In a new feature for 2019, the European Challenge Tour will speak to someone with a close connection to every club we visit during the season to get the keys to the course from the person who knows it best.
Next up, it’s Challenge Tour member Stanislav Matus who grew up playing Prague City Golf, the venue for this week’s Prague Golf Challenge.
If anyone knows how to tame Prague City Golf, it’s Matus. He knows this course inside out and he proved that last year, finishing in tied tenth on 12 under par.
It was the first of two top tens for the Czech last year – the other being a tied eighth place finish at the Bridgestone Challenge – but it is at Prague City Golf where he feels most at home.
“Coming back here after a top ten last year, it would be great to have something similar this year as well,” Matus said.
“It’s an open course but you have to be very precise on the greens, hitting the right slopes. I have the home advantage so I should be good at that if I hit the green.”
In addition to using the slopes of the greens efficiently, Matus also advises that players must take advantage of the shorter holes, particularly as he does not envisage scoring to be as low this year.
“You have to use the advantage of the short holes,” he said. “It was a very different course last year because it was 30 degrees and dry out there.
“It will be very different with a lot of wind this year so it will be a different course with different scores. There are a few short holes and a few short par fives that you must take advantage of, otherwise it will be hard to score.
“The winning score was 18 under last year but I think it’ll be a little less this year, because of the shape of the course and the weather. It is beautiful today but the next four days won’t be as nice so I would say over ten under, but not getting close to 20.”
Earlier on Wednesday, ten Challenge Tour players took part in a putting competition with local children on the club’s famous Himalayas putting green, something which Matus thoroughly enjoyed.
“There were about 30 kids who showed up and it was great to share the experience with the little ones,” he said. “I have a little one at home so it’s a good learning process for me. It was a lot of fun; we played 18 holes on this crazy green and it’s fun to be here.
“I haven’t seen any putting greens this big before – apart from maybe St Andrews – but they made this Himalayas putting green because they had a lot of spare room to fill and I think it’s a great thing to have. It’s a great learning thing as well.”
