Introducing: Sasha Zelenka from Austria

Cádiz Cup is a Golf Invite and the last one was held May 5th 2011 at Arcos Gardens in Cádiz, Spain. Golfwriters and travel agents from all over Europe were invited. On behalf of Iceland the Icelandic travelagency World Tours (in Icelandic: Heimsferðir) and the golfwebsite Golf1.is were invited to participate.

Golf 1 interviewed 7 of the participants in the Cádiz Cup 2011. Three of those interviews have already aired here on Golf1, i.e. one with twice amateur champion Krisztina Batta from Hungary, the second with Mauricio Veloccia golf-pro from Italy and the third with Julien Bacqués, á Frenchman living in Austria, who works in the sales department of  TGR-Golfreisen in Vienna, Austria, i.e. a travelagency specializing in Golf Tours.

Among the 7 interviewed by Golf 1 was Austrian Sasha Zelenka, who was one of the winners at the Cádiz Cup 2011. The other 3 interviews will follow shortly here on Golf 1. Zelenka has a.o. published a comprehensive Golf guide on the abundance of beautiful golfcourses in Austria. Here goes the interview:

Name:  Sasha Zelenka.

Where were you born?  In Vienna, Austria,  October 25th 1971.

Where did you grow up?  In Austria, but I lived a.o. in Greece 1991-1992, where I worked for a company that manufactured slotmachines.

What is your family status?  I am living in a domestic partnership with my girlfriend and we have 3 children: 2, 9 and 13 years old.

When did you start playing golf?  Somewhere around 1993-1994.

Why did you start playing golf? My brother started playing golf – at first I didn´t think that was a sport for me, but then I went on a golfcourse in the Staates, where I was travelling at the time with friends on a slotmachineconvention and we just could not get off the course and kept playing. I remember my first par-3. My drive was within 1 meter from the flag, but then I needed 4 putts to sink it in the hole.

What is your occupation? I have published a Golf Guide in Austria, where I make a comparison on all the golfcourses in Austria.  (To have a peak at Zelenka´s Austrian Golf Guide press  HERE: )

Which one do you prefer parkland or link style golfcourses?  Links style courses because we don´t have any in Austria.

What is your handicap? 18,4.

 Golf Club Schloß Schönborn in Austria, where Sasha Zelenka´s favorite golfcourse in Austria is situated

What is your favorite golfcourse/s in Austria? Schönborn because of the atmosphere up in the Alps and… Eichenheim, but that´s an extremely difficult course to play.

Pictured: Eichenheim in Austria.

What is/are your favorite golfcourse/s anywhere in the world apart from Austria?  Le Paradis í Mauritius.

Le Paradis in Mauritius.

What is the most special golfcourse you have played on and why is it special? Montgomerie in Dubai – that´s a tricky course. I played it on the sunday before the Dubai Masters. The rough was tight and the greens difficult.

There are plenty of sandtraps on the Montgomerie golfcourse in Dubai, which is the most special golfcourse Sasha Zelenka has played on!

What is you lowest score in golf and on what golfcourse did you get it? + 12 over par in  GC Altentann.

Have you participated in any other types of sport?  Yes, soccer and motorcross.

What is your favorite food, favorite drink, favorite music, favorite movie and favorite book? My favorite food is the spaghetti of my wife; my favorite drink is rasberry juice with soda and lemon;  my favorite music direction is soul; my favorite movie is (just as Sasha said so sweetly in German : „Der Duft der Frauen” with Al Pacino  (i.e. Scent of a Woman starring a.o. Al Pacino) and my favorite book is „Le Petit Prince” by  Antoine de Saint- Exupéry.

Who are your favorite golfers? Name 1 male and 1 female golfer:  Male: Tiger – because he has done so much for golf.  Female: Michelle Wie.

Who in your opinion are the best male and female golfers in Austria?  Male.: Markus Brier.  Female: Nicole Gergeli.

What´s in the bag and what´s your favorite club?   In my bag is my Callaway driver FTTIQ, Mizuno irons, and TaylorMade woods and my putter.

What do you like the most about golf?   I get to know people very well.

What is your greatest accomplishment in golf to this day?  I won the Austrian club championship in 2008.

In the end: What is your maingoal in life?  To stay healthy.