LUXURY SOUVENIR EDITION VOLUME 5 EDITION 1

THE FINEST A SOUVENIR GUIDE TO THE FINEST SCANDINAVIAN GOLF 2015

DELIVERING EXCELLENCE SINCE 1999 2015 VINTAGE

Magnificent THE STUNNINGSILKEBORG RY

THE BEASTOSLO G.C

10 Editors Introduction

12 Scandinavian Golf Overview An overview of golf and the culture of the 5 Nordic Countries

16 How Tiger’s swing has changedThe irrepressible Tiger and how his swing develops.

16 Made In DenmarkProudly stating its origins in the title. This exciting newEuropean Tour Tournament runs between 14-17 August 2013..

24 Beginning the Nordic Golf Club run down - Sweden. ,

62 Denmark’s finest clubssuperb, spectacular and amazing golf clubs!

102 Norwegian Clubs

130 Great Clubs in Finland

144 Icelandic Clubs

Scandinavia is as rich in history andmyth as it is blessed with stunningscenery and breathtaking naturalform. The Nordic region is onewhich has maintained its personalityin today’s changing times to adhereto its moral and native characterwhilst embracing the new.In seeking the very finest, we alwaystake into consideration not only thegolf (which has to be the best) buteverything else too, so that you canhappily visit and enjoy everything weshowcase here.

tfg

European Tour Tournament runs between 14-17 August 2013..

24 Beginning the Nordic Golf Club run down - Sweden. ,

O The Finest Scandinavia

FROM THE EDITOR

Scandinavia retains its culture, personality and warmth of welcomeand adds a year’s more experience this time around - the things that makeScandinavian golf so memorable and unique just got better.

I hope you enjoy the book and the great clubs and experiences weoffer. Go and visit the clubs and let me know what you think.

Dr James Gunn: Editor

Our thanks to,

Sweden Golf

Danish Golf Union

Finland Golf

Iceland Golf

Norway Golf

ur second luxury edition of the Finest Scandinavia is full to the brim with the greatest experiences to beenjoyed in golf and golf travel throughout Scandinavia. In all of the ‘Finest Golf’ books since 1999, we havedelivered top quality golf, luxury travel and service advice for the discerning adventurer. All top tier clubs enjoyreceiving the books and the members and visitors alike make a grab for any available copies in the bar orchanging room!

For this, our second book exclusively showcasing and examining Scandinavia especially, we decided toraise the bar and our level of expectation grew alongside the staggering variety and choice which Scandinavianow offers. Scandinavia has excelled with a sum far greater than its parts in golfing terms and it’s golfmembership and participation level is growing far faster than the US or UK for example. The youthdevelopment is second to none and most clubs now offer the coaching and free support for kids which shouldbear fruits for the next few years worth of talent you should expect to see and hear about soon.We have been supported and assisted by the great clubs we feature as well as the National Golf Unions andFederations who know a thing or two about their own strengths and weaknesses. This is a golfers book, forand by golfers.

As with the previous edition which enjoyed more than 600,000 digital downloads as well as theplentiful traditional printed copies to be found in golf clubs across the US & Europe, we hope you enjoy thisedition and it helps you select the very best golf and travel experiences available in this wonderful part of theworld.

D U M M Y CD U M M Y C

Iceland: Has Europe’s largest National Park.In 2008, Iceland embarked on a natureconservation project on a hitherto unparallelledscale with the establishment of the 12,000 sq kmVatnajökull National Park. Few if any regions inthe world offer such a mixture of ice, volcanic andgeothermal features..

Few other places in the world, offer such a diverserange of things to do: c.65 golf courses – many ofsupreme quality, glacier walking, whale watching,relaxing in open air thermal baths, or trying suchicelandic delicacies as puffin and rotten shark!

Iceland, offers golfers the intriguing element ofplaying in the midnight sun. That’s why theAkureyri club, in the north of the island, runs a36-hole international open tournament at the endof June. The first ball is played just beforemidnight and the tournament lasts until earlymorning.

Norway: Norway shares the same latitude asAlaska, Greenland and Siberia, but comparedto these areas, Norway has a temperate, verypleasant climate. From Late June, to earlyAugust the weather is at its warmest and thedays are long and bright. Temperatures in Julyand August can reach 25°C - 30°C.

Norwegian golf is growing fast and thequality of many of Norway’s courses rivals anyof the top courses in the World. Most of its c.156 golf courses are near Oslo, Bergen,Trondheim, or Stavanger, so easy enough, tocombine an afternoon tee time with yourfamily holiday activities Apres Golf!

Just chill out and enjoy warm Norwegianhospitality, delicious food and drink andreally eye catching scenery.

M E M O R I A L H O N O R E E D O W F I N S TM E M O R I A L H O N O R E E D O W F I N S TGOLF IN SCANDINAVIA

A n d t h e w e l c o m e o f

SCANDINAVIAN GOLF

THE WARMTH,

In this, our second celebrated Finest Golf Souvenir book for the verybest in Scandinavia, we decided to raise the bar even higher,selecting only the very best golf experiences and challenges whichsets it apart from your local or more familiar haunts.

Sweden: Sweden’s golf courses aremany and of very high quality.Your choice of over 300 coursesincludes gentle, rolling fairways,cutting through forests, and ruggedcoastal greens. The summer seasonisn’t long but the quality of golf tobe played on Sweden’s courses, ismuch in demand. Veryconveniently for the visitor, thegreens are usually public and openfor day use and are not restricted toclub members but book ahead, thisis a popular sport!

Denmark: Denmark’s climate is rarely extreme:The golfing calendar extends from early spring tolate autumn, because of its latitude. With itsgentle topography, it’s famous for its peacefulcourses, that are rarely far from the sea. The“Golf Denmark” label scheme, makes it easier forall, to find the best golf facilities - whether it is agolf course or a hotel. When the golfing day isover, there are a huge number of family activitieson offer. So there you have it – 5 diversecountries, with one common passion: Golf!

Have a great holiday, in which ever country youchoose and my editorial team and I wish youhappy golfing.

M E M O R I A L H O N O R E E D O W F I N S T E

Finland: It’s the height of summer and you’re on vacation, so you can really let your hair down andrelax. The sun is shining already at four in themorning. Get a round in before breakfast, andanother one before lunch and anothereighteen holes in the afternoon. Have somedinner, relax in the sauna, and then practicesome putting.There are over 150 golf courses in Finland and

it is said that every 40th Finn plays golf! Thenumber of Finnish golfers is still growingrapidly: By an annual increase of 15% duringthe last 5 years. The population is small andplaying hours are long, so you’ll never feelcrowded. In Lapland in Utsjoki for example, asingle summer day lasts for over two months.Even in the south, it’s never really dark… just aperiod of twilight for a few hours.

Above: Iceland

Below & Left:Sweden

James

GOLF IN SCANDINAVIA

Shirley Webbs

Famously, Faldo managed to completely re-design his game to meet the demands of both the new breed ofplayer coming through and also to allow his body to perform as the inevitable curse of age crept ever closer. Hemanaged to re-discover his form in his latter playing years to again reach the summit. Given the new athleticismthat is now industry standard - can players like Tiger (who has suffered from the punishing demands his powerswings inevitably would cause) re-define and re-invent their game?

The odds, it would seem are against changing your entire M.O, even if your touch, feel and vision remains, themuscles, joints and increased recovery periods sadly diminish with each passing year. General fatigue andoccasional aches may be part and parcel of the game, but should you consider a complete change in type andstyle?

We had a look and examined just how Tiger’s stance, swing and movement has adapted and altered with theyears and the various comments, methods, observations and coaching he received.

HOW TIGER’SSWING HASCHANGED

"Tiger's swing was a tool, like a chisel for a sculptor. ... He didn't think about where his elbow was pointingwhen he used the chisel. He thought about the image he was seeing." -- Rudy Duran, Woods' first instructor

"His arc got so much bigger. That's when he really started hitting the ball long. I thought he got too flat theselast few years."

"Tiger did better when we worked on motion more than positions. He picked up the importance of posture orball position better when I would show him how to hit certain shots, which was his favourite thing. I never triedto load him up with a lot of mechanical thoughts." -- John Anselmo, Woods' second instructor

HOW TIGERS SWING HAS CHANGED

"I think the teachers after me have done a good job, but I don't think he needed much changing, to be honest. Sure,there was a looseness to his swing, but that was just because he hadn't filled out. I liked that freedom, that full release ofhis body. That was beautiful. He should hold onto that." -- John Anselmo

"I agreed with Tiger about the flaws, but I wanted to do it a piece at a time. He wanted to do it all at once. I told him it wasgoing to be hard to play through it, and that he might want to do what Faldo did with Leadbetter and basically take a yearoff. He said no, and in 1998 he struggled and won only once. He had a tendency to overdo changes. I had to be verycareful what I told him."

"When he drove the ball in the fairway, he was nearly unbeatable. That's what I kept trying to drive into him. But it didn'ttake."

The challenge was to "match the speed of the arms with the unwind of the body, which wasn't easy because Tiger hadone of the fastest unwinds of the body anyone had ever seen. I decided he had to have more of a three-quarter-typeswing, not a full windup and a full release." -- Butch Harmon

"There are no mechanics at all when he's really under the gun. That's how he should play all the time." -- Jack Nicklaus

"I've always taken risks to try to become a better golfer, and that's one of the things that has gotten me this far." -- TigerWoods

"If you look at where Tiger had the club as a young player, he was obviously way across the line. Butch went a long wayto fixing that, and my first order of business was to continue to work in that direction."

"He was convinced that his golf swing was doing the damage to his knee. Everything had to revolve around saving hisknee." -- Hank Haney

"Tiger has always been the best manager of his game. As far as changing his swing, it's very possible that he needednew ideas and new projects to stay inspired, and that those things kept him energized during times -- because he waswinning everything -- when it would have been easy to lose motivation. I believe he still knows what he's doing and justneeds to find his own way in his own time, and that's going to be best for him." -- Rudy Duran

"They're very different swings. It's one of the things I struggled with when I worked with Hank, trying to relearn some newthings and going away from what I did with Butch. The old motor patterns are still there." -- Tiger Woods

"What Tiger was doing wasn't efficient. He was losing tons of speed and power, some of the things that used to mostseparate him. And then he was getting more crooked. He couldn't hit the fairway because his alignments were notcorrect. Simple as that." -- Sean Foley

HOW TIGERSSWING HASCHANGED

M A D E I N D E N M A R K

A HIGHLIGHT OF THE EUROPEAN TOUR . .

MADE IN

2014 Champion: Mark Warren

The inaugural tournament was played at Himmerland inNorth Jutland in August 2014 and was a massive success!

DENMARK

Scotland's Marc Warren held offBradley Dredge to win Made inDenmark by two shots, shooting a3-under 68 in the last round to securehis third European Tour title.

Warren and Dredge were tied atop theleaderboard overnight but Warrensurged ahead of the Welshman withthree birdies on his first eight holes toopen up a four-shot lead. Warrenmade two more birdies coming homeand could afford his second bogey onthe day on the 18th hole for a 9-under275 total.

It was Warren's first title since winningthe 2007 Johnnie WalkerChampionship, after several recentnear misses.

''It feels incredible,'' Warren said.''Today I kept telling myself I wasswinging the club really well and I wasconfident in what I was doing.''

Thomas Bjorn commented thatWarren’s first round was …”One of thebest rounds of golf I have ever seen!”After watching Warren card animpressive 6 under.

Dredge finished with a 70 aftermixing six birdies with five bogeys,ending with a 7-under 277 total.

Warren and Dredge were well clearof the rest, with England's PhillipArcher (69) finishing third with anoverall 4-under 280.

More than 80,000 fanswatched during the fourdays at Himmerland Golf &Spa Resort, at times bravinggusty winds and rain.

''The crowds have beenamazing,'' Warren said.''Coming down those last fourholes, the crowds were sobig.''

On Sunday, play was delayedabout 90 minutes by rain butWarren took advantage of theslightly lighter winds at the firstEuropean Tour event in Denmarksince 2003.

Denmark's Thomas Bjorn was tiedfor fourth on 3-under 281 alongsideEnglishmen Oliver Fisher and EddiePepperell.

Above: Warrencelebrates with theMID Team

All three shot 69 on Sunday.The 7,382-yard,par-72 Backtee New Course, which will beused for the tournament, reopened at thestart of the year after a $2.5 millionrenovation that included the re -laying of all18 greens and the reshaping of everybunker.

Prior to the recent redesign, which wascarried out by Philip Christian Spogard ofSpogard and VanderVaart, the BackteeNew Course was the scene of Danish starThomas Bjorn's first professional victory inthe 1995 Himmerland Open – one of 27European Challenge Tour events played onDanish soil.

Sponsors of “Made in Denmark”

The main sponsors of the tournament are: Nordea,ECCO, Willis, PWC, SAP, Mercedes-Benz, EjnerHessel, Hilding Anders, Back Tee, Freja Transport,JYSK and Garia.

Other sponsors include Aalborg City and Airportand Visit Nordjylland

http://madeindenmarkgolf.dk/

http://www.himmerlandgolf.dk/

M A D E I N D E N M A R K

This is an achievement made more remarkable given Sweden’slong winters, but unsurprising given the quality of Sweden’s golfcourses.Golf in Sweden, which has around 470 golf clubs with 474,000members, is booming. Here you will find championship coursessuch as Bro Hof Castle near Stockholm, Barsebäck GCC downsouth and Halmstad GC on the west coast. Given Sweden’sgeography and topography, it is blessed with golfing landscapes;courses hewn from rugged coastline and others that carve throughgiant forests with winding streams.Sweden offers golfers mild temperatures, mostly dry conditions,and long hours of daylight making the golf season in Swedenexcellent for play. Golfers in Sweden's southern golf area, Skåne,traditionally begin playing their favorite golf courses around the firstweek of April. As spring's warm temperatures begin to movenorth, golfers in Sweden limber their golfing muscles and, by theend of May, most areas of Sweden are ready for golf.In Sweden, golf trips can be combined with everything that yourheart desires. SPA breaks, castle vacations and gastronomicexperiences are only a few of the selections offered directly inrelation to golf – only your imagination will set the limit to how tocombine your golf holiday in Sweden. So what are you waiting for?Play golf in Sweden!

Per Svensson: Manager Tourism Project

SWEDISH GOLF FEDERATION AND HISTORYThe Swedish Golf Federation has an overall responsibility forthe exercise and development of golf in Sweden. It’s an asso-ciation of the country's 474 golf clubs, which, in turn, haveorganized themselves in 21 district associations. With 474,000members - golf is the largest individual sport in Sweden.In 1891, Gothenburg Golf Club is formed as the first golf clubon Swedish soil.1904 The Stockholm GC is formed and at the annual meetingof the Swedish Sports Confederation, the Swedish Golf Feder-ation is formed. Viktor Setterberg, helps by lending the newfederation 5 crowns to start operations.In 1954, the SGF celebrates its 50th Anniversary with a mem-bership of 5,000 golfers. Swedish golf continues to outdis-tance the world in gender equality as Britt Arpi becomes thefirst woman to co-chair a Swedish golf club at Rättviks GC.In 1967, the Swedish Golf Federation has 100 member golfclubs. However, an explosive growth in the sport begins withSven Tumba. Tumba is a sports hero because he is a star onboth the national soccer and hockey teams. His fans are legionin Sweden.1973 is another milestone year as the number of Swedishgolfers passes 50,000 and Sven Tumba creates the Scandina-vian Enterprise Open (SEO) that premieres at DrottningholmGC.

SVENSKA GOLFFÖRBUNDETBox 84 , 182 11 DANDERYDSWEDENTelephone: +46 8-622 15 00E-mail: info@sgf.golf.se

Sweden has made a name for itself as a golfing nation with the success of golfing legend Annika Sörenstam andleading PGA Tour players as Henrik Stenson, Peter Hanson and Jonas Blixt.

Bro

Hof

Slo

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LJUNGHUSEN GOLF CLUB

FALSTERBOGOLF CLUB PGA OF SWEDEN

BRO HOF SLOTT

ULLNA GOLF CLUB

premiumTHE FINEST

THE FINEST GOLF CLUBS IN SWEDEN

BRO HOF SLOTT GOLF CLUBpremiumTHE FINEST

Choose between The Castle Course, a challengingfirst-rate beauty with a Scottish links character andsmall challenging bunkers, and The StadiumCourse, one of Europe’s absolute finest coursesand either way you are spoilt for choice!

Virtually all observers and professional writers alikeagree that these really are special places andcourses. Upon reflection, you’d better play both,as they offer different challenges and throw up theirown conundrums whilst allowing you to inhalesuch a special atmosphere and feeling of privilegewhen you play through each hole and each round.

In Sweden, Golf Digest ranked the ‘Stadiumcourse’ in first place (once again) whilst ‘The Castlecourse’ placed fifth - so competition is high, evenbetween these two world class courses!

Bro Hof Slott is regularly ranked in the world’s topcourses in every (and any) course ranking. Consid-ering there are more than 32,000 golf clubs acrossthe world and tastes differ of course, more-the-remarkable given both appears in recognised top50’s lists.

omance, history, desire and tradition. Just four wordsthat come close to summing up even a fraction ofone of the finest Golf Clubs in the World. Bro Hof Slott is adelight to all the senses.

Outside of the UK, The Stadium course is considered thesecond best course in Europe (according to many journal-ists), The Castle course, similarly, is thought of in suchterms. We look for the experience, the charm and chal-lenge, the facilities and the club in an overall capacitybefore we can honestly recommend or rave about anycourse or club.

From tee-off to the final hole, from the changing room hottubs to exquisite lunches on the terrace, this is an experi-ence you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

Bro Hof Slott is located in Upplands-Bro near Stockholm,Sweden, approx. 30 minutes’ drive from the city centre.Superlatives are difficult to begin to describe the qualityand feeling when you arrive and play these landmarkcourses. A ‘Things to do before you die’ list, to includeboth the Stadium and Castle courses at Bro Hof Slott.The main gates, in keeping with the elegance and grandeur,present a view of the Castle. You should have goosebumps all over by this point!)

