The Moscow Country Club, an affiliate of GlavUpDK, has hosted one of the events most anticipated by Russian golf players, the Winter Golf 2018 tournament.
Russia has a very brief golf season, which lasts from April till October. Hence, the winter tournament is a real treat for golf fans and a unique opportunity to master one’s skills.
Russia’s oldest and biggest golf club, the Moscow Country Club, has made golfing on snow a tradition. “Winter golf is the idea generated by our club; we were the first in the country to hold such a tournament. It is almost 15 years old now,” Moscow Country Club Golf Director Konstantin Gribkov said. Sixty players, among them diplomats, took part in this year’s tournament.
The snowy tournament took place on a nine-hole course of the professional field exclusively designed by the remarkable U.S. architect dynasty of the Trent Jones. The snowy course is shorter than the one used in summer, “but it is still sufficient for golfers – it is much more difficult to play on the snow than on the grass,” Konstantin Gribkov said. It was a scramble game, two people in a team, preceded by a closest to the pin contest.
It took the club over a week to prepare the golf field for the winter tournament. Yet the game’s complexity grew from one hole to another. Several golf players quit, but a majority finished the nine-hole course.
“Winter golf differs from the summer event. Of course, players encounter additional problems on the field. High precision is extremely important under such circumstances. There are also some peculiarities, which make the event different from the game played on a green field,” Olga Lezhneva, General Director of the GOLF.RU portal and a player, said.
The extreme weather conditions did not interfere with the players’ remarkable performance. The tournament saw the first-ever hole in one. Natalia Zarudnaya was the one who made it.
The tournament was followed by a dinner at the Golf Restaurant, the venue of the award ceremony. The winners of the Club’s Open Winter Tournament in Spain were congratulated first.
The closest to the pin contest of this tournament was won by Alexey Kozlov amongst men, and Natalia Zarudnaya amongst women.
Yegor Malevich and Alexander Timoshin who scored 29 strokes won the first prize. They received Spain and Portugal tour vouchers from the Tour Bureau Renaissance company. Timur Mustafin and Alexey Sidorov came second with a score of 30 stokes, and Andrey Morzhevilov and Natalia Morzhevilova ranked third with a score of 32 stokes.
Golf is an affordable enough sport nowadays, and all one has to do is visit the club, Konstantin Gribkov said. The Moscow Country Club invites all to test their ability in the unusual winter golf event. The game can be played every day on a four-hole training course (three holes – par three, one hole – par four). It costs 1,500 rubles to play a game for guests, and club members enjoy a discount price of 750 rubles. They can choose between a free hot drink, either tea or coffee.
About the Moscow Country Club, an affiliate of GlavUpDK
The Moscow Country Club in Nakhabino, the Moscow region, is a beloved holiday destination of the diplomatic corps. The protected nature area of over 120 hectares accommodates a five-star hotel and cottages.
This is Russia’s first world-class club with a champion field open to play and practice. The Moscow Country Club’s golf club is the biggest in Russia.
Guests are welcome to the recreation area with a beach, a horse riding zone, a mini-golf field, restaurants, bars, a zoo, a large sports complex with an indoor swimming pool, gyms, tennis and badminton courts, a solarium, and sauna.
The Moscow Country Club became a laureate of the World Golf Awards 2017 international golf tourism industry contest held under the brand of the prestigious World Travel Awards. It was recognized as Russia’s best golf hotel.
This year the Moscow Country Club is presented in two Russian nominations: the Best Golf Hotel and the Best Golf Field.
The winner will be named in the online ballot, which ends on September 20.
You can vote in the Best Golf Hotel nomination by clicking http://worldgolfawards.com/award/russia-best-golf-hotel/2018,
and in the Best Golf Field nomination by clicking http://worldgolfawards.com/award/russia-best-golf-course/2018.