Before the Second World War, there were 6 golf courses in Romania: one in Bucharest (Bucharest Country Club first name of Diplomatic Club), 2 golf courses at the seaside (one at Mamaia and one at Eforie Nord), one at Teleajen (designed by Americans) and one near Bucharest, at Buftea, (that belonged to Prince Stirbei). Two of them were destroyed during the war; the other 4 had been in use until 1948 when the communist regime decided to close them.

The only 18 holes golf course that existed in Romania during the communist period was the Diplomatic Club, which was designed by the English, golf professional G.T. Baker in 1937.
As result of the communist period this Club has only 6 holes remaining but it is expected to become a 9 hole course by 2008.
Nowadays, the Diplomatic Club occupies one of the most beautiful locations in Bucharest – Herastrau Park – and as well as the golf course offers large conference meeting rooms, reception salons, tennis courts, swimming pool, mini-football field and a bar-restaurant-terrace.

In 1938, the PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) of Great Britain made Mr. Paul Tomita a member of their association as a golf teacher and he subsequently dedicated all his life to this sport.
Professor Paul Tomita spent his life playing golf in most European countries as well as some courses in the USA, and was the personal teacher for the entire royal family as well as for other aristocratic Romanian families of that period.
He represented our country at 7 World Championships (Italy (1968), England (1969), Singapore (1969), Czechoslovakia (1970), Argentina (1970), USA (1971), Australia (1972), Spain (1973)), and contributed to building the first 9-hole course, which was, accomplished with R&A help (it is said to be 45.000 pounds). This first private golf course in Romania opened in 1995 at Pianu de Jos, his native village near Alba Iulia.
"Paul Tomita" Golf Club has 9 holes, 2915 m, 35 ha, par 36 and has enough space to build other 9 for an international standard (the area of the property is 70 ha).
It is hoped that in 2007 the course will have 18 holes, as well as a restaurant and hotel in the same complex.

"Lac de Verde" Golf Club was the next golf course in Romania to be built and is a 9 holes golf course, designed by – Ronald Castillo an experienced PGA pro from Hawaii. He gave the first golf lessons to the President of "Lac de Verde" Golf Club 10 years ago and also organized intensive golf programs (in 2001) for the present team of teachers from "Lac de Verde".

The "Lac de Verde" complex provides all the necessary facilities to assure the golfer the best playing conditions as well as a conference and business centre, luxury apartments, cosy bungalows, sauna, Jacuzzi, swimming pool and fitness and a restaurant that offers the finest Romanian and foreign cuisine.

Next target of "Lac de Verde" owner (which is also a member of National Golf Course Owners Associations) is to build starting from 2007 an 18 holes golf course with 100 ha at international standards.
The experience that they have by administrating the Club during last 6 years offers the assurance that golf players will appreciate that place as the one of the ideal places to organize European championships.

Another 18 holes golf course is being designed right now in Brasov (which is a great mountain winter sport destination with all hotels and organization facilities). The investor declared that the project should be finished in 2009 and a golf club with all luxury facilities, will be ready for romanian and international clients.
In addition there are very important 18 hole golf course projects in Chitila (near Bucharest), Cluj, Sibiu, Timisoara, Visina. A period of 3-5 years will be sufficient for them to be opened.

On 22^nd of September 2004, the Romanian Golf Federation was established, representing the only authority for the game of golf in Romania. Members of the Romanian Golf Federation are 8 clubs or sport associations that have golf as their main or second sport activity.

In Romania, there is about 600 – 700 golf players among which around 350 were already registered as amateur players with a handicap (between 6 and 36). Of course this process of legitimating is continuing because it has started in May 2005 and the Federation administers the hcp system because there are still small number of clubs with golf course.

On April 25, 2005 the President of Romanian Golf Federation was elected as a member by the General Assembly onto the Romanian Olympic Committee. One of the primary goals of Romanian Golf Federation as well, is for golf to be recognzed as an Olympic Sport.
Also from them we received financial help and in 2006 our golfers participated at International Amateur Opens of Hungary, Turkey, Slovenia and in 2007 will continue to participate at important events in more European countries.

During the last 5 years, demonstration golf lessons were organized in order to spread the game of golf throughout Romania.
Important Romanian and international companies (pharmaceutics, IT, insurance, banks, cosmetics, etc) have organized at "Lac de Verde" team building activities; typically they involved 3-hours golf sessions and at the end of training period competitions were organized on the course, at driving range, in bunkers, and on outdoor and indoor putting greens, with diplomas awarded to the participants. The number of these companies exceeded 400.

Also, the target of "Lac de Verde" has been to bring in more and more families to spend their holidays there, by offering them special golf lessons packages.
In the last 5 years the same Club, had, free of charge intensive golf programs for children that come from the entire country and from other countries, such as: Greece, Italy and France. Also from Breaza, there are around 40 children that come daily to take free golf lessons and to practice.

In September 2002, CNN came to "Lac de Verde" to make a video report about Romanian junior golf that was broadcast worldwide (we can send you a hard copy of this report).
CNN made a presentation of intensive junior golf programs and summer programs for children from "Lac de Verde" Golf Club, which showed a good quality of Romanian junior golf players and junior competitions.

Children were also given equipment, clubs and balls. Starting from 2001 "Lac de Verde" Golf Club has had many enquiries from high schools and families for junior golf camps.
Camps lasted an entire week and children had a complete program: stretching, presentation of the rules of golf (presented in English or translated in Romanian), computerized analysis of the swing, exams for checking the understanding of etiquette and rules, as well as training on the golf course.
"Lac de Verde" has organized all Romanian junior golf national championships (you may receive many pictures for this; there were 10 competitions) sponsored by different companies and by "Lac de Verde".