It’s taken centuries to create and develop this area, evenbefore the recent huge investments from the Club and itshistory and traditions are as great as they are esteemed. In theMiddle Ages, Brogård (now Bro Hof Slott) was a royal de-mesne estate. The Rålamb, Funck, Ribbing, Cederhielm,Sparre and Reuterskiöld families all owned it at one time oranother and under the dynamic management of Count JohanSparre (1856-1938), the estate flourished.

The existing castle, which was designed by architect HermanHolmgren and built in 1888, was given a Baroque architecturalstyle with Empirical elements, as was typical of the period.

Through various leases and sales, wealthy businessman BjörnÖrås purchased the property in 2002 and began its transfor-mation into the Bro Hof Slott Golf Club we see today. TheCastle has been completely and meticulously renovated torecreate its original appearance and is a breath taking featureand surely one of the world’s great Club residences.

One of the rooms, the 'Sparre Room', is named after theaforementioned Count Johan and is adorned with befittingfurnishings and a portrait of the Count himself. The currentbanquet hall, which previously consisted of two unfurnishedstorage rooms, has been restored, painted and again looksand feels treasured, exquisite and as though you are im-mersed in Royal history.

The garden surrounding the castle has been redesigned withgreen open spaces and those period-typical gates we men-tioned. A further 250 hectares off the golf course is managedby Bro Hof Slott and is dedicated to Nature (which flourishes)and is enjoyed by a plethora of wildlife and too many speciesof birds to list.The golf development has resulted in the preservation andmaintenance of the cultural and natural heritage of the area,safeguarding this astonishing landmark and area for genera-tions to come and visitors from across the globe.

It is undeniably Swedish, though it has many of the bestattributes of US, Scottish and Links courses. The fairways,greens, approaches, tees, the rough (!) – In fact everythingis perfect. It is managed and maintained expertly. The levelof commitment and skill required to develop and keep allfeatures in their pristine state is truly testament to the expertmanagement and team ability Bro Hof Slott has in abun-dance.

"We are very proud and happy about the high ranking that weget in Sweden, Europe and Worldwide. It's amazing that acourse in northern Stockholm can compete world-wide," theproud owner, Björn Örås says of his prized Stadium Course.

Though every part of the course is ideal and cared forperfectly, not for one second do you feel awkward or in awe.

From tee-off to the final hole, from thechanging room hot tubs to exquisite luncheson the terrace, this is an experience you’llremember for the rest of your life… ”

“

You will be made to feel welcome, part of thefamily and cared for in the same manner aseach part of the grounds (which is a goodthing!). The luxurious and superb facilities,equipment and level of service, serve only toexpand and take your experience further intogolf heaven.

The “Boka Bord” restaurant would be in keep-ing with many of the top restaurants ,golfing or otherwise. Again, service and com-mitment from the staff make this more than justtop quality food and drink. The friendly smilesand genuine feeling of warmth you receivemake this special – very special, but with all thecomfort and relaxation you could wish to enjoy.

The par 72, 18-hole Stadium Course, which,like the estate's second Championship layout,the Castle course, was designed by US golfcourse architect, Robert Trent Jones Jnr,opened its doors to the public in 2007 and isamongst the very longest in Europe, stretchingup to 6 955 metres (7 607 yards) from its backtees.

Jones commented: “Everything is big at BroHof. The holes are longer, greens bigger,course has more water and bunkers larger andwell placed. Besides which, the wind is alwayspart of the game. On the dogleg holes, you notonly have to hit the ball a long way, you have toget it to stop too!”

The Stadiums thick roughs and elevated greenswill really punish wayward approaches anddrives, its design tempts and teases you inequal measure. The twists and turns encour-age you to add a little risk into your game –irrespective of whether you are a regular or longhitter, though longer shots may be handy here.

Choose to tee up from the white or black teesand each hole presents a brand new set ofchallenges and add a few notches to the diffi-culty...

The Castle Course, which opened in 2009, isshorter and a little more forgiving though full ofits own special challenges and personality. Itincludes numerous spectacular holes and itsgreens are fast and true.

Our first goal was to create the best GolfCourse in Sweden. Our next goal is to havethe best course in Europe. Björn Örås”“

info@brohofslott.sewww.brohofslottBookings: + 46 (0) 8 545 279 90

The stunning water features and hazards on both holes, thoughtypically stunning are there for the challenge of the course and notmerely for show.

The practice facilities with a superb driving range and chipping andputting greens as well as a top notch pro shop complete the envia-ble list of features Bro Hof Slott boasts.

There is simply no better way to explain the quality, feel and charmof Bro Hof than to encourage you to enjoy and visit yourself. It is atrue marvel and experience to repeat and repeat again. You willseriously indulge in one of the finest golf experiences available.

ContactPhone: + 46 (0) 8 545 279 90

E-mail: info@brohofslott.seBro Hof SlottSE-197 91 BRO

premiumTHE FINEST

BORRE GOLF CLUB

Consistently ranked in the top courses of Norway, BorreGolf Club ( ) is a prime example of

that represents the golf experiences inScandinavia.Located approx. 90km from Oslo and close to theSwedish border on the South-Eastern edge of Norway,Borre is as fetching to the eye as it is challenging to thegolf enthusiast. Flyers can access Torp Airport which liesabout 20km away and drivers will take about an hour’sdrive from Oslo, so it’s both easy to get to and farenough away to enjoy the freedom and tranquillity itcontains.Tommy Nordstrom is credited with the design in 1991,however in 2005 the course underwent a massivemodernisation and layout change. Nine superb new holeswere added and the course was re-routed with the soleaim to push the limits, increase playability and extend thegolfing experience for all levels of player. “New Borre” (

compliments and adds to the original “GamleBack Nine” layout to achieve a new, modern ‘golfers-golf-course!’

I was, sadly, unable to play the original design so cannotcompare with any real degree of accuracy, however,what remains is stunning to the eye and full of superbholes, all sequenced cleverly to test, push and askquestions of your game –

.

This “new” course, consists of 6,891 yards of adrenalinefilled golf, all squeezed into a picturesque andaesthetically remarkable park land and forest scape - par72.

It’s tough and difficult to reach and break par, but full ofsurprises and risk-reward holes. A high level of thoughtand technical know-how has been invested into thecourse to make certain that it’s worthwhile on every level.

Big hitters will be delighted in pushing their game andfinding routes to glory and short game wizards (a little likemyself) will equally enjoy the tactical side of the courseand the more finesse inspired lines. It genuinely providesa great experience for experienced golfers and startersalike, who play for the pleasure and relaxation – notperhaps .

The landscape is typical of the region and full of beautyand Norwegian charm with the ancient forest andsoftwoods seamlessly merging and adding to the lushparkland. It doesn’t try to be an American or Britishcourse, but remains true and sympathetic to ‘who andwhat’ it is.

A superb, top-tier Norwegian masterpiece!The 5th, 6th and 7th holes are exceptional par 4’s andexhilarating in sequence – pushing you to your limitswithout respite. The 5th hole – “FERGEMANNEN” inparticular is an absolute masterpiece, played from anelevated tee with water completely down the left handside, leading to a narrow entrance to the island green.Stunning to look at, but even better to play! Any marginfor error almost eliminated in your quest to reach thegreen without fishing for your ball…

Hole 6, “BORREVANNET”, though only 325 yards isequally challenging with water placed immediately in frontof the green to catch any under-hit approaches andundulating sides all around to punish a wayward strike.

The Club house

Borre Golf ClubSemb HovedgaardN-3186Horten, Norwayhttp://www.borregb.no/Tel: +47 416 27 000EMail: borregb@online.no

Big hitters will be delighted…“ ”

The seventh, “SANDODDEN” is a right hand dog legwhich leads to a raised green protected by two bunkerslike sentry men. Terrific holes all three but inspired courselayout when played after each other and worth the visit bythemselves!

All along the front and back nine each hole is placed withthought and consideration and the break at the 10th hole,beside Lake Borre provides a welcome half-way housebeside the magnificent ‘Semb Manor House’, a gem of anopportunity to take in and enjoy the scenery as well as theexcellent snacks and drinks available there.

The 15th is also well worthy of a mention, the almost 300yard par 4 plays beautifully, but I adored it more-so for theabsolute beauty of the hole, a joy to play and behold.All over the course there are challenges and holes of realnote, great by themselves but exceptional as an 18 holeexperience. The grounds are manicured and maintainedexpertly – exactly what you would expect from a coursewhich has hosted top ranking tournaments forprofessionals and world class players.

The stunning and challenging holes at Borre

Attention to detail and meticulous husbandry of therough and kept fairways is testament to the quality and highstandards of green keepers and ground managers.The fairways are without exception challenging (and punishing)to wayward or lazy drives, the greens are ALL true and honest.They play consistently and though (perhaps a little fast) neverleave you feeling cheated. Those birdie putts will go down ifyou play bravely enough and strike true - absolutely essential inany golf course and for any serious round of golf.

This course is easily one of Scandinavia’s best to play andexperience for both recreational and serious golfers. It rewardsa risk taker but is just as happy for you to play though with aleisurely round and relaxing party or business jaunt.Practice facilities and locker rooms are superb as is thefantastic club house – everything has been well thought outand managed to perfection to ensure you are made to feelwelcome, comfortable and at ease from the beginning. Theethos of the club is warm and friendly and the staff obviouslytakes pride in the club – it seems to be inbuilt that they wantyou to leave having experienced one of Norway’s best golfclubs.

A real gem of a club and course, full of surprises and qualitythroughout. I look forward to visiting once again soon and amcertain you will be busy making plans for a second visit. Lots ofmemorable and superb holes which linger in the mind anddemand “just another go”.

Borre Golf ClubSemb Hovedgaard

N-3186Horten, Norway

http://www.borregb.no/Tel: +47 416 27 000

EMail: borregb@online.no

premiumTHE FINEST

FALSTERBO GOLF CLUB

Absolutely, positively NO trip to play golf inScandinavia should be made without a trip tothe unbelievable Falsterbo Golf Club of Sweden.It shares numerous members with Royal CountyDown and Prestwick to name but twocourses. Make no mistake. Falsterbo is abso-lutely in that league.If we are to uncover a gem which may not bethe most familiar with golfers from the UK, US,Southern Europe or Asia – this has to be it.Falsterbo was actually founded in 1909 and isSweden’s third oldest club. It is located in oneof the most stunning and picturesque conserva-tion areas in the world, at the Southernmost tipof Sweden on the Falsterbo Peninsula – which isas remarkable as it is beautiful. The Oresundand Baltic meet here and its bird colonies andrare varieties bring not only golfers but birdwatchers to witness the extremely rare breedswhich enjoy this area. It can rightly claim to havethe utmost authority on birdies… (apologies -my last pun)…

It was designed by the remarkable Gunnar Bau-er – a local Doctor with a passion for golf and anintelligence and character to match. He took theexisting 9 hole course which was built roundthe lighthouse and extended the course to the18 magnificent and extraordinary holes we knowtoday. Only the 7th and 14th remain of the origi-nal 9 to this day.

Between 1996 and 2001 some course moderni-sation and remedial work was carried out on thegreens, but apart from that, the course staystrue to the exquisite design and challenge Bauerfirst dreamt back in the early 1900’s.

The 7th green by the clubhouse

Having played Falsterbo recently, it is the more remarka-ble given the modern advancements in the game and thecourse still plays and holds true (& then some!). It is asdifficult and challenging as it is thought provoking andcharismatic. Every hole, each shot asks a question andrequires thought and technical know-how. Big hitters,short tacticians, combination players. There is somethinghere for everyone. Professional through to beginners, Idefy any golfer not to enjoy and be mesmerised by thequality of this world class venue.

The course and climate are quite British-esque in a way.The wind and sea breeze meets the sand and rough withperfect harmony. It is effectively looking at the best ofBritish Links with all the wisdom, wit and character of theSwede’s. An absolute delight.

You will find yourself smiling from ear to ear as you suckin the fresh sea air and admire the scenery which enve-lopes the course. White sandy beaches on your side, theSea crashing away and the rugged rough lining the per-fect fairways leading to perfection in the greens.

The brilliant 18th is everything a short par 5 should aspireto be. The green can (just) be reached in two should theprevailing wind assist you, however should you stray offline a bucket and spade should be in your bag (to helplocate your ball in the dazzling white sands!).

The climate is mild and the sea’s impact on the coursemeans that Falsterbo can be played all year round and isa different beast in Winter than Spring and again a wholenew course to play in Summer as opposed to the climac-tic variances of any other season. It literally takes on anew personality depending on when you play.

In 1984, David Blair (Captain of the R&A Club of St An-drews) when visiting Falsterbo exclaimed “this is an out-standing Links!” – he was notoriously hard to please.

Falsterbo is a classic example of the original Scottish golf-ing terrain - links. Sand dunes with sparse vegetation in-tervenes with lower lying areas where under decades anatural and fine turf has come forth. The natural waterhazards, many large sand bunkers as well as depressionsand the fast running greens are some of the characteris-tics of the course, which has for many years constantlybeen ranked among Sweden’s top-3 courses.

The 17th flag

Falsterbo lies within a virtually unique selection of classicand true links courses in Scandinavia and as men-tioned, one of the oldest – full of character and tradi-tional virtue but remaining relevant to the moderngames criteria. The club house is alive with history andfeels like you are entwined with historical significance.It’s not stuffy or uncomfortable – far from it. The wel-come-could-not-be-greater!

Without exaggeration, you feel like a member in thisgreat club te moment you arrive and everything is doneto invite and make you feel at home. The importance ofthe club is not forgotten to golf in Sweden and it is dis-played throughout.

The warmth of the hospitality soon erodes when youbegin your round and make your way to the first tee.The winds are notorious and punishing on occasion – itall adds to the mystique and the challenge though. Re-action to the first hole is mixed, but we found it fantasticand a great (risky) start to your round. A careless shotcould destroy your card before you properly get started!That is exactly what golfers enjoy – hit the groundrunning and begin as we mean to go on.

The 7th hole transforms this spectacular course into theacclaimed links for real. A short dog leg par 4 whichends in front of the club house. Again, full of tricky shotsand shot-selection-posers and brimming with risk/ re-ward choices.

The 11th hole is located on a island green with a wood-en bridge providing access. Its 160 yard status beliesthe challenge which confronts you and the obviousdamage to your round such a hole can inflict.

The back nine contain many of the most beautiful holesI have experienced in world golf. With water on bothsides and dunes around you, you are isolated from theworld with only the challenge of the hole to accompanyyou around. The 17th and 18th holes run along the pe-ninsula edge towards the clubhouse and the walk is apleasure to be savoured with the rare birds to keep youcompany.

The fairways through the course, though narrow andpunishing – are consistent and true. The priority (in myopinion) is to play straight and accurately rather thanlong, though both aspects would be beneficial. Thegreens, immaculate (despite the wind and sea barrage)seem to always play true and reward brave putting.

This is an Open Championships quality course in myhumble opinion; to find such an outstanding course sofar from the traditional location of the British Isles is re-markable. Add to this the unique Scandinavian influenc-es – which make the course – and this is trulysomething special.

A refreshing drink feels and tastes so much better hav-ing earnt it on course – completing 18 gruelling and re-markable holes of world-class golf in a setting which issecond to none.

A quick paddle in the Baltic to top off one of the great-est rounds of golf to be played anywhere in the worldand your trip will be complete. – (as youwill be busy making plans for your next visit).

Falsterbo – simply one of the finest golf clubs in theworld.

Falsterbo Golf ClubFyrvägen 34

239 40 FALSTERBOSWEDEN

Phone: +46 40 47 00 78Email: info@falsterbogk.se

weden is blessed with some of the finest quality andplaying courses anywhere. So selecting the very finest wasa challenge in itself. Occasionally, a selection process issimplified when stand-out candidates engrave their nameon the elite list immediately leaving only a few other optionsto be chosen from.Ullna GC in Sweden is one of those easy selections – likehaving Lionel Messi in your squad, when available, heselects himself…. .

Ullna golf club is situated approximately 12 miles fromStockholm in Sweden, beside Lake Ullna (which oftendoubles in the winter months as an ice skating rink). Thecourse and club was founded in 1981 by Sven Tumba andofficially inaugurated by HRH Prince Bertil on August 27that same year.Tumba (born Sven Olof Gunnar Johansson -27 August1931- 1st October 2011) was one of the most prominentSwedish ice hockey players of the 1950s and ‘60s.He also represented Sweden in football as well as golf. Hewas obviously a keen sportsman but also a ‘trend setter’and visionary. His golf course designs providing an ultimatechallenge while keeping to his principles and belief in fairplay and camaraderie.

He introduced the game of golf itself to the formerSoviet Union, invented the first Ice hockey helmet in1955 and set up and founded numerous youth initiativesincluding the first Ice hockey school, the Colgate Golfcup for children, the first golf school for children in theSoviet Union, numerous grants, illiteracy programmes -just to name but a few…

Certainly, a proud and rich history and founder for anyorganisation or club.

Looking ahead, Ullna GC embarked upon two years ofintensive work and upgrades by Nicklaus design, (withJack Nicklaus’ personal commitment and friendshipwith Sven Tumba playing a big part in shaping thischallenging new course) which was completed andcourse re-opened in June 2013. Ullna now standsabove most-if not all - in terms of sheer quality, prestige,challenge and as an overall experience itself. It isregularly played by top pros, Ryder Cup players andsportsmen such is the unique and exhilarating courseand fantastic quality of facility.The surroundings are stunning, absolutely mind-blowing-ly beautiful. Each hole could be a renaissance land-scape.

S

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ULLNA GOLF CLUB

We’re not in a habit of bragging but you have one of themost fun and playable courses I have ever seen.Jack Nicklaus, July 1st 2012, standing on the 18th green.”“

Working with my great friend and your designer Sven Tumbawas very special. Sven was a great athlete and person. Heloved Ullna very much and he wanted it to be simply the best.I hope all of you are pleased with the golf course. It has beena work of love for me. Jack Nicklaus

“”

The backdrops are unbelievable – Lake Ullna,the forests and greens, the perfect fairways. Itis truly a one-off in terms of sheer beauty andtestament to the expert maintenance and careprovided by such a skilled grounds team.Nature is nurtured, encouraged and thecourse plays exactly like it should with consist-ent playing surfaces and immaculate greens.

