golfers. That's like saying LA., Chicago, New York and some change has just 2,500 golfers (Bethpage Black probably sees that amount every Saturday).

There was only one course prior to World War II in the whole country, then the communists came in (not golf fans apparently) and the game was banned. After the revolution in 1989, golf was once again available, but with no culture and no money, who's got 18 holes on the brain?

I'm in Krakow the next few days at the Krakow Valley Golf & Country Club, the only 18-hole complex within 120 kms of a city of 800,000-plus. One of the club's attempts at increasing the game's awareness is by offering free Sunday clinics to kids and adults.

Is it Scotland yet? Hardly, but there's some beautiful terrain and tons of potential. More to come on GolfEurope.com and WorldGolf.com when I return.

Source:By Brandon Tucker, a Golf Publisher Syndication blog,
www.travelgolf.com