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Magyar Golf Club, Hungary. (1910 – 1952)

The Budapest Golf Club was founded in 1910 and was later renamed the Magyar Golf Club. For many years it represented the undisputed centre of golfing life in Hungary. The course was beautifully situated on the so-called Svábhegy (Schwabenberg in German, Svab Hill in English), close to Budapest, and offered partial views of the River Danube. The club was founded by Géza Andrássy, who also served as its first president.

From the 1914 Nisbet’s Golf Yearbook.

Originally the course consisted of nine holes. In the early 1920s it was redesigned by the pioneer of Hungarian golf, Dezső Lauber (1879–1966), assisted by a British golf professional. In 1929 the course was extended to eighteen holes. While the greens were true putting surfaces and remained in excellent condition despite the heat of summer and, at times, severe winters, the climatic conditions made the use of grass tees impossible. Instead, tees made of firmly compacted clay were used. By 1931 the club had 225 members.

Nine-hole course scorecard in 1924.

Picture of the course in 1924.

Eighteen- hole course layout from the 1930 Plumon Guide.

Entry from the 1935 Golfer’s Handbook.

In August 1936, the club reached a major highlight when the world’s leading golfer at the time, the American Bobby Jones, played an exhibition round on the Budapest course. The club professional, Malcolm Goodwillie, was selected as his playing partner, joined by two of the club’s finest members, Messrs Salacz and Halász.

By the time of his appearance in Budapest on 16 August 1936 – a fine summer’s day with scarcely any wind – Jones had already won the US Open four times (1923, 1926, 1929 and 1930) and The Open Championship three times (1926, 1927 and 1930). In addition, he had claimed five US Amateur Championships and one British Amateur Championship.

Although his arrival in Budapest had not been entirely certain, a small delegation gathered at the railway station to welcome Bobby Jones – and he duly arrived, accompanied by two “highly elegant and charming American ladies,” Mrs Jones and Mrs Rice. The atmosphere was somewhat different from that at St Andrews: instead of thousands, only around 200 to 300 spectators followed Jones and his partners around the course.

Playing with borrowed clubs on a completely unfamiliar course, Jones returned a score of 71 (par 74), despite incurring two penalty strokes because of incorrect advice. On the 14th tee he was given the wrong line for his drive, as nobody had anticipated the length of his shot. Consequently, his perfectly straight drive, struck along the wrongly indicated line, finished in the woods.

When the committee of the Magyar Golf Club learned that, a year after Bobby Jones’s successful appearance, Henry Cotton also wished to play the Budapest course, every effort was made to ensure that he would receive a worthy reception.

Picture from the clubhouse terrace; Eleventh green on the front right. Behind, in front of the trees, are golfers on the twelfth green. The tenth green is just visible on the far left.

Above pictures from the late 1930s.

During the Second World War the Svábhegy course also fell into decline, but by 1946 it had been restored sufficiently for half of the layout to be brought back into use. Initially, more was not required, as the club had lost two thirds of its members and therefore the financial situation did not allow the reconstruction of the second nine holes. All machinery had disappeared during the war, and as a result the condition of the course was at times far from ideal. Furthermore, only eight holes remained, meaning that after sixteen holes the first and the eighth had to be replayed. The overall length was also reduced, with the course comprising just four par-3 and four par-4 holes.

On 11 April 1948 works on the Pioneer (Children) Railway line commenced. The track was touching the first and tenth putting green. When the train was approaching, games had to be interrupted to avoid potential accidents, and the noise produced by the little trains did not help the golfers either.

It was on 27 April 1950 that the Ministry of Interior Affairs dissolved the golf club and on 16 May 1950 the club house was officially closed, after its inventory had been taken. Nine days later the embargo was lifted and the golf course reopened as Budapest Metropolitan Szabadsághegy Sports Centre.

Soviet troops occupied the golf course during Cold War in 1952, constructing a military installation including a radio station, which operated until the Soviets left Hungary in 1991. All the personal belongings once stored in the golf club house were lost to their owners, never to be found again. This was the end for the golf course, but even today, however, traces of the former course can still be found on the Svábhegy.

Christoph Meister

December 2025