The Ullna Golf Club Restaurant is worthy of avisit even for non-golfers. It has been awardedthe “Best Restaurant in Sweden” by Golf Di-gest and the bar, well, “Best Bartender inSweden”, Per Zetterman’s infamous, CrystalCocktail (a pre-dinner drink), is almost obligato-ry on your visit.

Ullna Golf Club is a championship course thathugs the shores of Lake Ullna. The lake and itsstreams come into play on almost every hole.Ullna GC is consistently ranked in ContinentalEurope’s top-50 golf courses (Golf World &Golf Digest) so is not just a beautiful course, achallenging and memorable one too.The first hole is a strategic and tempting hole.Nicklaus’ reboot has been generous in remov-ing one of the bunkers to forgive a waywardapproach. However, be too brave and it willpunish you. An excellent first hole – immediate-ly setting out its philosophy and allowingthe golfer to play with an option toextend yourself if desired.

Ullna’s signature hole, ‘The Icon’ is as memo-rable as it is tough to play. The third hole,standing aloft the Lake and separated by apicturesque stone bridge. Its green is slopedto add to the difficulty and enjoyment. Its lookand feel oozes and enhances the feeling ofachievement and class. It’s a hole which youjust want to come back to and find differentroutes, positions and areas to exploit.

The fourth hole is regarded by many as one ofUllna’s greatest holes. You are confrontedwith two options teeing off. Hit your tee shotsafely to the left to avoid the Lake, or try to hitover the Lake for a straight fairway shot. Play-ing safely results in a more difficult second,whilst the risky Tee in itself rewards you with astraighter second shot. Either way, with somany options to suit your own style and shotthere is something for every golfer here.

www.ullnagolf.seBookings: +46 (0) 8-514 412 30

The fifth and sixth holes also bend and meander through the Lake,traversing the banks and pushing you this way and that, challengingyou with each relentless shot.The Tumba – Hole 8, was my personal favourite. Lots of class andagain, wonderful scenery to greet you across its new layout. Thewater is a little less dramatic, but just as fearsome to play through.The toughest tee shot at Ullna – Hole 15 – The Strong. Prepare forsomething extraordinary! Naturally a long draw will help, thoughhaving said that, the great oak might make you think twice. Thiscould be a nightmare hole if you don’t keep your nerve. Nicklausmoved the tee boxes 40 metres further back from its already difficultsituation. The fairway is very narrow between the trees and unforgiv-ing of a wayward shot. The green itself is beautifully laid out with apond and huge bunker protecting it on two fronts.

Hole by hole, Ullna provides as many surprises as it does withnatural beauty and the epitome of quality and style. It’s a privilegeand pleasure to play and enjoy the experience and one you’ll wantto repeat soon after.In summary, the golf, club restaurant, club bar facilities arefrankly head and shoulders above any other club or course inScandinavia. Its level of personal service, attention to detail, wel-come, accomplished and well managed style will leave you thrilled,delighted and looking to enjoy such a magnificent Golf Club timeand time again.

Ullna Golf ClubRoslagsvägen 36 ÅkersbergaSweden

Tel +46 (0) 8-514 412 30Website www.ullnagolf.see-mail ullna@ullnagolf.se

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LJUNGHUSEN GOLF KLUBB

The magnificent Ljunghusen Golf Klubb has been described asthe Turnberry of Sweden – The Ailsa course to be precise. It’sa little misleading and extremely difficult to try to find com-parisons between any two golf courses – especially two fromdifferent countries, cultures and terrains, however the similar-ities are most certainly there in several aspects.

The beautiful Swedish landscape is one feature which ofcourse cannot be replicated or compared to any other – norwould you ever want it to. Located approximately 30km Southof Malmo, just to the West of Trelleborg on the Southern tipof the Swedish (Falsterbo) peninsula lies Hollviken - A mostpicturesque and typically Swedish town.

Although quintessentially Swedish in its personality, it’s actual-ly closer to Copenhagen in Denmark than to the Swedish capi-tal, Stockholm! It is easily accessible by road to Denmark andeven Germany and well covered by airports and ferry servicestoo.

was opened to play in 1932 and it boasts 27 spectacular holes in itsunique maritime heath on the Falsterbo peninsula. It has held numer-ous championships and both National and International tournaments– such is the high level and standard of challenge – which include thePLM Open, Telia Tour GP and the European Men’s Team champion-ships. Designed by Douglas Brasier, this course this is a course full ofimagination and charisma.

Like Turnberry and other famous Scottish cousin courses, Ljunghusenis blessed by nature with both its scenery, landscape, rugged locationand weather variations – which ultimately mean that the course canplay completely differently from one season, week, day, EVEN onehour to the next! The challenges and style of challenge that face youalter and differ so greatly that should you ever assume you have aparticular hole beaten, the wind changes speed and direction and itplays completely differently, like a brand new hole.

Superb golf courses should always be testing and this is absolutely inthat category.

The Baltic weather and climactic variations are only one hurdle youmust prepare and arm yourself for. The 80 deep bunkers and numer-ous (I think 12) extreme water hazards combined with thick gorse andheather areas mean this is a genuine Championship course designedto meet the highest and most exacting of golfers requirements. Somecourses are designed to play with a recreational or relaxing attitude,like a Golden retriever using dog breeds as an example: reassuringand comforting – Ljunghusen is more of a wolf, unpredictable, dan-gerous, fierce!

This is a golfers circuit, made to test and push your game for real en-thusiasts and high calibre players. Any local golf course can allow youto make 18 comfortable holes, it takes a wolf to stir the blood andawaken the adrenaline in you.

The fairways are tight and narrow, mis-hit your tee shot and you will befighting to recover on almost all of the holes. The sea and landscape allaround you are stunning to the eye, but you will barely have opportu-nity to enjoy the views. The ground plays consistently and true, thereis shape and undulation, however, the heights and fall of the ground isnot the major draw or consideration. Its all about accuracy, gauging thepower and dealing with the wind and conditions on each hole.Every single hole and each individual shot needs your utmost concen-tration, it’s not enough to simply select your club; you have to consid-er the wind, the feel and the pressure in the air, simply awesome asyou play your round. One of our group mentioned after the roundthat he felt like he was playing at the Open. He felt the pressure andenjoyed the challenge of every single shot raising his standard andnever allowing him to rest on his laurels. Even after playing a greatshot, a new set of challenges faced his shot where he was confrontedwith a new set of problems to overcome.The 6th, 7th and 8th holes in sequence are superb to play in particular.Be confident and free in your swing and try not to worry about thewidth of the fairway.

Though it looks tight, there is plenty of room to land safely, just trustyour game and consider your risks. Trying to steal a shot may cost youtwo or three!

Ljunghusen club house 1933

Ljunghusen club house today

Ljunghusen club house from the 18th

LJUNGHUSENS GOLFKLUBBKINELLS VÄG236 42 HÖLLVIKENSWEDENTEL +46 40 45 80 00

It is the epitome of a risk and reward course – take it too easy and yourscore card will reflect the safety, try to risk a shot here or there and theconsequences can be severe. That is exactly what golf should be aboutthough – shouldn’t it?The 17 and 18 holes demonstrate this point exactly. The 280 metre17 par 4 is an absolute beauty of a hole. It invites you to take a riskwhich could destroy your score card, or make you a hero! The water atthe front, left and right is threat enough, but when added to the ele-vated green with four bunkers around the hole, it really results in aspectacular hole with as much charm as it has difficulties to overcome.A genuine feast of golf for the connoisseur and aficionado of golfers tosavour. Ljunghusen has been consistently ranked in the top 10 Swedishgolf courses and the top 100 courses of Europe so you should expectgreat things. Believe me, you wont be disappointed.The food is magnificent in the restaurant and service is of an extremelyhigh standard. They take pride in everything they provide at the clubwhich includes the look, feel and maintenance of the grounds on boththe course and around the comfortable Club House.The Club House is a modern building that has an impressive and com-fortable balcony which allows for a welcome drink to consider yourround. It houses all modern facilities and caters for the most demand-ing of golfer’s needs. The Glass walls let the light and natural sceneryinto the club which helps to keep the feeling and round clear in yourthoughts. The members are equally welcoming and happy to sharetheir thoughts and tips on the course to match the day’s conditions.The environmental considerations are paramount to the club. The ex-quisite heath lands and attachment to nature are evident and the clubtakes it’s responsibilities seriously in the maintenance and success ofthe local species which add to the experience and unique quality ofLjunghusen.It was incidentally the first ever course to be GEO (Golf EnvironmentOrg) certified, which means it exceeds all environmental and sustaina-ble targets and leads the way in modern golf design and maintenance.Not only does Ljunghusen deliver a golf experience to savour and staywith you long after your round has been completed, the legacy andleadership it displays in collaboration with its surroundings and withnature is second to none.

Ljunghusen course aerial

Ljunghusen green

Ljunghusen 17th

PGA OF SWEDEN NATIONALpremiumTHE FINEST

In 1996 the Swedish Board of the PGA had just concluded their dailychores and retired to enjoy a whisky (or two) and discuss the futureof Swedish golf, advancement and the possibilities of creating worldclass golf courses to rival the very best in the world.

The idea excited everyone, but the sheer scale of the task gave areality check to most who had been so enthused the evening before.All that is - except one. The next morning, Mikael Sorling began aproject that 13 years later would result in one of the world’s greatestgolf courses – The PGA Course of Sweden.The investment was sourced and found, Kyle Phillips was recruitedas the Golf course architect (and lead design) and its location perim-eters (proximity to Denmark, Germany and accessible to golfers) allset and implemented.

Finding prime land resources to match the strict criteria was an un-enviable task - securing over 275 hectares of land - ticking all theboxes - seemed almost impossible. Nils Yngvesson the former citycouncillor knew of Malmö council´s interest in selling the magnificentgrounds of Torup Castle. Kyle gave the thumbs up for the site andthe vision had now become reality.

A vast project begun in re-developing the land back to itsformer undulating and natural state from its agriculturally flat-tened condition. Easier options were always available, but thisproject had to be perfect and this course to be the veryfinest in Sweden and one of the best in the world – so NO cor-ners were cut.

The ethos of the PGA Course, Sweden was to create a worldclass modern golf venue, one which had everything a top-tierclub needed, but also one which was sympathetic to traditionand included the very best classical features. The service andquality had to exceed excellence in every department from thequality of the facilities to the challenge of the golf – whilst re-maining accessible and open to all golfers and being thecourse where every player sought to return to and enjoy again.

When everything is complete there will be two magnificent 18hole golf courses, a fantastic 9 hole par three course, confer-ence centre, state of the art practice facilities, a restaurantoverlooking the finishing holes on both courses, spa, magnifi-cent hotel rooms, teaching studio´s, golf shop and a customfitting service.Thirteen years after the preliminary discussions the officialopening of the PGA of Sweden National took place on the12th of June 2009 – and a club exceeding all earlier expecta-tions was formed.

The venue houses the renowned Links Course and a park landinspired course, the Lakes course. Both championship 18 holecourses and together under the PGA course banner – formi-dable! Their attachment to nature and sympathetic allegianceto the harmony of the land make them unique in their quality,experience and of course challenge to golfers.

The club house, another feat of perseverance and design ex-cellence contains 16 luxury suites, a restaurant, bar and facili-ties all meeting those high exacting standards.

All these enviable attributes and assets however are onlytopped by the sheer friendly professionalism of the superbstaff who welcome everyone with the same custom and makeit a real pleasure to visit and enjoy the PGA Sweden.

The project with all its tireless dedication, hurdles and chal-lenges together with all of the money, time and minute plan-ning that went into creating this masterpiece, would only beworthwhile if the challenge and enjoyment of the golf exceed-ed all other things. As you may have gathered by now –

- and how!!

The only way to properly share the fun to be had at the Linksand the Lakes courses is to suggest you make plans to playboth. For the purpose of at least wetting your appetite thougha brief overview of each and the 9 hole Academy course forbasic and golfers to play.

Lakes Course

On May 29, 2010 the Lakes Course was inaugurated by Euro-pean Tour winner Peter Hanson and course architect Kyle Phil-lips, it was fully opened just a month later on the 29th June.Here the player faces typical creeping bent grasses, smallgreens, more water hazards and large bunkers. The course hasbeen built with the most modern methods and completely inharmony with nature. Right from the opening, the Lakes Courseis a terrific test of golf and thoroughly examines and pushes themost avid and dedicated golfers of all standards.You play with the clubhouse in the background and views overthe beautiful countryside all around you. The large, purpose-builtlake bordering holes 9, 17 and 18 is daunting and provides atrue test and fabulous backdrop for any connoisseur of thegame. Bunkers on the Lakes Course are 74 in number, no few-er than on the Links Course but with an overall area equal toalmost three times that of the Links course. Most definitely ob-stacles to be reckoned with or avoided.

The Lakes Course opens with a slight dog leg right par fivemeasuring nearly 500 meters. Uphill, heavily bunkered all theway to a small undulating green. .The secret of the ninth hole is to get the ball in play. A greatdrive, slightly right of the fairway, will help. But it is long and nar-row all the way to the green, where both water and bunkersawait, An extremely challenging golf hole.The tenth green is tricky to say the least tricky and there aresome extremely tough flag placements, Carelessness can easilyresult in a double bogey. The three finishing holes are demand-ing and require great courage and skill. The sixteenth although“only” protected by a little winding creek is all the more reasonto keep the ball on the fairway.

Seventeenth on the Lakes Course and the Links Course arecrucial short holes. You have to fly the ball 155 meters over thewater, into a narrow but deep green with several bunkersguarding the right side.The closing hole is 500 meters long with the lake all the way upthe left side. The slope down to the water will punish the una-ware or the careless.

Links Course

The Links Course is a classic 18 hole championship course createdin tandem with nature. The course has the typical characteristics oflinks golf with large undulating greens and numerous small deepbunkers.The greens are built on a bed of sand then shaped to liken the softsand dunes of a typical Scottish links course. The grass specificationfor the links course is a fescue blend, providing the playing charac-teristics typical to links courses – they all play true and consistently.The stunning red brick clubhouse is visible from every hole on thecourse and on clear days one can see all the way to Turning Torso inMalmö so it is as pretty to the eye as it is adrenaline pumping to thesoul!

With around 20 meters altitude difference the course is a demandingand exciting golf experience which requires a certain amount of guileto avoid the small stream which runs along seven of the holes on thelinks.

As with all links courses, there are no trees – in breaking with tradi-tion – even if only a little bit, the Links has one… It grows all by itselfbehind the first green – it actually adds to the unique feel of thecourse and a little badge to wear on the lapel for this true master-piece. There are also two very old mining sites on course - Legendhas it that a young farmer’s son had fallen into one of these sites andhis father tried to rescue him. His screams of help are still to beheard on the long light summer nights apparently!! (Keep an ear outwhen you pass by).

PGA of Sweden National

Box 5, 233 02 Bara, SWEDEN

Reception +46 (0) 40 635 51 00

r

http://www.pgaswedennational.se/

Academy Course

The nine hole Academy course consists of nine full length par3’s that have the same quality as the Lakes and Links. It isalso designed by Kyle Phillips so maintains all the same highstandards of play and the same spirit and stunning look andfeel. The course is perfect for those who fancy a quick roundor want to practice their short game/ iron play. It is open forpay & play as long as one player holds a handicap.

All facilities are world class, the service is fantastic and thegolf, simply some of the best we have ever played. The fair-ways and greens all play consistently, honestly and true. ThePro Shop is perfect and you get personalised scoring cardsand a detailed stroke-saver when you play. The food as youwould expect – fantastic and even when the course is quiet,the same standards and menu is available to provide freshlycooked food in the lovely surroundings.

No guide on the finest golf of Scandinavia would be completewithout the magnificent PGA National of Sweden.

Denmark can offer long summer evenings, a rich tapestry ofdifferent course types, styles and challenges and that enviableDanish welcome and identity which sets it apart from all others.

The Danish Golf Union encourages, supports and develops golf inDenmark at every level. From a close relationship with the golfclubs, players and business links, the DGU is as ultra professionaland efficient at offering keen support to the game and the develop-ment of the business strategy in the country.

There are golf courses all over Denmark - from Bornholm to thewestern Jutland, from The White Dunes in Skagen to Marielyst onFalster. From beautiful courses close to sea and fjord to theimpressive forest paths where you can feel nature's rich flora andfauna.

The Danish summer weather allows you to play from early morningtill late at night. There is nothing quite as lovely as the brightsummer evenings in Denmark - and golfers can´t imagine a betterplace to spend these glorious moments than on a golf course.

Denmark also has some of Europe's lowest green fees despite thehigh quality of both the courses and clubs services.

The Danish Golf Union was founded in 1931 to manage Danishgolf clubs' interests. Because of the size of Denmark and theamount of golf clubs, the Danish Golf Union offers a high degreeof support and counselling.

The DGU is striving for the future of the game and success ofDanish golf in general. Its ambition and focus for the next 20years is to increase the number and quality of Danish clubs, toincorporate more members and a wider diversity of members.They are opening golf for everyone without losing any of the highprinciples and standards the game demands and golfers nowexpect.

In developing players the DGU are striving to produce playerswith both a physical prowess and the mental strength andpersonality to perform at the highest level.

Elite players are taught to take responsibility in their own ca-reers, enjoying a high standard of home tournaments, a strongdevelopment structure, positive role models and coaches andalso including and prioritising the women’s game - which isalready incredibly strong in Denmark.

In developing players,the DGU are striving to produce playerswith both a physical prowess and the mental strength andpersonality to perform at the highest level.

