As part a new series hearing directly from individuals in various influential roles across the world of European golf, the EGA recently sat down with Christian Guzy Jr., representative owner and general manager of Diamond Country Club, Austria. 

Let's hear about Christian's experience being hands-on with all different aspects running a golf resort as an owner, the challenges that come with it, and what's next for the leading Austrian resort.

The written interview follows:

First of all, thank you very much for taking the time for this interview, Christian! Would you mind starting by telling us a little bit about yourself and your history with golf?

CG: "My name is Christian Guzy, I am 35 years old. I am a graduate of the University of Business and Economics Vienna and the University of Birmingham. I am the owner representative and general manager of Diamond Country Club.

My father bought Diamond Country Club in 2009, and since then, we have worked hard to develop the golf course into the prestigious golf resort it is today. I previously worked in the organising team of the European Tour event at Diamond and have been the general manager of the resort since 2021. Personally, I started playing golf at the age of 9 and still try to squeeze in as many rounds as possible into my schedule."

You’ve taken over most of the responsibilities as ‘owner’ of Diamond CC, but how would you describe your current role with the resort?

CG: "I am present at Diamond Country Club most days of the week, but I am also responsible for our second golf club, Diamond Club Ottenstein. My main focus is the strategic development of our resort and the Diamond Group as a whole. On a daily basis, I am also responsible for marketing, the hotel, and our restaurants.

With a resort of our size, which is family-run, it is also important to ensure that different departments—golf, restaurants, and hotel—work well together and towards a shared goal.

How has that role developed over the last 10 years?

CG: "The biggest step was the opening of our hotel in 2017, followed by the decision to run our restaurants ourselves in 2019. We have successfully established Diamond Country Club as one of the top golf destinations in Central Europe and a resort that is always worth a trip.

We are proud that our membership base has been growing annually for six years now and that we welcome hotel guests from all over Europe. Many of them return regularly, as they appreciate the quality of our courses and services.

We are also proud of our long history of hosting European Tour events (11 times) and European Championships. Our goal is always to provide the best possible experience, both for tournament guests and regular players."

What has been your most memorable or rewarding experience in that time?

CG: "We have had great tournament moments, such as hosting EGA tournaments and European Tour events. It has been exciting to welcome young talents like Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg, and Robert MacIntyre at European Championships. At our professional events, we have also had the pleasure of hosting international superstars like Miguel Ángel Jiménez, who has even helped redesign some of our holes, and Graeme McDowell.

These events have helped position Diamond Country Club as a premier golf destination and have pushed us to continuously provide the highest course quality.

Personally, seeing our resort establish itself as the top golf course in Austria and as a leading golf destination in Europe has been incredibly rewarding."

What has been the biggest challenge?

CG: "The catastrophic flooding last year was a major crisis, as we faced the risk of losing our resort. The entire course and the Boathouse restaurant were under water for more than a month. We had to returf and reseed all our fairways and many greens.

Thanks to our international and local partners, such as Olazabal Design, Southwest Greens, Durabunkers, and many more, we not only managed to save the course but also improved it in many ways.

Miguel Ángel Jiménez once said about Diamond Country Club that it is “even better than great!”—a phrase that has become our marketing slogan over the years. For the reopening, we embraced the motto: “Even better than before.”

Players can look forward to new signature holes, spectacular new tee boxes, and one of the best practice facilities in Central Europe!

Currently, we have completed all the work on the course, except for some final paving on the cart paths. We are currently waiting for the reseeded grass to fully grow. We are still aiming to open the courses for members by mid-April and will welcome guests starting May 1st."

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important topic in the world of golf. How is Diamond CC integrating eco-friendly practices in course maintenance and its overall operations? 

CG: "We have worked intensively over the past years to integrate eco-friendly practices. On two of our courses, we have completely stopped using pesticides, and on the Diamond Course, we only use them as a last resort. We have also reduced the fairway irrigation and are ensuring that we implement eco-friendly practices in all areas. We leave as many areas as possible between the holes to grow wild in order to increase biodiversity."

Looking ahead, what’s next for Diamond Country Club? Are there any upcoming developments or enhancements that will further elevate the golfer’s experience?

CG: "Apart from redesigning parts of the course and investing in new practice facilities—such as our short-game area with Southwest Greens—we are also enhancing hospitality at Diamond.

For relaxation after a round, we have built a new beach area for swimming. Additionally, we are exploring the development of a wellness centre and a wine expertise centre this winter to further enhance the customer experience at Diamond."

Finally, if you could give one piece of advice to other golf course owners in Europe, what would it be?

CG: "It is essential to carefully consider how to position your golf course. With the Diamond Course, we have successfully created a course that is known as a sporting challenge.

At the same time, with our public Park Course, we aim to make entry into golf as easy as possible, while at Diamond Club Ottenstein, we focus on the combination of golf, nature, and pleasure.

I believe it is crucial to think strategically about what you want to achieve with each project. This is something that I feel some golf clubs lack."