Jan Šonka | archiv Golf Hostivař
It is almost impossible to find a golf resort in Europe that combines top sports facilities with progressive Czech art. However, there is one exception – Galerie Golf Hostivař.
A full day experience
Hostivař is not just about golf. Those who come can easily spend the whole day here. After practice or a game on the championship course, visitors can enjoy Bistro Green, as well as the famous home pizzeria and ice cream parlour. The campus seamlessly combines sports and family activities, making it an agreeable venue for players and their entourage.
“The place has something for everyone,” says Jan Šonka, director of the Galerie Golf Hostivař. “In addition to art, great food and golf, which can also be played in our indoor hall in winter, we also offer facilities for other sporting activities. Visitors can use the beach volleyball court, the multifunctional playground for various sports or relax in our massage parlour. We want golfers, their families and friends to enjoy the day.”
Golf as a gallery
What makes Hostivař truly unique is the more than forty works of art scattered across the landscape of the course. Names such as Karel Malich, Stanislav Kolíbal, David Černý, Pavel Opočenský, Jakub Flejšar, Petr Kolář, Michal Trpák, Pasta Oner, Karel Štedrý, Čestmír Suška, Petr Holeček, Lukáš Rais and Martin Rajniš prove that the collection is of curatorial quality indeed. Among the works of art that can be seen here are abstract sculptures, figurative sculptures and architectural objects – for example Rajniš’s iconic Bee House, a wooden structure on top of an artificial hill, or a path around the lake, which was designed by the architect Albert Kulík during his studies as a safety feature for golf courses.
One of the authors whose works are among the most significant is Lukáš Rais. His monumental steel sculptures, made of bent and welded tubes, can transform the space where they are erected. They look robust and light at the same time – as if they were floating above the landscape. Rais’ works combine industrial aesthetics with playful imagination while accurately expressing the philosophy of the Hostivař gallery: to offer a new view of the world in an environment where visitors might not expect it.
Every first Monday
– a gallery in the true sense of the word
Once a month, the golf course is transformed into a pure gallery. On the first Monday of the month the golf course is closed to golfers and open to the public. Visitors can walk the route, take a ride on a golf buggy, or take a guided tour. Each month, a personal dimension is added — one of the exhibiting artists guides the group and offers a behind-the-scenes look at their work. Thanks to this, the tours show an exceptional atmosphere and a lively dialogue between the authors and the audience.
A place with vision
Galerie Golf Hostivař is constantly evolving. Plans include, for example, the creation of an amphitheatre and a summer stage where concerts, theatre performances and other cultural events can be held alongside golf and art. The aim is to create a multifunctional space for the whole city that has something for everyone – sportsmen, families with children and lovers of contemporary culture.
Hostivař, therefore, represents a new model of a sports and community campus, which goes far beyond the boundaries of an ordinary golf course. It is a place where sports meet aesthetics, performance meets inspiration and tradition meets modern art.
Gallery Golf Hostivař – facts in a nutshell
Location: Prague 15 – Hostivař
Origin: Built on the site of a former brownfield
Sports facilities:
• 18-hole championship golf course
• 9-hole academy course
• Indoor hall for year-round golf
• Practice greens and covered driving range
• Multifunctional sports field, beach volleyball, massage services
Gastronomy: Bistro Green, home-made pizzeria, ice cream parlor
Art: More than 40 works by Czech artists – Karel Malich, Stanislav Kolíbal, David Černý, Jakub Flejšar, Lukáš Rais, Martin Rajniš, and others
Special events: On the first Monday of every month, the golf course opens to the public as an open-air gallery with guided tours and participation of the artists.
Future plans: Amphitheatre and summer stage for concerts and theatre performances.