Elite players are taught to take responsibility in their own ca-reers, enjoying a high standard of home tournaments, a strongdevelopment structure, positive role models and coaches andalso including and prioritising the women’s game - which isalready incredibly strong in Denmark.

Denmark punches way above its relative size in golfing circles. From it’s incredible 190 courses’ quali-ty, breadth and variety through to its remarkable achievements in successful players from ThomasBjørn, Thorbjørn Olesen and Morten Ørum Madsen.

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LYNGBYGAARD GOLF CLUBSILKEBORG RY GOLF KLUB

SKJOLDENAESHOLMGOLF CENTRE

HIMMERLAND GOLF

ALLBORG GOLF KLUB

FALSTER GOLF CLUB

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HIMMERLAND GOLF & SPA RESORT

O ne of the golfing highlights and featured events inScandinavia is the coveted and renowned “Made in Denmark”tournament. Essentially this is the Danish Open – the biggestand most prestigious golf event in Denmark. It’s obviously notonly an honour to host and manage this event – but a massiveresponsibility. ‘Made in Denmark’ is a top-tier European TourEvent which takes place from the 14th-17th August (2014) andis attended by the majority of top ranking professionals. Him-merland proudly hosts this tournament and what an incrediblevenue and hosting club it really is!

Making our elite list of top-tier and spectacular golfing high-lights and recommendations is the stunning Himmerland Golf& Country Club - It really is a breath taking and incredible venue.Himmerland lies approximately 20 kilometres to the West from(reputedly) Europe’s cleanest city, Aalborg (a stunning andrelatively undiscovered city location in the exposed North ofJutland, Denmark. This is an area of outstanding naturalbeauty and history and boasts a natural effervescence andscenic beauty which can only be enjoyed in this part of theworld.Not only is Himmerland a stunning, superb and absolutely topquality country club, it’s Northern Europe’s largest golf resortboasting 45 superb holes and extensive practice facilities ofthe highest order.With so many challenges contained within the luxurious centreof excellence, there is a decision to be made with regards towhich course to select! Each option offers its own set ofchallenges and pushes your game in different ways; however,many will choose the PGA New Course ( , Back-Tee New)which was originally laid out by Jan Sederholm in 1993.

It was completely closed for renovation by Spogard and Vander Vaart Course architects to stunning acclaim and openedto play in April 2013. The work has been incredibly wellreceived and has transformed this already superb course intoa world-beater of a golf course! It looks and plays amazinglywith so many beautifully crafted hazards and a layout to pushyour shot selection and strategic thinking to the full.The redeveloped PGA New Course, now measures almost7,400 yards (and now renamed the ‘Back-tee New’) and willdebut on the European Tour circuit in 2014. The course ismade for top quality golf. It is a dream to play for both longhitters with ultra-High-Tec kit and regular players with triedand trusted clubs. It is designed so that each and every holewill push your game should you allow it and provide the vigourand mental intrigue that all world class circuits need to deliver.

HIMMERLAND GOLF & SPA RESORT

Himmerland has a pedigree in hosting major events andthe quality and standard testifies as such - Thomas Bjørn,for example, won his first professional title here in 1995 atthe New Course. The greens, fairways and overall condi-tion of the course is superb. Manicured and maintainedwith precision and dedication. It is managed with theutmost of professionalism and it looks like ‘money is noobject’ in providing you with the best quality in comfort,play design and upkeep to enjoy a terrific and memorableround (or two) of golf.Although the course measures almost 7,400 yards, itshouldn’t intimidate you. Different Tee placements meanthat regular hitters can also find the right challenge to suit.

The resort, as mentioned, has two full 18 hole courses(The Garia and aforementioned Back-Tee) as well as apractice/ beginners course – The Bette Course. Thoughthe Back-Tee steals the headlines with its sheer playingand fluid challenges, the Garia is well worth a visit too!Himmerland ticks so many boxes and fulfils so much it isdifficult to simply review or critique the golfing parts alone.Golf is much more than just the round itself. It has toprovide a complete experience and be comparable tonumerous other recreational activities and pleasures, thatthese days, clubs and resorts have to be resourceful andgenerous if they want to succeed. Himmerland gets ourvote as it simply achieves on every single level to most, ifnot all groups of golfers and travellers. Families, friends,business groups or get-together's can all arrive at Him-merland to one of the warmest welcomes you are everlikely, and lucky, enough to be spoilt to!As a complete country club, Himmerland is bursting withactivities and facilities. From Bowling , an incredible bar(The Sky Bar) as well as the simply opulent restaurants(the POLO fine dining restaurant and the Brasserie - myfavourite!) which serves superb classic and contemporarycuisine and will satisfy…Genuinely, I cannot fault any of the facilities, set-up andoffered services. It is managed to such a high degree ofcare and ‘ . All staff we encounteredcouldn’t be happier to help and provide a service whichwill make you glad to be there. It all feels genuine, as ifthey know how good an experience this is and are gladthey can help add to your enjoyment.I visited with two fellow golf writers, and trying to combinemy obsession with golf with an even greater professionalobsession to find objective faults or failure became thechallenge of the week-end! We gave up looking for faultas it just oozed comfort and provided a welcoming andrelaxed ambience Such is the attention to detail, therecould be no suggestion, improvement or “what if..” thatyou may have experienced in a get-away or round of golf.Everything about Himmerland (as mentioned) deservesthe maximum credit.

The course is made for top quality golf. It is a dreamto play for both long hitters with ultra-High-Tec kitand regular players with tried and trusted clubs.

“”

www.himmerlandgolf.dk Bookings: +45 96496100

www.himmerlandgolf.dk Bookings: +45 96496100

In searching for the finest in golf and golf travel,Himmerland delivers in a truly unique and gratifyingway. From a purely aesthetic vantage point, it has aunique and definitely Danish charm and elegance –full of typical Danish wildlife and scenery. Everycorner holds a little surprise and something to enjoyand the quality of care and finish - to everything - addsthat something extra.The golf challenge, as stated, is here in abundance andwith a breadth and variety unmatched anywhere inEurope the longevity and longer visits are not onlypossible, but virtually a requirement! All facilitiesfrom fitness to feeding will astonish and surpass yourexpectations and that magic ingredient of ‘quality ofservice’ and management is possibly the greatest assetand most impressive feature!I will certainly be returning to Himmerland Golf &Country Club and can happily recommend and awardthem the highest acclaim as one of Scandinavia’sstand-out and superb venues.

Himmerland Golf & Country ClubCentervej 1, Gatten.DK-9640 FarsøDenmark

Phone: +45 96496100

hgcc@himmerlandgolf.dkwww.himmerlandgolf.dk

FALSTER GOLF KLUB

I n searching for the great clubs and courses to enjoy and challengein Scandinavia, Falster Golf Club (Danish: ) stood outand demanded its place as one of Denmark’s must play courses. Itis located in Falster Island, Denmark, to the northwest of the villageof Virket which is just over an hour’s drive from Copenhagen.In today’s challenging economic environment, together with lots ofchoice, competition and differing challenges and activities, Golf clubs

tick many boxes to thrive and succeed.Falster Golf Club stands out as an experience and trip well worthmaking. Falster maintains its traditional roots, course and (mostimportantly) its commitment to the golfer and visitor. It feels asthough Falster is forward thinking and looking ahead whilst keepingtrue to itself as a golf course and club.It is an 18 hole park and forest course set out in stunning Danishcountryside with all the natural charm and beauty to relax, calm andsettle you whilst serving up a challenging course designed to pushyour game to its limit. Anders Amilon, the renowned Swedish coursearchitect, designed the course to challenge on many levels whilstmaintaining the look, feel and ambience of both the ‘forests ofSkjørringe Estate’ (which it lays within) and that of Denmark itself.It’s situated away from the hustle and bustle of busy life providing atranquil escape and peaceful environment, no roads, airports orpassing traffic to consider or disturb.Denmark is a golfing nation which takes pride in the quality of courseand service - Falster Golf Club, with the youngest (and one of themost progressive) golf managers in Denmark, Mads-Christian BrillOlsen, excels in both categories. The course is immaculate frombeginning to end. The green keepers obviously take great pride inmaintaining and improving the course to a very high standard whilekeeping their commitment to a natural and wildlife friendly area.Deer, pheasants and hares enjoy the scenery and occasionallypass through the fairways adding to the experience. The courseitself is lined by a stunning and ancient forest with a broad variety oftrees, typically Danish and a pleasure to play through. The first nineholes are of a park course type and placed higher, with the backnine slightly lower and on beautiful moorland with forest and tightfairways in almost every direction. Your confidence grows throughthe round before meeting the infamous 11th hole - probably one ofthe toughest par 4’s in Denmark - and a real challenge to play.

You need to build a respectable score in the first nine as the backnine – in particular the 11th,12th and 13th holes - definitely test you tothe limits.The 11th hole is greeted by a little dogleg right, quite tight (and thetrees makes it look even worse), the need to surpass a stream inyour drive. A long approach shot to a small green surrounded bytrees and protected by a water hazard is needed, with only a smallentrance to the left with a parallel water hazard on the left side ofthe green.Achieving a bogey on this par four feels like an achievement, evenelite players are happy to go from there with a bogey.The 13th hole has a very tight fairway which may encourage you toplay it safe. However, for most players that results in a rather longapproach shot to the green.It’s tactical, tough, beautiful and a fantastic risk reward hole.

Mads-Christian Brill Olsen: “Here you will almostnever hear a car – only the sounds of the wildlife toaccompany your round. It’s a true golf experiencewhere nature adds extra challenges to your game”

Streams and natural hazards through the coursemake shot and club selection vital and although thecourse at between 5300m (women) and 6,140m onstandard tees may not be the longest course available,its varied and thought provoking layout and feel meanit is an ultimate risk and reward course. Both long andshort hitters will find reasons to come again and holesand shots to suit your game.

Precisely because of the varied and unpredictablenature of the course (for those golfers seeking tochallenge themselves) aligned to a tranquil and impres-sive destination for either personal or commercialguests makes Falster Golf Club one of the finest golfexperiences available in Denmark.

Most golfing experiences are made or lost in the firstfew minutes acclimatising and entering the club itselfor checking in and relaxing after the journey.

The instant you enter Falster Golf Club, you are madeto feel welcome, appreciated and very much part ofthe club. Although the grounds, club house, restau-rant and facilities are great quality and well kept, thereis only the warmest of warm greetings to meet you.You will feel relaxed, at home and ready to enjoy eithera memorable round of golf or a great stay in thegrounds and in the cosy bed & breakfast facilities,indulging in welcoming cuisine at the Restaurant Kølle-gaarden.

Falster Golf club has the benefits of combining a toptier golf course, a welcoming cosy bed and breakfastand restaurant – all with excellent service throughout -which is worth the visit all by itself. This means you canliterally arrive, settle in and enjoy a couple of daysbreak without the stress or need to drive home ormake other reservations. You can enjoy a bottle or twoof fine wine with friends and take in the best thatDanish golf, golf holidays and Scandinavian hospitalityhas to offer!

The Golf Manager, Mads-Christian has played at theclub since he was 12 (and has won the same numberof club championships in the process he hastens toadd) has a background as a Bachelor in Businessadministration within the leisure industries so adds acommercial outlook to his obvious love of both thegolfing side and experience for the golfer enjoyingFalster. Attributes essential to cater for today’s dis-cerning and demanding visitor.

Mads-Christian: The 13th hole is my personalfavourite and one of the most beautiful.“ ”

Mads-Christian: ...It’s not just a naturallyvery beautiful golf experience but also a greatservice experience Falster golf club is knownfor. We aim to develop the club and facilities toadjust to our members and guest expectationsand needs… ”

“

www.falster-golfklub.dkBookings: +45 54 43 81 43

The club pro, Rune J. Olsen is a many times National Champion of various tourna-ments including the ‘Danish Championship for teachers’ as well as representing Den-mark at the European equivalent. His experience of both this course and techniquesto improve your game are well worth exploring and another reason why Falster ex-cels and stands out.Falster Golf Club is a club in continuous development, there is a great focus on inno-vation and development – which given the high standard currently provided bodeswell for the future of one of Denmark’s most established and challenging clubs.Locals enjoy Falster Golf Club, its members indulge in the comfort and opulence itprovides. Nature itself is nurtured and encouraged to be more than a back drop andactively adds to the course.Visitors will feel welcomed and comfortable upon arrival and its list of facilitiesmakes Falster Golf Club easily one of our recommended top clubs in Scandinavia.

Falster GolfklubVirketvej 44,4863 Eskilstrup,DenmarkTel: +45 54 43 81 43

www.falster-golfklub.dk

AALBORG GOLF KLUBpremiumTHE FINEST

New golf clubs and courses are always an excitingproposition, better still however is to have all those newlybuilt benefits wrapped up with a pack or two of tradition,history and established charm. ’Aalborg Golf Klub’, situatedin Northern Denmark, is one of Scandinavians hidden gems.It’s Denmark’s second oldest club having recently celebrat-ed its centenary in 2008 but feels modern, classy and in thetop-tier of virtually standard of excellence.

With absolute certainty, Aalborg Golf Club features as oneof our finest golf clubs in Scandinavia. Originally an 18 holeChampionship Course designed by John D. Harris in thelate ’60s, Aalborg has recently undergone a completerefurbishment of all its greens and tees. A further 9 holeshave been added and integrated to the already superb,existing 18 holes resulting in 3 seperate 9-hole courses,which are rotated weekly to give one 18 hole course andone 9 hole course. In other words, the 18 hole coursechanges combination every week, effectively, you have anew 18 hole challenge each week.

Each 9 hole group has its own charm, challenge andindividual features. These are carefully and beautifully man-aged holes on this exceptional course all adding that

.You finish your round completely wrapped up and captivat-ed in the experience with an immediate twinge to return andplay again. There are very few courses with that specialindescribable magic.Aalborg is distinctly Danish, though unique to its own geo-graphical and elemental location. The weather, ground,climate and environment all play their part (together withexpert management and maintenance) in creating aunique experience. Having enjoyed this marvellous courseon three ocassions, each round was completely differentand conjured its own personality to my game as though itwas alive – changing windes, temperatures all adding toits mystique. It really is one of those courses that you mustenjoy more than once to fully appreciate and understand.

All 27 holes, in whichever order- are superb. The fairwaysand greens immaculately and expertly cared for with thestunning Lake and woodland features brimming with natu-ral beauty. Although its natural and designed beauty isobvious, Aalborg is not just for decoration. It is a coursethat wants to push your game to its absolute limit if youdare.

Aalborg has signature holes described and compared tothe infamous ’Amen corner’ with some of its combinations.A highlight, is the most picturesque par 3 Hole whichforms one of the three best holes in Scandinavian, Europe-an – even World golf – courses. It brimms with stunning

The clubhouse has recently undergone extensiverenovation including a first class Proshop alongwith typical Danish Cuisine in our renowned res-taurant. Danish meatballs are (in my view, obliga-tory) on any visit to Aalborg GC while sitting inthe superb restaurant which overlooks one of thefinest finishing holes in Danish golf.

The clubhouse itself is testament to the care, at-tention and spirit of the club. You are welcomedinstantly, made to feel at home and comfortable.Along with superb golf, any club seeking to reachthe summit amongst its peers must provide botha challenging and enjoyable days visit where youleave mentally and physically satisfied and

.

Aalborg, obviously makes the grade with infiniteroom to spare. The Stunning white exterior ofthe main building complimented with its darkslate roof, though of great architectural beauty,blend in to its surroundings so feel natural and inkeeping. There is an unbelievable 26 bay drivingrange and a short game area which are worthy ofa visit alone! Genuinely amongst the very best

in the world.

Aalborg Golf club is enjoyable irrespective of yourgolfing prowess. Keen amateurs, tournamentplayers and top professionals will all be pushedto the very limit. The European Challenge tour,European Team Challenge for girls as well as theEuropean Championships for men have all beenhosted by Aalborg to great success. Its layout –in any combination – is exciting and strategic,whilst ensuring your long and short game, bigand regular hitters, competitive and friendlyrounds and players are all happy and challenged.

The holes are clever in delivering tension filleddecision making shots followed by spectaculardrives and approaches. Relentless if you areseeking to score well, but not a bully if you’relooking to enjoy the round.

Aalborg prides itself on having the most success-ful mens team in Denmark with 11 champion-ships in just 20 years. Testament, once again toboth the unique and competitive challenge thecourse provides added to its quality of facilitiesand structure.

… There is an unbelievable 26 baydriving range and a short game areawhich are worthy of a visit alone!Genuinely amongst the very best any-where in the world.

“

”

www.aalborggk.dkBookings: +45 98 34 14 76

Aalborg Golf Club over the last 20 years has delivered many players to the Danish National team, and European Tour playerSøren Kjeldsen is a product of Aalborg Golf Club along with ladies European Tour winner Lisa Holm Sørensen (Finish Open).

Every visitor is made to feel 100% comfortable from the moment you enter the grounds and the level of facility is onlytrumped by the quality of service filtered down from the faultless management. Every detail and part of the club has beenconsidered and designed/ implimented to ensure each guest, visitor and obviously member enjoys every part of theirexperience. It truly is such a joy to play here and one experience we recommend you do when considering the finest golfin Scandinavia.

Aalborg city itself (as featured in the guide) provides numerous attractions and reasons to visit. At the absolute forefront ofthese is Aalborg Golf Club. It really is worth the airfare and investment in time to play (and play again) alone!

It’s serviced by the excellent Aalborg Airport just 20 minutes away and connected to most major European destinationsso is convenient and easy to get to.

In selecting the very best, we were highly critical and standards/ expectations were at the highest level. Aalborg Golf Clubis one pleasure you will undoubtably agree deserves its place at the very top of our recommendations. , golf,recreation, experience and charm combined with those uniquely Danish which make it a memorable and a ”mustplay-again” treat. It really is to go on a bucket list, more a .

