The first golf club in the Balkans was founded in Montenegro, in Cetinje, on this day, June 20, 1906!
Under the patronage of Princess Milica Petrović, on the meadows between the village of Umci and the Italian legation, on July 6, 1906, in the presence of King Nikola, the royal family, numerous foreign diplomats, and the Montenegrin elite of the time, with champagne and the sounds of military music, the opening ceremony was held, and the first official golf tournament was held.
Princess Milica, born as the German princess Jutta von Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a lady of European spirit and vision, played the first golf shot, officially opening the tournament and writing Montenegro into the history of world golf.
The golf club, of which she was the president, became the first registered golf club in the Balkans, and one of the earliest in this part of Europe! Golf clubs in the surrounding area were established much later, in Zagreb in 1927, in Belgrade in 1936 and in Bled in 1938.
The establishment of the Golf Club in Cetinje put Montenegro on the world golf map and this date has been recorded as the beginning of this sport in the Balkans. There are numerous historical documents about this, and along with photographs of the first golf shot, we also present excerpts from “Glas Crnogorca”.
A group of enthusiasts and lovers of this noble game, in honor of this incredible lady, who managed to bring golf to the mountainous Montenegro, 110 years later, founded the Golf Club Knjaginja Milica in Tivat, which proudly bears her name.
At the end of last year, Montenegrin golf is gaining momentum again. The Golf Association of Montenegro has been registered, and thanks to the energy of the new leadership, with the selfless help and support of club members and fans of this sport, the Association is rapidly working on the expansion, development and improvement of golf in the country.
Although Montenegro, in recent history, has significantly lagged behind the countries of the region, where golf came to life much later, we believe that we will soon be able to return to the world golf map, where we were in 1906 as the first country in the Balkans to have a registered Golf Club.
You can find many more historical facts in the excellent text by Branislav Borilović, on the Montenegrina portal
https://montenegrina.net/branislav-borilovic-golf-u-crnoj-gori/