Through the golf magazine "Golf Club", during last 8 years constant information has been made on the game of golf, it included several materials for a better understanding of this game. The second edition of the book "Golf Guide" a book written by Nicolae Nobilescu (the owner of the magazine as well) was published (it contains information on golf history, structure of golf courses, presentation of golf equipment etc., and there were also articles on rules of golf and golf etiquette published; "ABC Golf" was published – a course of golf with pictures for children aged 6 – 12as well as a "Golf Dictionary". It must be mentioned as well that the Rules of Golf in short version was translated by Vertaria and distributed free of charge.

Romanian golf competition activity was carried on for 4 consecutive seasons (2001-2004) under the coordination of "Paul Tomita", "Diplomatic" and "Lac de Verde" Golf Clubs and competitions were held in accordance with the rules of golf
There were golf competitions on a national level, organized under the name of those golf courses and sponsored by their partners and companies (example: BMW, Orange, Transilvania Bank, Romtelecom, Siemens, Elvila, Mercedes, Intersig, etc).

Between 2001 and 2003, more than 20 golf competitions were organized at "these three clubs".

In 2004, there were 17 golf competitions organized at the same clubs.
"Lac de Verde" Golf Club organized very important competitions and golf events for its members and partners: BMW, Marriott, Toshiba, Carlsberg, Lukoil, Interbrew, Petrom, Elvila, AIG, Aviva, British American Tobacco, Omniasig, Siemens, Asirom, ING Bank, HVB Bank, National Bank, ABN Amro, Henkel, British Airways, Holcim etc. We would like to mention here that BMW sponsored the participation of the Romanian winner to represent our country at the BMW Golf Cup International for 4 years consecutively starting with 2002 until today and will continue for the next years.

In 2005, the golf competitions have been organized under the authority of Romanian Golf Federation, there have been 27 competitions (seniors, juniors) organized at Lac de Verde and Paul Tomita.
At each event, mass media representatives were present and articles and publicity spots were published in important newspapers and magazines on a regular basis: Volvo Magazine, Insight Tarom, Viva, Romania Libera, Evenimentul Zilei, Academia Catavencu, Pro Sport, "Golf Club" Review, Olivia, BMW Golf Magazine, Regata, Cotidianul, Romania Pitoreasca, Bucharest Business Week, Playboy, etc; television and radio programs were broadcast at a national level.
In the main financial daily-newspaper (Ziarul Financiar), a continuous editorial regarding golf activity with all necessary details appeared for more than a year (spring 2003- end of 2004 period).

In December 2004, the President of Romanian Golf Federation was invited together with one member of Romanian Golf Federation’s Board of Directors to take part in the Annual PGAsE Congress, which was held in Spain. On this occasion contacts were established that proved to be very useful for the future plans of the Federation.

In the autumn of 2005 the Romanian Golf Federation became a member of the EGA.
In the last months of 2005, the necessary steps for the affiliation to the R&A, IGF & USGA were made and from early 2006 summer our Federation was recognized as a full member of all these international associations.

The Romanian Golf Federation also paid the expenses of an official trip to Austria of 5 golf teachers in order to be qualified at the European Golf Teachers Federation in autumn 2004. The intensive course took 1-week and the Vice President from EGTF – Mr. Bill Abbott - conducted it. We are perfectly aware that this only represent a start of their carrier and must be followed by a really PGA Academy studies.

In February 2007 a group of 5 instructors graduated from an intensive college course through the Romanian Sport Agency (Sportive Trainers National School) that will provide the title of golf sportive trainers in accordance with Romanian law. They will become member of the PGA of Romania that will be formed in August 2007.

The last 5 years were spent in creating professional staff for the member clubs of the Federation. For example 4 people followed a sport management program at the GLION Institute of Hire Education in Switzerland and at the end of the school period they came to use their experience in developing much better quality golf related services through "Lac de Verde".

On 3 occasions top Romanian golf management members made visits to the most important Golf Clubs in Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, Austria, France and Spain.
Romanian Golf Instructors had weeks of playing golf in Austria and Spain at least twice per year in the last 3 years.

Two of our officials (Marius Popescu and Ovidiu Brebene) went to the R&A International Referee Exam held in February 2005 in St. Andrews and obtained diplomas.

During the visit of our general secretary to the Golf Business Congress held in autumn of 2005 in St. Andrews discussions were held with the Development Director of the R&A Mr. Duncan Weir. Subsequently our Federation received an important donation of new Taylor Made golf clubs for junior golfers’ development and was used in this direction through intern Federation Club members.

A Swiss PGA Coach Mr. Stephane Barras held a week of seminars in Romania for our golf teachers and another one for amateurs in July 2006.
A German PGA Coach Mr. Jan Jorgen de Vries held another seminar, with a more practical emphasis with our teachers and players in August 2006.
The idea was to have some options in order to choose a national coach involved in future plans of Romanian golf development.

An Educational Center for the Federation will be opened this summer in Bucharest.
PGAsE is helping us in order to create, in 2007, the PGA of Romania. These entity programs along with the Romanian Golf Federation expect to receive technical support from the R&A.

A very important potential is the interest shown by IMG International in becoming involved in the future of Romanian golf although it remains to be seen in what way and when this will be realized.

Romanian golf activity has developed more than anyone could ever imagine (one example: 32 national golf competitions in the official calendar of the Federation were organized in 2006).
Romanian people want to take part in championships, and the real desire to make progress is manifested at every level.

The main interest of Romanian Golf Federation is to promote golf as a sport in Romania. It will also encourage high level competitions and in this way help Romanian golf players to participate in European and international competitions, and to play competitive level golf.

If you have any question or you need any help regarding golf in Romania please don’t hesitate to contact me.

All the best regards and wishes from Romania!

Marius Popescu
General Secretary
Romanian Golf Federation