Aalborg Golf ClubJaegersprisvej 35, Restup EngeDK-9000 AalborgDenmark

Telephone +45 98 34 14 76Website www.aalborggk.dk

SKJOLDENAESHOLM GOLF CLUBpremiumTHE FINEST

D enmark is blessed with lots of interesting, scenic and relaxingcourses. The facilities and architecture are typically character-istic and to a high standard which represents Denmark andher culture. Only a few can combine all of the best features topresent unique, top-tier and those ultimate golf experienceswe all strive for.

It may be difficult to pronounce (for non-Danes), but Skjolde-naesholm Golf Club and its two 18 hole courses, is worthy ofbeing placed as one of the top golf clubs (and two of the finestcourses) in Scandinavia - and presented in a confident andloud voice too for that matter.Skjoldenaesholm, or “Skoli” as it is often referred, is locatedabout 30 miles from Copenhagen and connected with excel-lent infrastructure to minimise travel time. As mentioned, it hastwo outstanding golf courses, the ‘Old’ and the Robert TrentJones Jnr course of 2007.

Both courses run through the stunning Danish countryside,laden with lush, beautifully maintained and cared for grass,parkland and mature, old trees providing character, maturityand challenge in equal measure. The layout of the course hasexploited these natural features to both encourage and fosterwildlife and add spice and flavour to outstanding design and aunique golf adventure.Robert Trent Jr. described his Skjoldenaesholm course asthe ultimate in risk and reward experiences. “It’s an open,risk/ reward course framed by forests. My brief was to pro-duce the flagship to Proark’s golf portfolio and worthy ofwide recognition”.He continues: “The natural layout employs wispy grasses andplant types to create interesting contrasts around the groundplane and meld with the natural setting.”Jones has succeeded in producing a course to such a highlevel which blends effortlessly to its surroundings and feelingas though it is established over decades while fulfilling todaysmodern game and allowing for the technology driven longerhitters.

Skoli is as welcoming and friendly as it is an inspiring golfclub and course. The grounds, and buildings though main-tained and managed expertly do not deter or intimidate.The feeling of acceptance and friendly smiles which greet allwho visit immediately put you at ease. Everything in Skoli isdesigned and constructed with a vision and view to achievethe ultimate golf experience for the visitor, member andguest’s alike. Without exception, all staff couldn’t have beenmore friendly and the club without any pretention or grace,good practice and outstanding service obviously flowingthrough this club’s philosophy.

An historic rock wall, hundreds of years old wasincorporated into the design and features as ahazard to many holes. This really adds an authen-tic and characterful feature to the course not tomention a difficult obstacle!

The course is uncluttered and undeveloped, run-ning through unspoiled countryside with only acouple of picturesque old farm cottages whichadd to the charm and feel. With Jones Jr. thecourse has a strong US influence, but really man-ages to incorporate those distinct Danish naturalfeatures and even feels at thesame time.Being Danish, of course the water hazards areplentiful and picturesque. They do present ex-treme challenges for those able (and after longshots) as well as those more comfortable withregular shots. Being too brazen of course carriesits own risk and your card will tell the tale, toocautious, and again, you will add to your score.Strategic thinkers combined with a mixture ofshots should produce a respectable card, butSkoli is designed for golfers who want to play andenjoy a round of golf to remember.

Holes 13, 14 and 15 run adjacent to an area ofnatural beauty and consequently Jones Jr. wasunable to construct any permanent or “unnatural”feature – which included bunkers. An ingenioussolution was applied which has made Skoli asuperbly clever and unique course. Grass defenc-es built on valleys and hollows were used andcreated - genuinely adding something different -while maintaining the difficulty and managing toproduce an even greater hazard than if a bunkeror two were present. These holes are stunning intheir look, feel and also in the questions they applyto your round.Skoli is a perfect blend of golf challenge with arelaxing, comfortable and memorable experience.The facilities are superb and faultless in their serv-ice and level of quality. The management is excep-tional and obviously in keeping with a feeling ofexcellence throughout.

It’s a visit worth making and enjoying, both cours-es deserve to be played, not simply the excellent‘Jones’ and the experience warrants a long week-end of indulgence and exceptional golf and serv-ice quality. It’s one of Jones Jr.’s finest courseswhich has developed and grown into one of Eu-rope’s finest. It’s still relatively unknown in broadterms, however will undoubtedly grow in statureand popularity as its secret escapes. For qualityand sheer golf brilliance, it’s as good as it gets.Skoli (or Skjoldenaesholm) Golf Club, not just a

name, but an awesome game.

www.golfers.dkBookings: Tel +45 5753-8810

Skjoldenaesholm Golf ClubJystrup4174 RingstedPhone(s): +45 5753-8810,info@golfers.dkWebsite: http://www.golfers.dk//

…Skoli was the first course in Denmark to feature multiple teeing areas.The 7,100 yard layout is all about position.”“

premiumTHE FINEST

SILKEBORG RY GOLF KLUB

S ilkeborg Ry Golf Club is situated in Resenbrojust East of Silkeborg and in the part of Denmarkknown as the “lake district of Jutland”. It is an awe-some woodland course, reminiscent of Woburn inthe UK, founded in 1966 and easily finds itself assome of the finest golf courses in Scandinavia – letalone Denmark.Silkeborg features 54 holes including a pay andplay facility and is renowned for its famous par 3holes. It is Denmark’s largest golf resort and its rep-utation for quality and excellence is not diminishedby its number of holes, facilities and area.The three courses, The ‘West’, ‘South’ and ‘East’courses provide three different and memorablerounds and experiences and when combined, seri-ously produce something special and unique in Eu-rope. All three courses have their own uniqueattributes and features and differ in challenges, strat-egies and the different games golfers bring to eachround.In 2007, Thomas Bjørn, Silkeborg’s most cherishedson, 14 times European Tour winner and a RyderCup Great, oversaw a major development at theclub. The Silkeborg Course was developed to theEast – adding a further 9 holes to the existing 18and more importantly adding a different dimensionto an already superb course layout. Bjørn’s experi-ence both of a top, top, professional and perhapsmore so of this spectacular area have contributedto produce a very special course. For those of youfamiliar with the Great Dane and his panache on thecourse, you can feel his influence and understand-ing during the round.The old front nine is known as the ‘West’ course.Seven of the back nine (and two new holes), theterrific 3rd and 4th holes form the new ‘South’ course,whilst the old 10th and 11th holes have been joinedby the seven new holes on the brand new ‘East’course.

It may appear on first viewing a littlecomplicated to read. To play, it worksseamlessly – as though it has alwaysbeen this way and it flows exactly as youmight want it to. The holes fit each otherand challenge and reward you hole byhole – irrespective which course you play.

The planning and design is on a differentlevel and it is championship class in itsstructure.Great fun to play, always challengingyour game and making you take riskswhilst testing your long and short games.

The ‘West’ course features a 411 yardpar 4 cracker! The 7th Hole includesthree cross bunkers in the fairway, just inthe landing area from your elevated teeshot. The fairway kinks to the right pre-senting you with the green and its bun-ker and tree guard and protectorate… Agreat hole in the midst of an equallytough 5th, 6th and 8th hole combination.

The ‘South’ courses 8th hole is anoth-er highlight in a course laden withadventure and its new modern holesdesigned to accommodate the long-er hitters and short game specialistsalike. This 540 yard, par 5 monster isworth the green fee alone and willstay with you long after – definitelyone to discuss afterwards!You drive down a corridor of trees toa fairway that doglegs right, leadingto a green guarded by three bunkers,unforgiving and tempting at the sametime.

The ‘East’ courses 5th hole, also arecent addition, features one of thefamous par 3’s that Silkeborg is fa-mous for. It’s a 195 yard favouritethat the members remark as the holethey possibly enjoy the most andenjoy playing most often. It’s easy tosee why. This picturesque hole haswater to the right and a bunker to thefar left. It punishes any deviation inyour drive but the feeling of achieve-ment when you hit it straight andapproach the green is priceless.

All said, the stunning natural featuresare complimented by the expertmaintenance and carefulmanagement of the grounds. With somany holes and three courses tokeep pristine, it’s remarkable thatSilkeborg manage such an exquisiteand professional venue.

Thomas Bjorn at Silkeborg y Golf

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”

http://WWW.srgolf.dk

www.srgolf.dkBookings: +45 86 85 33 99

It looks as good as it plays – and it plays superbly.Consistent throughout and seamless play is to beenjoyed along each of the three courses.Silkeborg Ry Golf Club's impressive restaurant hasundergone a major renovation. The beautiful facili-ties on the first floor overlook the golf course provid-ing fines dining of the highest order and anexperience to match. From the roof terrace youalso have views of one of Denmark's most beautifulgolf courses – a sublime retreat to enjoy a glass ortwo of your favourite indulgence and discuss yourround with friends or business partners. It’s a terrific venue and for the breadth and varietyof available golf courses, its quality of grounds andfacilities and the practical and enjoyable nature,Silkeborg is an ideal choice for long or short breakand an absolute must during your Danish vacation.

SILKEBORG RY GOLFKLUBSommervej 50, 8600 Silkeborg+45 86 85 33 99welcome@srgolf.dk

Silkeborg-courseSommervej 50, 8600 SilkeborgKildebjerg Ry-courseSkovagervej 200, 8680 Ry

Above: Bjorn (again!)Left: Magnificent 5th

premiumTHE FINEST

LYNGBYGAARD GOLF CLUB

Lyngbygaard golf club was founded in 2008 and is locatedjust 5 km or so away from Aarhus – Denmarks second city inthe stunning countryside which makes this part of the worldso absolutely charming and endearing.

Its convenience and ease of access is obviously a majordraw, but the show stopper and asset is the ofthe Golf club and the exceptional challenge of the golf to beenjoyed here.

Upon entering the club, the maintenance, design and beautyhits you instantly – this is a club where the look and feel hasbeen carefully thought through to ensure the visitor andmember golfers are treated to not only a great day’s golf –but a pleasurable and quality day out too.

The first 18 holes opened in 2008 and was designed by re-nowned golf architect, Rick Baril. Baril’s courses are alwaysknown for their attention to detail, their flair and also a touchand thought to history and the traditional sense of the gamewhilst keeping up with modern trends. Baril learnt his tradealongside Von Haage, Devlin and Smelek – all establishedand great course designers. Baril himself describes Lyng-bygaard as a ”compendium of Von Haage, Smelek and Baril,Michael Moller and Thomas Bjorn joining forces to create 27great holes of golf”.

The original 18 holes are considered the premier assortmentfrom the available 27 with a varied and stunning combinationand sequence of holes designed to test and push youaround the course – full of questions, posers and tricksalong the way. The shorter 9 hole course was added in late2009 and plays through a forested area with a “twisted –tighter - loop” that is filled with water hazards and perilousobstacles.

It really is a terrific accompaniment and addition to the 18hole course and well worth the fun to play.

The original 18 hole course measures a meaty (c.) 6,500meters in length and is a testing par 72. You can feel the influenceof the afore-mentioned Bjorn and Baril signature holes which are both clever and charismatic to play.

Jens Christensen describes the 18 hole course as two distinctly different halves of golf. “The first nine are played on a flat,open area, while the last nine runs through a hilly, wooded area” and that “golfers need to be sharp with different wedges tohold their score together”.

The back nine plays especially well and closing four holes in particular. To play the 15th -18th holes in sequence has to beone of the great golf experiences to be enjoyed in Scandinavia!

The 15th and 17th are one shot holes – the former playing uphill to a sand encircled green to the left and right and the latter,again uphill but to an island-like green requiring immense concentration and a steady and accurate approach.

The 16th is a strategic par four that dog-legs to the right. It is testing, teasing and with a surprise or two – it plays as men-tioned like a Thomas Bjorn hole should: Tenacious, clever and with charm. It will reward your accuracy on the fairway with apleasing shot to green, but similarly punish you if you stray to the rough or land in a bunker. Sadly, I failed and took three tothe green following my visit in the bunker – my after round drink consoled me as it seemed I was not the first – and surelynot the last to tell the same tale! J

Finishing on the 18th hole is both a pleasure and genuine challenging par 5 beast of a hole! It’s a long 5 shots, playing uphillto the largest green on the course – the green itself is guarded by bunkers and is intimidating in the flesh. Reaching the holeon par is an achievement and experienced and decent golfers will struggle to avoid a lost shot here – a real gem of a hole.

premiumTHE FINEST

All throughout the course, the grounds are well kept, meticu-lously and expertly maintained with the emphasis on bothquality and a natural feeling – which although is in keepingwith nature, is definitely a golfers-golf course.

The club house is an outstanding piece of modern architec-ture. It is built into the land so that it’s impact doesn’t lookout of place. It is made with natural and sympathetic materi-als so that it looks as though it has been here for many yearsand yet it is at the cutting edge of technology and moderngolf design. It is packed with all the mod-cons and facilities atop, top golf club needs these days if it is ever to be consid-ered as a great course. Everything from your first welcome(from Lyngbygaard’s well trained, friendly and professionalstaff) through the excellent food and drink and outstandingpractice facilities are catered for at the highest level andstandard of excellence.

You are made to feel like a valued and established memberof the club by both the emplyees and the other golfers. Itreally is part of the culture of Lyngbygaard Golf club whichhas filtered down to everyone here – into the magnificentbuilding you enjoy after the great golf.

An exceptional days golf in the most stunning surroundings,surpassed only by the ‘second to none’ service which will,leave you ready to come again, soon.

Lynygbygaard Golf Club,Lyngbygårdsvej 29 , 8220 Brabrand

Tel: +45 8744-1070Web: www.lyg.dk

premiumTHE FINEST

…holiday in North Denmark

Best things to do in Denmark…

Denmark is a country steeped in vivid history and one which is blessed with some of the world’s most spectacular andbeautiful scenery as well as numerous attractions and places to indulge yourself in. Northern Denmark is probablyDenmark’s stand out region which boasts the highlights of these.

The natural landscape and coastline will take your breath away and the countryside, full of tranquil and stunning scenerywill allow you breathe it all back in! There is plentiful and some of the world’s best golfing experiences to be enjoyedall locally (as we have outlined in our Danish section), so travelling locally to spoil yourself with any number of highlightsand memorable destinations in Northern Denmark is an absolute must!

North Denmark allows visitors to enjoy the sight of the sun rising over the Kattegat and, without travelling far, in theevening at the west coast, witness the unique sunset, so celebrated - all within the same day.The acclaimed Skagen painters, Michael Ancher and P. S. Krøyer were both fascinated and virtually obsessed with thenatural and uniquely occurring light and landscape such is the rare and inspiring combination. Photographers, paintersand simply those seeking a get-away and treasured vacation will find something to admire and enjoy.Whether the golfing greats take your fancy, or just luxuriating with the natural treasures, culture or even the great foodand drink Northern Denmark bestows, there is something for everyone here.Numerous galleries, museums and crafts workshops are available to culture hungry visitors with the famed ceramics,glass wear, candles and paintings on offer. The renowned amber works and products as well as the antique fairs andavailability - which include some of the finest anywhere in Europe can be found here.This is an area where many of the native artists, craftsmen and “beautiful” people settle, so it is bursting with characterand much of the very best aspects of this most welcoming and naturally friendly country.Families can seek out the world class Aalborg Zoo, the Nordsøen Oceanarium - where you’re literally inches away fromthe rare and incredible sea life which it supports and aids in conservation projects - the Thy National Park as well asdozens of fun parks, museums and places of interest and prestige. The castles, stately homes and residences are rich inHistory, Højriis Castle, Kokkedal Castle, Voergaard Castle are just three highlights from an impressive and inspiring listof unique and classic destinations.

As part of your visit to Northern Denmark, visit www.visitnordjylland.com to gather a list of places to go and highlightsto visit. You can be assured of a most welcoming and charming country with a range of activities just too good to miss.

www.visitnordjylland.com

North Jutland is bursting with highlights and thingsand places to do and to visit. Right at the very top ofthis list, has got to be Aalborg itself. It is a city whichis comfortable with its position as one of Europe’sbest, most interesting, picturesque, safest, cleanestand most welcoming cities!

Aalborg Golf and Himmerland Golf clubs are close byand absolute “must plays” so combining a visitseems not only sensible, but practical too. Aalborghas a lot to offer. Not only if you would like to goshopping but also if you would like to take part inAalborg's many cultural events. At Aalborg's newwaterfront, you have the option of eating well whileyou follow the life on the Limfjord.In Aalborg, you can experience a lot of good eventsfor kids and adults all year around. Whether a goodvacation for you means interesting attractions,hours of shopping, world class gastronomy or good,cultural experiences Aalborg has something tosurpass your expectations.

…visit Aalborg

Best things to do in Denmark…

Aalborg is full of things to do and the more youseek, the more gems you will find. Aalborg is a partyfor the senses - and the shopping gene! In thecentre of Aalborg, you will find a comprehensiveselection of specialty stores next to largedepartment stores. Here you will find the famouslarge pedestrian shopping streets - Bispensgade andAlgade - with some boutique streets attached foradded interest.

Great culinary experiences await you in Aalborg.There are restaurants for every taste, whether youwant to try the modern Danish kitchen, the Asiankitchen or classic French cuisine. Along the waterfront, you will find a rich selection of restaurants,where you can enjoy good food and the beautifulview over Limfjorden. Do you just need a wellearned rest, Aalborg can offer you a wide selectionof cafés where you can enjoy a good cup of coffee.There are restaurants and cafés for every taste, sodrop by and taste the city!

www.visitaalborg.com

Aalborg Airport is the 3rd largest in Denmark and on May 29, 2013celebrated its 75th anniversary with an expanded and modern terminal.

Aalborg Airport's new terminal building has completely renovated andtotally modernised its entire 12,000m2 area + 7,000m2 of additionalfacilities - Improved check-in, a significantly larger tax-free shoppingarea of c. 500m2, superb new departure and arrival lounges and 1,000new parking spaces.

The business traveller is now comprehensively served by top qualitymeeting areas, for business meetings and an easy 15 minuteconnection to Aalborg City Centre, by bus, taxi or hire car, via one ofthe 5 rental agencies located at the airport.

Remember however, kisses are not permitted for more than 3minutes.

http://www.aal.dk/en/

…Aalborg Airport

Getting there.

