The Jack Nicklaus-designed Tseleevo Golf & Polo Club course has once again come in for glowing praise from the players present at the M2M Russian Challenge Cup this week, with many saying it is the best they have played on the European Challenge Tour this year.
The parkland course, based just outside of Moscow, is a thing of beauty and is attracting rave reviews from some of the most experienced golfers on the Challenge Tour.
With many having travelled from afar and gone through a rigorous process for a Russian visa, they have nonetheless declared the journey more than worth it as soon as they step on to the first tee at Tseleevo.
“The course is so nice,” said Magnus A Carlsson. “I was here two years ago and I loved it so that’s one of the reasons I came back.”
“It’s absolutely beautiful out there,” said Espen Kofstad. “I enjoyed every single second of it. Obviously travelling East isn’t the easiest with time difference and everything but it’s just beautiful here with the practice facilities and the course so I'm just enjoying it.
“It’s a very American design which suits my game. I hit it very high and tend to launch it so I feel comfortable.”
Marco Crespi had a more alternative view, joking: “They must have spent a lot of money to make this course! It’s really beautiful though.”
The Challenge Tour’s Chief Referee this week and former European Tour professional Mark Litton, meanwhile, was significantly impressed by what he saw in his first visit to the course and tweeted: “After an 'interesting' trip here to the @Challenge_Tour in Russia, what a golf course!! It's as good a course as I've seen.”
South African Justin Walters also tweeted his amazement at the course, saying: “First time to Russia. Wasn’t expecting such a great course.”
