The idea of building a golf resort at Slapy was first mentioned in 2004 by Tom Charvát, one of the owners of the present St. John Golf Park. He then became the driving force behind the project to create a golf course that is a perfect example of respect for the landscape and its natural beauty.
The process certainly wasn’t easy. In co-operation with a leading expert in nature conservation, RNDr. Štěpán Hřebík, Mr. Charvát and his partners worked their way through almost four years of preparations, complex studies and debates before they could proceed to the actual creative landscaping process.
The design of the course was entrusted to Czech architect Jiří Velden, who had already worked on a number of very interesting and widely recognised golf projects. The landscaping work was carried out by experienced shaper Milan Ištok and greenkeeper Vojta Fuchs. The first nine holes, which have a magnificent view of the Slapy reservoir, were finished in 2009 and were given the name “Rabyňská hora” (Rabyně Mountain). This nine-hole course was slope rated in the spring of 2010 and opened on 9 July 2010. The work on the remaining nine holes began during the same year. This section of the course is named “Tři kříže” (Three Crosses) after the nearby unique historic site that marks the alleged original geographic centre of the Czech Kingdom – three sandstone crosses. “Tři kříže” was slope rated and opened in the summer of 2011.
The golf course bears the name of the Czech patron, saint and martyr, John of Nepomuk, whose original baroque statue stands near the golf course close to the former St. John currents of the Vltava River, which disappeared after the dam was built for the Slapy reservoir (for more on the history of the site, go to “Golf Park – Location”).