In Norway, all golf clubs but one are organized within the Norwegian Golf Federation (NGF). The NGF is the third largestfederation within Norwegian sports. With a total of 114,000 memberships spread over 183 golf clubs, the federationfacilitates golf offers regardless of age, skills and preconditions.

The NGF has the responsibility and authority to develop the Norwegian elite golf through the national teams andage-specific teams between the ages of 13 and 18. The federation translates the Rules of Golf, funds research for betterturf and a better environment and maintains the handicap system. NGF reports to the Golf Assembly consisting ofrepresentatives from the golf clubs.

If you want to come to Norway to play golf, keep in mind that most Norwegian golf courses are products of theenvironment and the Nordic climate. On the south-west coast, you can normally play all year round, but for most courses,the season starts in early may and ends some time in October/November depending on when the frost sets in.

Although Norway in many ways is a small country the distance from south to north is considerable. With a three hour flightfrom south till north, golfers who visit the country are well advised to plan ahead which courses they would like to visit.

NGF will not recommend any courses above others, but there are a number of courses that stand out, both in relation tothe beauty of it´s surroundings and the quality of the golf course.

http://www.golfforbundet.no/

Mik

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MIKLAGARD GOLF CLUB

STAVANGARGOLF CLUB

OSLO GOLF CLUB

BORRE GOLF CLUB

MELANDGOLF CLUB

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THE FINEST GOLF CLUBS IN NORWAY

BYNESETGOLF CLUB

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BORRE GOLF CLUB

Consistently ranked in the top courses ofNorway, Borre Golf Club ( ) is aprime example of that representsthe golf experiences in Scandinavia.Located approx. 90km from Oslo and closeto the Swedish border on the South-Easternedge of Norway, Borre is as fetching to theeye as it is challenging to the golf enthusiast.

Flyers can access Torp Airport which liesabout 20km away and drivers will take aboutan hour’s drive from Oslo, so it’s both easy toget to and far enough away to enjoy thefreedom and tranquillity it contains.

Tommy Nordstrom is credited with the designin 1991, however in 2005 the courseunderwent a massive modernisation andlayout change. Nine superb new holes wereadded and the course was re-routed with thesole aim to push the limits, increase playabilityand extend the golfing experience for all levelsof player. “New Borre” (compliments and adds to the original “GamleBack Nine” layout to achieve a new, modern‘golfers-golf-course!’

I was, sadly, unable to play the original designso cannot compare with any real degree ofaccuracy, however, what remains is stunningto the eye and full of superb holes, allsequenced cleverly to test, push and askquestions of your game –

This “new” course, consists of 6,891 yardsof adrenaline filled golf, all squeezed into apicturesque and aesthetically remarkablepark land and forest scape - par 72.It’s tough and difficult to reach and breakpar, but full of surprises and risk-rewardholes. A high level of thought and technicalknow-how has been invested into thecourse to make certain that it’s worthwhileon every level.Big hitters will be delighted in pushing theirgame and finding routes to glory and shortgame wizards (a little like myself) will equallyenjoy the tactical side of the course and themore finesse inspired lines. It genuinelyprovides a great experience for experiencedgolfers and starters alike, who play for thepleasure and relaxation – not perhaps

.The landscape is typical of the region andfull of beauty and Norwegian charm with theancient forest and softwoods seamlesslymerging and adding to the lush parkland. Itdoesn’t try to be an American or Britishcourse, but remains true and sympatheticto ‘who and what’ it is. A superb, top-tierNorwegian masterpiece!The 5th, 6th and 7th holes are exceptionalpar 4’s and exhilarating in sequence –pushing you to your limits without respite.The 5th hole – “FERGEMANNEN” inparticular is an absolute masterpiece,played from an elevated tee with watercompletely down the left hand side, leadingto a narrow entrance to the island green.Stunning to look at, but even better to play!Any margin for error almost eliminated inyour quest to reach the green withoutfishing for your ball…Hole 6, “BORREVANNET”, though only 325yards is equally challenging with waterplaced immediately in front of the green tocatch any under-hit approaches andundulating sides all around to punish awayward strike.The seventh, “SANDODDEN” is a right handdog leg which leads to a raised greenprotected by two bunkers like sentry men.Terrific holes all three but inspired courselayout when played after each other andworth the visit by themselves!

All along the front and back nine each hole isplaced with thought and consideration and thebreak at the 10th hole, beside Lake Borreprovides a welcome half-way house beside themagnificent ‘Semb Manor House’, a gem of anopportunity to take in and enjoy the scenery aswell as the excellent snacks and drinks availablethere.The 15th is also well worthy of a mention, thealmost 300 yard par 4 plays beautifully, but Iadored it more-so for the absolute beauty of thehole, a joy to play and behold.All over the course there are challenges andholes of real note, great by themselves butexceptional as an 18 hole experience. Thegrounds are manicured and maintained expertly– exactly what you would expect from a coursewhich has hosted top ranking tournaments forprofessionals and world class players. Attentionto detail and meticulous husbandry of the roughand kept fairways is testament to the quality andhigh standards of green keepers and groundmanagers.The fairways are without exception challenging(and punishing) to wayward or lazy drives, thegreens are ALL true and honest. They playconsistently and though (perhaps a little fast)never leave you feeling cheated. Those birdieputts will go down if you play bravely enoughand strike true - absolutely essential in any golfcourse and for any serious round of golf.This course is easily one of Scandinavia’s bestto play and experience for both recreational andserious golfers. It rewards a risk taker but is justas happy for you to play though with a leisurelyround and relaxing party or business jaunt.Practice facilities and locker rooms are superbas is the fantastic club house – everything hasbeen well thought out and managed toperfection to ensure you are made to feelwelcome, comfortable and at ease from thebeginning. The ethos of the club is warm andfriendly and the staff obviously takes pride in theclub – it seems to be inbuilt that they want youto leave having experienced one of Norway’sbest golf clubs.A real gem of a club and course, full of surprisesand quality throughout. I look forward to visitingonce again soon and am certain you will bebusy making plans for a second visit. Lots ofmemorable and superb holes which linger in themind and demand “just another go”.

Borre Golf ClubSemb Hovedgaard

N-3186Horten, Norway

http://www.borregb.no/Tel: +47 416 27 000

EMail: borregb@online.no

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OSLO GOLF CLUB

With a fabulous entrance drive throughthe grounds and a spectacular clubhouse, warm, friendly smiles welcomeyou to the oldest Golf club in Norway –Oslo Golf Club.Situated just a few kilometres Northwestof Oslo, in Bogstad lays one of the finestgolf courses and clubs we have had thepleasure to visit. Because of its proximityto the capital city (it actually lies withinthe city limits) it is a must play andfrequently enjoyed course, though itnever feels busy and you’re never rushedaround the course. The entire operationis however, run like clockwork andexpertly and professionally managed toensure you genuinely enjoy every minuteyou indulge in this great course.It was formed in 1924 and although ithas had various re-developments tobring it into line with the modern gamerequirements, it has remained true to itstraditional and excellent history,providing one of the most challenging,mature courses you are likely to find inScandinavia.The first thing you will note is thetremendous attention to detail and howwell the grounds are managed. Everyshrub, bush and tree in the grounds hasbeen expertly cared for and manicured.The greens and fairways are withoutexception lush, healthy and even duringharsh weather periods, alwaysmaintaining their excellent best. Therough is as you would anticipate from achampionship course – tricky, hazardousand placed mischievously – the greensall perfect like a billiards table and theyplay fast and true – perfect for hittingthose birdie putts on!

The challenging 15th hole

Oslo’s superb 17th hole

The renovation and course works in 2008 have had amassive impact and benefited this great course. SteveForrest – an exceptionally well regarded American golfcourse designer was brought in to bring this statelycourse in line with the big hitting technology game mostcourses and players demand these days (without forget-ting the tactical short game fans).

The practical necessities were not (despite massive in-vestment) forgotten. Triple drainage, a fully automatedirrigation system, ‘sub-air’ under every green – the listgoes on – practically all technological advances in golfcourses were implemented to make Oslo GC one of Eu-rope’s most modern and advanced playing areas. In spiteof these assets, the grounds men and green keepers areevident in their care and passion for the course and inkeeping a touch with Mother Nature. The entire grassscape has been replanted with ‘bent grass’, a relativelynew introduction which despite its notorious difficulty inplanting and maintaining provides the rich, velvety surfacewe enjoy and golfers prefer on modern courses forbounce and consistency in-play.

This new course tips its hat to the traditional values andbest of the old design whilst bringing in a whole newsphere and challenge. It is laid around Lake Bogstad, astunning and beautiful natural feature. Many holes havethe Lake (not only as a back drop to impress) but as ahazard to tempt and threaten your score card with.

The par 71 championship course measuring about 6300m is a truly unique design with long par 3s and watercoming into play on several holes. The view of the water-fall on the 12th hole right next to the green a particularhighlight.

The paradox of being Norway’s oldest golf facility whilstincluding the newest and advanced features is oneForrest, I’m certain insisted upon. It appears to be atheme of constant surprises that you will experience andenjoy throughout the 18 holes. Straight forward holes onfirst glance actually dog-leg and spindle and long thinfairways await with undulation and natural hazardsabundant and in waiting. Long hitters armed with carbonfibre shafts and the like will indulge in stretching theirshoulders on the longer holes, whilst their short and ironplay will be tested equally. It is a course of surprises andtactics and one full of pleasure, rewarding the keen andadventurous whilst allowing the recreational golfer to takein a beautiful and memorable round of top-tier golf.

Oslo’s 11h hole

Oslo GC is a regular host course to the Norwegian Masters and isamongst the favourites for the Solheim Cup in 2019 so itscredentials and CV absolutely speaks for itself in terms of sheerquality and challenge.Any preconceptions you may have had about this old lady of golfcourses in Norway will be absolutely dispelled. Though she mayhave class, tradition and history in her armoury in addition to thestatesman-like feel, she appears to wear something a little moredaring underneath!In terms of simply the golf challenge, the tee positions will eitherpush your game to the very limits or be full of risk and danger onevery hole. Conversely, it also provides a relaxing and subtle roundfor the less adrenaline filled or competitive golfer or golf round.The 11th, 12th and 13th holes are my particular favourites - Thegreen placements are very clever and when placed after each otherwill give you a real buzz. The par 3 11th requires a very accuratedrive onto the green – which is no mean feat given its height andfeel. The putt will be a pleasure or a nightmare – mine the latter aftera slightly wayward approach… The 12th a relatively long par 4 350yard beast which will punish any deviation on your swing with aprocession of trees to the left and a raised green at the end of adog-leg to the left protected by bunkers on every side.Perhaps the 13th is one of the prettier holes on a very picturesquecourse. The lake welcomes and threatens at the same time at theend of the green and will swallow up any long hit shots which findtheir way at the back of the green. The par4 300 yard hole looksstraight forward enough; however your raised tee shot will be testedand punished if your length and accuracy is off by even a fewmetres!Apparently Forrest’s pick of the holes is the 14th – another Lake sidehole and one with mischief in it’s design. The 320 yard par 4 is acombination of long drive with the lake to the left aiming slightly tothe right to the safety of the fairway (whilst trying to avoid the trees)that protect the sharp left hand placed green which sits immediatelybeside the Lake again. Should you manage to reach the greensafely, a line of four bunkers await you and combined with a raisedarea on the right and slope to the water on the left hand side, thehole couldn’t be any more difficult or pleasing (depending on how itwent!).Personality, surprise and a deliberate attempt to push and pull yourgame make this historic and modern day club such a ironicmasterpiece! All the pleasures of 21st century golf with a feel of the1920’s in one place.The club house is packed full of state of the art facilities and therestaurant and changing areas superbly fitted. The staff are amongstthe very best we have enjoyed and together, the Oslo Golf clubexperience is an overwhelmingly terrific experience for competitiveand visiting golfers alike.

Top to bottom:9th ,6th & 14th Holes

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MIKLAGARD GOLF CLUB

I n 2002 an ultra-ambitious aim to create one of theworld’s great golf clubs was started in Miklagard,Norway.Just north of the capital city, Oslo, Miklagard literallytranslates as “The Great City” – fitting then that sucha project would seek to emulate the city name itresides in. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. Mikla-gard Golf Club is as spectacular as it is challenging.A tournament layout with so many highlights andplaudits that we can barely find sufficient pages to dothis great club justice. It is easy to get to by air beingclose to the new Gardermoen International Airportwhich connects to most major cities in Europe andbeyond.

In our seeking Norway’s finest golf experiences,essentially, we wanted to find golf that would becomparable (or superior) to any other golf facility,venue or course anywhere in the world. Miklagard’sintention was to be great, to host major tournamentsto be a flagship player in the European Tour calendar.It has achieved this role and then some with both thequality of its facilities (which are incredible) and thechallenge of such a unique and playable course.Miklagard absolutely justifies its position as (in ouropinion) Norway’s stand out and must play golfcourse.It beams with confidence from every aspect and byany perspective. The entrance is inspiring and oozesa quality and feel that instantly introduces itself assomething special. The quality of its grounds areimmaculate and tended with the utmost care. This isespecially difficult given the Norwegian climate andits own unique challenges.Its ranking and justification as a great Golf venue canbe felt as you enter the unique Club House. It isdistinctly and deliberately Norwegian. Proud of itsculture, design and boasting of its architecture fromthe classic wooden beams through to the tower. Thenatural grass laden roof is something we have neverencountered before but provides a talking point andstands out to present Miklagard as something differ-ent and a Golf club which is prepared to push theboundaries – both literally and hypothetically.It is comfortably considered one of Scandinavia’s top10 golf courses, and we can only endorse this viewwith an upgrade that it could hold itself in terms ofsheer golfing genius against any course in Europe.

The Peugeot Golf guide rate Miklagard asthe number 1 course in Norway, Golf Di-gest as its number 2, Swedish Golf maga-zine confirm it easily makes their top 5courses in Nordic countries and the listcould go on and on. It really is impressivein every single aspect and will take yourbreath away.Professional golfers adore the challengethat Miklagard offers. It’s a brutal6,765 meters in length (7516 yards) so willsatisfy long hitters, strategic players andthose with modern, technology filled golfbags looking to extend and push theirgame to its limits.Regular and keen amateur golfers too willfind this course (probably) the best golfexperience they have ever encountered.There is something there for all types ofplayer, but make no mistake, this is agolfers course and one which doesn’t takeprisoners. It will ultimately reward yourgame when you take risks and punish yourcaution and fear. Tee placement is criticaland our advice is to start without any ego,then return to see how good you really are!In terms of golfing joy, it doesn’t get anybetter than this! You will have to return andplay again, and given the unique layout andthose things you just cannot find anywhereelse, for those golfers looking for the ulti-mate thrill, it is worthy of your time invest-ment and a visit even if you play no otherNorwegian course.Although it is recognised and ranked ashighly as it is, Miklagard is almost to beconsidered a hidden gem given its sheerscope and game. It is truly comparable toany course – anywhere.

The greens are immaculate, fairways ex-pertly maintained. The grounds in theirentirety are managed with precision anddeveloped in keeping with its ‘great’ andworld class venue status. Deep bunkersand the lay of the land protect the greenspresenting almost every hole with the chal-lenge of pushing all aspects of your game.Both Seve’s short game and Tiger’s powergame is needed - no pressure then?

In Miklagard we have the bestgreens I have ever played onTrevor Immelmam

“”

www.miklagardgolf.noBookings: Tel +47 63 94

The changes in elevation combined with the length, really make this something else. As mentioned, the fairways and greensare honest and true so when you do get your shots right, the course responds consistently and fairly. It is everything you wouldexpect from a great course and from an extraordinary experience.The facilities, the club house and most pertinently the service here are second to none and managed from the top down witheffortless ease and sublime attention. It is no overstatement to say that every member of staff will greet you with a welcomingand friendly smile which feels genuine, and it probably is. The Norwegian culture comes through to all who visit and the “gladto see you, please come in” warmth belies its often chilly climate.Given that the course was opened in 2002, it looks remarkably mature and natural. The scenery is spectacular and inspiring.It is typically Norwegian and though adds an element of class does not look or feel pretentious. You will feel relaxed and atease and taking in the surroundings only adds to this great feeling. As the course develops and grows in stature (as itundeniably will) Miklagard will only become a greater and greater experience which is a frightening prospect.As Jones Jr.’s first Norwegian golf project, Miklagard has set the bar of achievement impossibly high. Trent Jones himselfstated: "This breathtaking 6,707-meter golf course is set in a beautiful farming landscape, its grasses burnished with northernsummer sun and glistening in the champagne snow of winter. This is a big, brash course as impressive as its NorwegianViking history. It takes fierce, strong men to match its hilly terrain, and beautiful Nordic ladies to equal the charm of itslake-lined and flower-laden attractions. We are proud to welcome Miklagard into our worldwide family of golf courses."And in the words of Craig Dyce, the General Manager of PGA European Tour Courses, "We firmly believe that in Miklagardwe have become involved in the premier golf facility in Norway. This goes right from your wonderful golf course to thefirst-class practice facilities and the welcoming clubhouse."In case this isn't praise enough, touring professional Trevor Immelman has commented that Miklagard possesses the bestgreens he's ever played on. Management values the conditions of these greens so deeply that they will fine any player foundwithout a divot tool, and eject any player who carries one but doesn't use it. It may appear harsh, but when you see the coursefor your self – you will absolutely agree that this is a marvel to play and an experience to savour and look forward to treatingyourself to again and again.The marvellous Miklagard Golf Club.

Miklagard GolfPostboks 87, 2041 KløftaEmail: elisa@miklagardgolf.noWeb: www.miklagardgolf.noTel +47 63 94 31 00

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STAVANGAR GOLF CLUB

N orway is fast becoming a must play golf countrywith unexplored and breath-taking courses, uniqueand exclusive to its native environment and culture.Stavanger golf club – Norway’s fifth oldest golf club –founded 5th April 1956, stands out as easily one ofthe best and a must play course on your Norwegianadventure!Stavanger really is a golfer’s course. Designed withchallenge in mind and made to push your shot-mak-ing and shot-itinerary. It’s a beautifully situated be-side Lake Store Stokkavatn and just a few minutesaway from the town centre, though you would neverknow it!It has a rich history of hosting major championshipsincluding the Norwegian (18 times), the Nordic (2),Norwegian Open Championships (1) as well as theEuropean Ladies Championships (1) so obviouslypushes both keen amateurs and serious players inequal measure.Its course layout is made to surprise and challengeyou equally, without being pretentious.You can still enjoy the scenery (and your company)and meander your way through the course if you sodesire, but for those of you who like the challenge ofa new course, or one which favours the brave, Sta-vanger is a real treat.The course has undergone an extensive renovationand modernisation programme at a cost of some40million NOK, and this hard and costly work showsall over the course.The greens and fairways are terrifically maintainedyear round. The climate presents its own uniqueblend of challenges, but in our experience you sim-ply would not know it.It is a modern, year round course, superb narrowfairways and good, dry, undulating greens whichadd to the challenge.It has a par 71 and weighs in at just under 6000mso can be an enjoyable experience for both ama-teurs, short and long hitters. The rough, though fear-some, is well maintained. Even a wayward shotshouldn’t result in a lost ball (or two!).

www.sgk.no

The course is primarily about precisionhitting, of course the length of your drive isa consideration, but not an ultimatum likemany courses.

Your short game too – and perhapsmore so is tested here. Intricate and chal-lenging greens where placement and fi-nesses is balanced against the modernneed for ‘mile long drives’.It’s the sort of course Seve Ballesteroswould enjoy and want to play I’m sure.

As with all of our recommended andmust play courses and clubs, the courseis only 50% of the attraction. The generalfeeling and welcome, your comfort andability to relax – either beforehand, duringor after the round is imperative.

If, like me, golf isn’t always about hit-ting the course within seconds of arriving,blasting the ball from nondescript tees onforgetful (if pretty) parks, Golf clubs likeStavanger are perfect.

The general feeling of a relaxed andwelcome introduction making you feel atease straight away is presented to youwhen you turn into these stunning grounds.

Although it is close by the town ofStavanger, it feels like a million miles away.No distractions, , to interfereor bother you and you feel transported toa peaceful recluse where golf is king.

Holes 3 and 17 – two cracking par 3’sare worth the visit in themselves. Yousavour these two holes. They are compara-ble to any other world class course andthough distinctly Norwegian could adornany major championship with their cleverand feisty demands.

The bunkers are placed around thegreens making both selection and the mak-ing of shots a real process. You genuinelyneed to know both your game and yourlimits to prevail.

Holes 3 and 17 – two crackingpar 3’s are worth the visit inthemselves. You must savourthese two holes. ”

“

www.sgk.noTel +47 63 94 31 00

The restaurant and bar (both newly built) areexceptional. Quality of food, drink, and per-haps most telling, the service – are second tonone. It really is a pleasure to enjoy a mealhere with a fine bottle of wine after a memora-ble round of the finest golf. All of the staff herewill make you feel at home and assist you ifrequired without hesitation. These days, golfclubs need to be more than just a round ofgolf – numerous attributes and qualities arecompared and considered when decidingwho and where to play. All boxes will beticked at Stavanger – seriously.Stavanger has been compared in similarterms to Augusta with its flower arrangements,stone bridges, scenery and attention to detail.All fairly accurate due to the care, investmentand sheer quality of grounds and decoration/features.For me, however, it is unique in its charm andhas its own aura. An absolute charm, full ofstunning scenery and presence, kept magnifi-cently and a welcome visit for either a busi-ness get together, friendly four ball or just amust play round of golf at a course worth trav-elling to Norway for.Distinctly Stavanger.

Stavanger Golfklubb

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MELAND GOLF KLUBB

MELAND GOLF KLUBB

Norway has proven to be full of surprises exquisite golfclubs and courses with a character and charm unique to itsenvironment and culture.

Encapsulating all the very best features is Meland Golf Club,located in Frekhaug, just to the North of Bergen and set inamongst the most beautiful fjord and Norwegian forestsetting.

Regularly ranked in the top handful of clubs in Norway it’seasy to see why. Its mountainous, rugged and ancient forestlandscape is stunning – combined with the majestic fjordswhich line the course, this is a real head turner frombeginning to end. , charismatic features; uniqueto Norway, provide a unique golf experience which you willuse as a benchmark for all future golf expeditions.

It is a relatively new course having been designed by RobertA Hunt in 1999, but although it contains all of the essentialmodern day criteria from holes capable of allowing themodern technology filled golf bags (with the extra drivelengths) – together with all mod-cons and facilities themodern day golfer and traveller demands – it looks and feelsas though it has been part of the landscape for hundreds ofyears!

It is as beautiful and stunning as it is playable andchallenging. Almost nowhere else in the world you couldexpect to find a course like this – it really is a course thatwill linger in your memory.

The par 73, (c.) 6,850 yard course is full of surpriseand character and although we played after a rainyweekend, the course remained exquisite, lush, playedbeautifully and retained its shape and high standard onevery hole and in every area of the course.

The entrance to the club and drive into the grounds isimmaculately maintained and the investment in both timeand money is apparent. The shrubs, trees and practiceareas superb and detailed to allow for a relaxing andwelcoming introduction. The club house is a breath-taking building, finished in white and reminiscent of astately home, striking out from the beauty of the courseand overlooking the 18th as you return for a deserveddrink and meal.

The fairways are tight and challenging withoutexception, the greens are consistent, true and although alittle fast, will reward the adventurous and birdie putters.Exactly what a top course should be. Every hole has it’sown character and I can genuinely say there is no holewhere you can relax or stop concentrating. It is an 18hole experience and one worth a visit to Norway by itself!!

Professional golfers and former presidents it seems areunited in their praise and adoration for this exceptionalvenue. The service and care provided to every visitor isadmirable, I enjoyed smiles, help and constant assistancefrom helpful and well trained staff who took pride in theirexcellent service. The food and drink was fantastic,offering a varied menu from traditional Norwegian cuisinethrough to restaurant quality, freshly prepared food.Meland connoisseurs and members like to say that it isfrom the 14th hole that Meland "begins."Apparently –

– regular players havenicknamed the 14th, 15th and 16th holes the BermudaTriangle! This should provide a glimpse of what awaitsyou.

MELAND GOLF KLUBB

Former US president Bill Clinton, an experiencedand critical commentator - of golf and golf coursesin particular - was noted as stating “ Meland GolfCourse is a masterpiece to the eye and to the game–even if my shots were a little lacking, the coursecertainly as not…!”

clubhouse

Majestic 13th

Above: 14th

Below: 16th

Far Below: Picturesque 8th

The back nine is perhaps a little more demanding –certainly the holes are without exception challenging andthought provoking – though I enjoyed all 18 holes as acourse in itself. The bunkers and water hazards appearand guard the greens and wayward shots throughoutand test both your long game and your short gamesequally. It’s a combination of American and Scottishinfluenced course in my opinion. Powerful at times,tactical in places – but fun – All the way round! TheNorwegian ingredient is the sheer beauty, aura andmagic you will only find here. Impossible to replicate orfind at any other golf course.

Beginning your round, three par 5 monsters introduceyou to Meland in the first 5 holes, both a pleasure andstart to remember – certainly demanding presence ofmind as well as body. The stunning 8th hole looksdownhill into the magnificent fjord. Literally, awe inspiringand perhaps my favourite hole from an enviableselection.

Two other notable holes from my perspective (amongst16 other equally great holes…) are the 11th and 16thholes. The 11th is a short par 4, a tricky and clever holerequiring skill and presence and the monster16th is a massive par 5, 630+ yard beast of a hole.I can understand why members and regulars tend to fearthe course from the 14th – the 16th justifiably reinforcesthat point (as it thrashes you physically from beginning toend). A gem and terrific hole full of fun and frustration asmuch as it contains excitement and a sense ofachievement at its end.

The intimidating 18th Island green par three hole awaitingyou sums up an exceptional experience and achievingpar here is an achievement all by itself.When I finished my memorable round at Meland, I felt asense of achievement, as though I had overcome a living,breathing course designed to push me the entire wayround. It is perfectly playable at a more leisurely pace forrecreational players or business get-togethers, howeverthat would be like taking a Lioness out for a game offetch.A superb experience matched by state of the art facilitiesand complimented by a staff highly trained andwelcoming to such a high degree I felt like a member ofthe club.

A formidable Lioness – or Tiger. Take your pick.Anyhow you look at it – Meland is a golf experience tosavour and enjoy and one I shall look forward to re-visiting again very soon.

Leirvik Gard5918 FrekhaugNorway

Fax: +47 56 17 77 22

post@melandgolf.no

Above: 11th

Above: 18th

Below: 8th

http://www.melandgolf.no/

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BYNESET GOLF KLUBB

Trondheim was founded in the Viking days, way back in 997AD. It is , of course steeped in history and culture, not simplybecause it used to be Norway’s capital city. Trondheim is hostto the World’s northern most medieval cathedral, the fantasticNidaros Cathedral as well as numerous museums, attractionsand places of historic importance and natural beauty.The acclaimed golf course design company, Donald Steel –the only design co. to work on the Jubilee course at St An-drews since Harry Colt back in 1913 and also responsible forfamous courses like Royal Liverpool, Royal Lytham and StAnnes, Royal St Georges and Royal County Down – just toname but a few – is responsible for one of Norway’s – and Eu-rope’s for that matter – finest and most playable golf course.Outside of Norway, perhaps Byneset Golf club is little known.This is one of those trade secrets which is about to be shat-tered and is about to explode to a flurry of interest from golfersacross the world looking for that special something and thatunique challenge only the greatest clubs can supply.Byneset is ranked consistently in the top golf courses of Nor-way, and set in the historic city of Trondheim it is hardly inac-cessible or located in far flung climbs. Yet most US, Europeanand Asian golfers would be stretched to admit to any knowl-edge of such an outstanding golf course.It is a monster par 72, 18 hole masterpiece. Measuring ap-prox. 6,300 yards it is full of tactical and physical questionsand posers that are as clever and frustrating as they are funand tough to play.The architects at Donald Steel was especially proud of thiscourse and the challenges which were implanted into it. It re-tains all of those special Norwegian features, unique to Norwayas well as keeping the character and charm which only Nor-way can provide. This was vital in not only delivering a worldclass venue, but producing one which was both unique andhad a presence and personality all of its own – to make it“special”.Like many of the best Steel courses, Byneset is based upon aminimalist, clever and charming design. Not over crowded orovertly eager to demonstrate bunkers and hazards for thesake of it. Everything on this course is here for a reason andhas been considered and strategically placed. In much thesame way that Royal County Down, or Royal Lytham and StAnne’s plays with subtlety and style over ostentatious ‘logo’ orone-upmanship which a few vulgar modern courses havetended to follow recently.

Slight dog-legs, twists and turns to push your drives and teeshots. Every shot is a thought and consideration and the linesneed to be good, not only in length by in bravery too. The undula-tion is just right and at the right length of each hole. Bumps, hol-lows and bunkers add to the challenge on virtually every hole andpush you around the course in a most charmed and charismaticway.

Byneset Golf club really has a personality of its own and onewhich carries a wealth of strategies and challenges for all levels ofgolfer. Professional golfers through to weekend players would bewell entertained and every shot, from wedges, chips to ap-proaches needs – and demands – your utmost attention.The fairways are consistent and exceptionally well maintained.The rough is just right and tree lines edges provide the screenand barrier you need to see the shot ahead.The scenery all around you is typically and beautifully Norwegian.Mature pines and forests as far as the eye can see with hills andthe rugged countryside providing the back drop to your mostmemorable round of golf.The bunkers are deep and threatening and strategically placed tomaximise the damage to your round. It really is no exaggerationto say that from the start of the round, you are under pressure onevery hole. It is real golf, for real golfers. Thoroughly enjoyableand exhilarating.

The third hole is a cheeky par 4 with a slight dog-leg left. The teeshot is over a hollow and there's a plateau at around 200-220metres where you absolutely need to land your ball. Missing thissanctuary will probably mean you are playing blind uphill, orworse still are in one of the pot bunkers… The approach is thenuphill to a semi blind green which itself has its own list of chal-lenges to the hole. It is honest and clever rather than dishonestand unfair.

The 12th is another memorable short par 4 – a stand of tall pinesawaits down the line which gives a slightly misleading sense ofperspective. It’s clever and witty how your shot is compromisedand you question every part of your game. Identifying and con-centrating on the flag placement is critical as a blind approachmay follow otherwise.Throughout Byneset, virtually every hole has its distinctpersonality and pleasures to be gleaned – the 17th and 18th rankas most golfer’s favourites judging by the members and visitorswe spoke with.

The 17th is a short par 5 with a blind tee shot and a fairway thatslopes right towards two pot bunkers.

Byneset GolfklubbSannen, 7018 Trondheim,NorwayTel: +47 72595152Email: nina@bynesetgolf.noWeb: http://www.bynesetgolf.no/

A solid drive will land in the hollow, alongsidethe bunkers (hopefully not in them!). Yoursecond shot may be semi blind to the flag,but is a relatively short approach to quite alarge green!The 18th is an exceptionally strong closinghole and one which will leave you salivatingfor more! A par 4 dog-leg which is over400m in length and uphill all the way, soplays and feels significantly longer. My groupand I all played a classic bump and run shotusing the slope on the right hand side to runinto the green. The beauty is there are nu-merous different themes and routes and de-pendent upon the weather conditions orseason of the year, there are countless op-tions you can take to extract the best fromthe course. Big hitters or short tactical wiz-ards will both find a way round and swear bytheir choices!The golf, as we have experienced is an ab-solute wonder to play and enjoy – this is ofcourse, just a part of great golf experiences.It’s service and feeling needs to just right toensure a positive experience can be takenaway. Byneset again, demonstrates its pro-fessional, welcoming and charming de-meanour to exceed all expectations you maytake.

The club house looks as though it is builtinto the land. An imposing structure which(though modern) in design, looks perfectly intune with its surroundings. It is made of nat-ural materials and is extraordinary in its detailand architecture. It contains as you wouldexpect all the mod cons to satisfy the mostdiscerning golfer with both food and drink ofthe highest standards.The staff are without exception polite, helpfuland friendly. Eager to help and assist you toallow you to make the most of your visit.Practice facilities are plentiful and in keepingwith it’s world class feeling.We all felt privileged and delighted with ourvisit to Byneset. It is easily one ofScandinavia’s great courses and combinedwith a visit to Trondheim is a must see anddo item on your agenda.

The Finnish Golf Union was founded in 1957 and now boasts 173 golf courses and over 114,000 registered players.Golf is now one of Finland’s largest and nost participated sports and is growing at a significant rate. The FGU overseesthe game of golf from both a players and club’s perspective. Encouraging elite athletes and development as well asensuring a high level for the everyday golfer to enjoy.

The climate plays a fundamental part of golf in Finland and the courses reflect the nature of the environment. Finlandhas many unique attributes and an identity of its own and can offer golf at midnight through to all day (and night)games! The infrastructure within Finland is excellent and offers the travelling golfer a unique and memorableexperience to visit some once in a lifetime golf clubs.

www.golf.fi

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KYTAJA GOLF CLUB

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HIRSALA GOLF CLUB

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KYTAJA GOLF CLUB

2 world class courses in one unique surrounding. Seriously,a memorable and astonishing experience in every singleaspect. We have to find the , the absolute ‘finest’ withour recommendations and selections for the best golfexperiences that Scandinavia has to offer. With Kytäjä GolfClub, we couldn’t be more confident that this is as spectac-ular as it is enjoyable.

Kytäjä Golf Club is close to the city of Hyvinkää and about50 kilometres from the capital Helsinki, with excellent infra-structure this equates to a comfy 30 minute drive. It issituated in the most picturesque and beautiful Finnishcountryside and is breath taking in its charm and naturalbeauty.

The look and feel immediately gives the impression ofquality and supreme excellence in its care, attention andsheer world class status. Since its opening in 2003, KytäjäGolf has become synonymous with the best that premiergolf facilities have to offer. It is located in the historic ‘millieuof Kytäjä Hyvinkää’, the two first-rate courses, the expan-sive practise areas as well as the stylish and modernclubhouse; Kytäjä Golf exists in a class with few equalsaround the world.Canadian golf course architect Thomas McBroom de-signed both the South East course and the North Westcourses. Stylistically both courses represent modern NorthAmerican golf course architecture at its best. Wide fairways,all-encompassing shaping of surface areas and the strongcontrasts in the overall colour scheme make each round avivid experience.

The play areas are optimised to withstand the intensenorthern weather conditions during the whole golf seasondue to a combination of expert management and innovativebuilding techniques. Though designed in an American stylein its width and length, it retains a European sense and feelwith its challenge - and absolutely remains distinctly Finnishin its character and ambience.

The courses at Kytäjä have received numerous awardsboth within Finland and internationally and it is ranked asthe number one course in Finland by most professional golfwriters, and we emphatically agree with all plaudits andrecognition this superb facility has and will receive!

South East, the older of the two courses atKytäjä, was completed in 2003. Although inrelative terms it is still a youngster at a mere10 or so years old, it already feels as thoughit has lived and breathed for many moreyears, The course is mature and shrubs,greens and fairways are all established bely-ing its age.

As the first world-class course in Finland, itgarnered immediate interest and attentionand despite being the ultimate golf experi-ence in Finland and one of the top in Europe,it genuinely will only get better!

South East has a dual personality. The firstnine holes are situated in a spacious forestlandscape with great variations in elevation.Many of the holes are played downhill withspectacular scenery from the tees giving ahint of the challenges to come. The first teeallows a view of the entire course and shouldyou enjoy as we did, an early morning round,the mist coming from Lake Kytäjä shroudingthe land is one of Nature’s real treats. Amaz-ing. The sun beams through the tall Finnishpines to create a mythical feel and one thatwill live with you long after the round hasbeen completed.

The back nine is more level and open reminis-cent of traditional links-style courses. The par5 holes 14 and 18 border the crystal clearLake Kytäjä lending a distinct visual atmos-phere while challenging your game and yourstrategies away from safety and comfort totaking risks and pushing the boundaries (liter-ally) of your game to its fullest. The SouthEast stands out with wide fairways, deepbunkers and expansive greens.

The greens are cleverly and deceptivelyplaced - often with elevated and false frontsto challenge your short and putting gamestoo. Throughout the course, the fairways andgreen in particular are regular, consistent andfair. They play true which allows you to playyour game without the worry of a badbounce as all world class courses, ofcourse, should. This course alone would beworthy of a visit and a few rounds, before wehave even set foot on the second, spectacu-lar course.

Kytäjä's second course, completed in Au-gust 2004, is also named after its geograph-ic location. The North West coursemeanders through changing topography of-fering both visual delights as well as engag-ing playing conditions. Were in not for itslocation also in Kytäjä, the North Westcourse would undoubtedly compete onequal footing with South East for title of bestcourse in Finland.

The first five holes of North West are locatedin an expansive and open landscape reminis-cent of those fabled places where golf wasfirst played so long ago. The rest of thecourse is situated in diverse and ruggedterrain bringing changes in elevation. Rockyoutcroppings border some of the holes andgive the course its distinct personality. Theview from back tee of 17th overlooking LakeKytäjä, both courses, and the clubhousecomplex will leave you in awe. It is worthtaking a moment to reflect and take it all in.It’s special, tranquil, naturally delightful andinspiring.

The shaping of North West is horizontallyand vertically softer than its sibling SouthEast. In addition, rounded tees, wide fair-ways and open green fronts make thiscourse slightly friendlier to play, though bothcourses are equally challenging and playableto the most competitive and even profession-al golfer.

In designing the course, McBroom wantedto build both a unique and unforgettable golfexperience. Money was no object in creatingand establishing itself as a distinctly Finnishclub whilst taking in the best from all over theworld. This was a course that he wanted todesign for players (not only from Finland) butfor golfer to enjoy and take in.

"Our vision in Kytäjä project is to build twocourses that are distinctive and unforgetta-ble. On Lakeside - course (South East -course) there are several holes that aresomehow challenged by the lake Kytäjäalongside them. Especially holes 13 -18thare outstanding. Forest -course (North West-course) is played in more arboreous scenery.The Tee shot from the back tee of 17th isextra special; taking place from the middle ofthe woods to the fairway 30 meters below.

The facilities and relaxing areas are all of the highest quality – saunas for bothsexes are provided and the traditional aspects of a clubhouse with fireplace andlounge also prepared to the best possible degree of comfort.Golf resorts and clubs have to be all encompassing these days and our selec-tions must include all areas of provision and entertainment so that you can visita course, entertain, relax, play and even possibly visit for business comfortablyaware that your guests and friends will be impressed and can enjoy the experi-ence. Kytäjä will not disappoint in any feature or aspect here too.

The restaurant provides fine dining and a superb selection of high quality cuisinethroughout the season. There are also "halfway houses" on both courses whereyou can enjoy a drink, refreshments and snacks again enjoying top quality features.

Finally, the practicing area’s at Kytäjä Golf are world class. There’s plenty ofspace for all players in the 12 hectare driving range and short game area. Thedriving range has four different hitting areas and all slots can be hit from grass(no turf mats). Even the golf balls are all top quality, with only Callaway balls onoffer. The target greens with bunkers allowing practice from a variety of distanc-es also speak of the high degree of thought, function and expertly managedfacilities that Kytäjä boasts.

Golf (and life for that matter) is all about those experiences that linger and thosethat can be recanted and explored and spoken over with friends. This courseand experience is truly one of those magical and exceptional memories that isworth its weight in gold. With so much attention, detail, care and love investedin Kytäjä, you have to experience the feel, challenge and warmth this superbFinnish Club has to offer.

Kytäjä Golf Oy Kytäjäntie 1265

Tel. +358 19 4565700 Email caddiemaster@kytajagolf.fi

Web www.kytajagolf.fi

Generally speaking both courses are bold, rousing, North American design influ-enced with wide fairways. We have attached qualities from natural forest, rocks,creeks and field lands to the layouts. The Important part of the project was ahistory of Kytäjä area and preservation of the native agricultural heritage it has.

One of the main factors of a great golf course is its playability and making sure thatgolfers in every level can have a great golf experience. We've designed holes thatare challenging yet not punishing and enjoyable without being easy.Top quality green keeping and conditioning of the course are definitive require-ments. To achieve this we've selected specified materials and methods in building.We believe that this leads to the best possible quality. All in all, Kytäjä has everyelement to be a world glass golf destination."

On each and every level and ambition, McBroom and the management at Kytäjähave succeeded in creating a unique and spectacular course, club and golf andrecreational experience.

In designing the clubhouse, Pääsky & Siistonen Oy, with head designer PerttiPääsky wanted to produce and install a landmark and memorable feature whichcould offer all of the world class features to compliment the world class course.In keeping with modern Finnish expectations and character, it is ultra-modernwhilst staying true to sustainable, natural raw materials. It is made of stone,wood and renewable resources. It covers approx. 1500m2 and boasts a 380 m2terrace which would be worthy of a visit by itself! Attention to detail is evidentthroughout the entire club. It is practical and functional – but at the same time isopulent and luxurious without being . It feels very comfortable and thisis amplified by the superb staff and welcome which greets everybody that visits.

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HIRSALA GOLF CLUB

Unveiled in 2007, the course at Hirsala is a David Jones De-sign that lies about 19kms West of Helsinki, just South of Es-poo in Finland and is a mere 30 mins or so drive from theheart of Helsinki.

Hirsala is located in a forest in east Kikkonummi and wascarefully constructed to minimize disturbing sensitive habi-tats. The course doesn't feel so much carved out of thewoods as it does a natural extension of the landscape. Thecourse contains large areas of protected wetlands and tworare, protected and notable species (the blackwoodpecker and hazel grouse) are resident.

Hirsala have paid special attention to creating habitat corri-dors to allow wildlife to move about freely without getting inthe way of the golf and golfers.

HIRSALA GOLF CLUB

The modern, high-class clubhouse is as impressive as it iscomfortable. It is an imposing structure, which appears tobe built into the land and doesn’t stand out of place de-spite its modernistic appeal and sway. It has a square –Scandinavian elegance, built with modern steel and glassmaterials as well as natural stone and wood. The viewingbalconies and areas are stunning and offer unbelievableareas to relax and enjoy the freshly made food and drink.

The sheer quality and challenge of this difficult (but hugelyrewarding) golf course has led to it hosting the FinnishOpen in 2011 - only four years after its opening. Thiscourse is one, just a few years later, which is improvingand maturing year after year into an even better golfingexperience.

The Fins are renowned for their design, Eco-conscience,hospitality and high competitive nature and this course isone which sums up the national identity in all these areas!

Forest covers 86 percent of the country and its 187,888lakes are home to hundreds of thousands of weekend get-away cabins. The Finnish people love the outdoors - evenwhen it's cold, and the owners of Hirsala Golf Club havetaken this affection to the Finnish outdoors (together with arespect of the natural land) to create a golf club andcourse which is uniquely Finnish in character and terrificfun to play.

Its green credentials are simply without equal. Hirsala wasthe first club in Finland to be GEO certified and amongstthe first in the world and “The Mother Nature Network”chose Hirsala as one of the top 5 golf clubs worldwide tobe awarded the greenest golf courses in the world.

Everything in Hirsala has a conscience – the golf carts,signs, ball washers – even the trash bins are ecologicallysound. Free corn-made tees are given to all golfers toeliminate the plastic on site and score cards are smaller toreduce paper wastage. It’s always nice to feel as thoughyou are making or helping to make a difference – howeversmall or apparently insignificant!

HIRSALA GOLF CLUB

Hirsala Golf,Southern Finland is 18 holes Par 72 (6265 metres yards)Designed by David JonesHirsalantie 215, Kirkkonummi, Southern Finland, 02420 JORVAS Finland

Tel: +358 0 207 412369http://www.hirsalagolf.fi/

HIRSALA GOLF CLUB

Numerous professional golfers who play here have nick-named holes 6-8 the “Amen Corner of Hirsala” such isthe quality, challenge and rewarding experience to beenjoyed. Exceptionally well designed to push your shotselection and accuracy (as well as searching for yourinner bravery and Tiger or Rory..!)

The two last holes are among the three most difficultholes of the course by popular choice and identification.The third one of those three is hole #1. Hitting par on(any of) these three holes should result in an exceptionalcard. By no means should this result in your looking toplay either the first, seventeenth or eighteenth holes toosafely. It is probably the kiss of death to any hopes of animpressive round to venture carefully.

The clubhouse is one of (if not THE biggest) in Finlandwith its 2200 square meters and 10 000 cubic meters. Ithas three floors including two private saunas, aconference room, a 100 seater, top class, fine diningrestaurant and superbly fitted make and female lockerrooms.

A famous (or infamous) stuffed linx adorns the clubhousewall and is apparently a celebrity in these parts! J - It’ssaid that he played the major role in the 98’ blockbuster,“The boy and the Lynx” – a Finnish movie – no hardfeelings to any non-Fins who may have missed thatpiece of cinematic heraldry!

The pro shop is owned by Hirsala Golf and maintains thesame exacting standards and high quality theme. OnlyPebble beach and Augusta can boast some of thefeatured brands (Kjus, Glenbrae and Duca del Cosma).The driving range is in keeping once again with the nowstandard high and premium level of quality you can findthroughout and also uses mainly eco friendly balls tokeep with its sensitive and sustainable theme.

The nearby Långvik Congress Wellness Hotel offer theirguests a green fee package including not only the nightin the hotel with access to the spa and gym and otherfacilities but also a round of golf in Hirsala. We used thisoption and were extremely pleased with the standardsand equally good service to be enjoyed at Långvik. If youare interested in having a look the link is below:www.langvik.fi and the green fee package athttp://www.langvik.fi/en/holiday/hotel/packages-and-offers/golf-package

Hirsala Golf,Hirsalantie 215, Kirkkonummi,

Southern Finland,02420 JORVAS Finland

Tel: +358 0 207 412369

http://www.hirsalagolf.fi/

Above: 11th

“W I H I

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The Golf Union of Iceland is expertly managed by Hordur Thorsteinsson and presides over an ever increasing and expandingrange of unique golf courses and clubs in one of the world’s great natural environments and

Iceland has over 65 courses and 16,000 registered players - which given its relative size and population is remarkable!

The Golf Union of Iceland was founded in 1942 and manages both the amateur game, elite development as well as advisingand aiding the countries golf facilities and clubs to increase in both quality and popularity.

The challenges facing the course builder and architects is immense and some of the courses innovative and unique solutionsprovide golfers from all the world with hazards, holes and course challenges that only Icelandic clubs can offer. With the expertcare and attention of Mr Thorsteinsson, Icelandic golf is set to expand even further and welcome golfers who can expect notonly a game of golf that they will never forget, but also a uniquely Icelandic charm and experience.

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HELLISHOLAR GOLF

GOLFKLUBBURREYKJAVIKUR

GOLFKLUBBURINNKEILIR

GOLFKLUBBURINODDUR

BRAUTARHOLTGOLF CLUB

HELLA GOLF CLUB

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BRAUTARHOLT GOLF CLUB

celand is genuinely becoming a golfers dream venue.The stunning scenery and adventurous nature is wellknown and renowned. It presents a unique backdrop tothe great game of golf, and where careful design, man-agement and dedication exist, golf clubs with the sheerquality and challenge of Brautarholt Golf Club can thrive!

Without a doubt, one of the finest golf experiences you may enjoy can be found within a few short

miles of Reykjavik city. Brautarholt Golf Club is ideallysituated in the Greater Reykjavik Area and close to nu-merous hotels and guest houses for easy transfers andconvenience in combining different “things-to-do”in yourvisit.

The breathtaking nature and the view of Reykjavik itselfare just two of the unique attributes of this stunningcourse. Brautarholt Golf Club‘s world class facilities andgolf course are true testament to what can be achievedwith expert management. The fairways and greens en-courage wildlife without interfering with your round. Thefacilities exude quality and comfort without blemishing itssurroundings.

The service and welcome you are sure to receive instantlyrelax you and put you at ease. All essential in your golfingexperience.

The course was opened in 2012 but looks and feels asthough it is a mature and established round of golf. Itreally is a pleasure to play and walk around this course.The overall feel and ambience is a most positive one.Brautarholt comfortably makes our elite list of Finest Golfclubs and courses in Scandinavia with room to spare andthe promise of a true world class golf club.

It is undeniably to Iceland and utilises all of thenatural and features you may expect it too.However, this course and club could rival any top club forits design, challenge, nature – its service and welcomesurpasses most and perhaps this adds those extra vitalingredients to what is already an awesome golfing treat.

I

Holes 1 and 5 hole are characterised bymany as signature holes due to their owntesting and challenging features. The firsthole is an extremely difficult par 5 where thegreen sits on sheer rock beside the coast. Itreally sets the scene and makes you hit theground running. Intriguing and demanding atthe same time and a wonderful experiencefor both short and long hitters.

The fifth hole is a long par 3 over the Gold-Chest Creek. A gem to play and easily oneof the best par 3‘s in Scandinavia – let aloneIceland.

Golf needs to be a balance of risk and re-ward and also of the pleasure of the experi-ence or motivation to push your game to itslimits. Its these paradoxes which have madegolf the game it is today, enabling business-men to enjoy a round together, professionalplayers to seek perfection in precision andpower and the enthusiast to simply enjoy thechallenge for the feel, look, and the sportitself.

Managing to compensate and satisfy allthree categories remains today's golfing re-quirement. Brautarholt, you will find, genuine-ly manages to do so.

The first 9 holes in this ambitious golf coursedevelopment (with larger greens than almostall other Icelandic courses) are all worth avisit and worthy of the challenge. They reallywet the appetite for the back nine to followand all conforming to USGA requirementsand guides. They cleverly combine the bestof American golf, with the challenge of thebest established and traditional golf coursesof Scotland – but all with a unique and “Ice-land-only tag“ which makes it unmissable.

In addition to the obvious attraction of theabundant natural features, the flora and fau-na Brautarholt Golf Club proudly boasts, theadded incentive to visit and play midnightgolf is available and perhaps is somethingyou on your visit..

A gem to play and easily one ofthe best par 3‘s in Scandinavia –let alone Iceland. ”

“

www.gbr.isBookings: Tel +354 5666045

Official address:Golfklúbbur BrautarholtsBrautarholt 1, Kjalarnes116 ReykjavikIcelandTelephone: +354 5666045Email: gbr@gbr.isWebsite: www.gbr.is

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HELLA GOLF CLUB

Along while and countless arguments were required inestablishing the Finest golf experiences, clubs and cours-es in Iceland – let alone in Scandinavia.

The natural environment, unique attributes, quality offacility – even the level of service has all been taken intoaccount. Many clubs and courses ticked most boxes, fewachieved the coveted 5 star grade in all areas.One Golf club however, didn’t really need to worry aboutits inclusion or making the grade. Absolutely no recom-mended list of top-tier golf clubs of Scandinavia couldexclude Hella Golf Club in Iceland. It is a stunning GolfCourse which would probably make the top group in anymarket or location.

Hella Golf Club is just over an hours drive from Reykja-vik and is midway between Hella and Hvolsvöllur. Hellais a links course even though it’s approx 20 km from thesea (due to the sand and lava) within its natural surround-ings. It is widely considered one of the (if not ) finestlinks courses in Iceland, offering a mesmerising view ofstunning mountains, the Eyjafjallajökull glacier and Mt.Hekla.

The course offers a “once in a life-time” opportunity toexperience golf in an absolutely unique setting. .

It will literally take your breath away as you tee off andplay through this stunning course. Its natural characteris-tics draw you in to an unforgettable experience. It feelslike a privilege to play at Hella GC. Not because of anypretention or statutory requirement, but due to the quality,management and pure feel of the course and club.

Hella couldn’t be more welcoming and friendly. It’sbeautifully and efficiently run - and its facilities are im-peccable – but you naturally and immediately feel athome and most comfortable.After acclimatising to the wonderful scenery the roundbegins with a tricky first hole. This continues hole byhole without relaxing or allowing you to gain favour ormomentum without concentration throughout.Hella is absolutely a golfers-golf-course. Its challenge isunique and features unforgettable as stated earlier. But itreally is the overall playing and golf experience whichallows Hella to leap to the forefront of Icelandic golfcourses.

No other golf course can offer a clear viewof five volcanoes and ‘Westman Island’ isalso visible from the golf course.

This is a deceptively tough course withsmall greens to challenge even the keenplayer. Its stand out features are its ‘moguls’which give this flat course character andIcelandic feel. It can be very windy andplayers need to be able to drive accuratelyand control their approach shots to make themost out of this course. Long hitters willenjoy the environment, pushing their gameto its maximum level. Regular hitters willpush their own game all the way through arelentless, although thoroughly enjoyableround of the finest golf.

Buggies of course are available, but for me,to best enjoy such a one-off challenge youhave to walk the course and savour eachhole and approach personally. At least thefirst time you play here!

The course was founded in 1952 but didn’tbecome a fully fledged 18 hole course until1986. The first 9 hole golf course was builton Gaddastadaflatir by the river Ytri-Ranganear the town Hella but it was not until 1970that the club got permission to extend fromits existing location.

…it will literally take yourbreath away the first time youtee off..

“”

www.ghr.isBookings: Tel +354 – 487-8208

Hella Golf Club truly is a golfers course and club. One to enjoy and remember and comparable in its challenge to thevery best available. Its scenery and environment provide the unique and ultimately Icelandic only experience which youhave to take in and play.Its service and welcome compliment the round and make this golfing experience one of the finest and easily one of thebest Golf courses to enjoy in Scandinavia. Iceland has a jewel in its crown in Hella and one we can whole heartedlyrecommend you visit and experience. If your own “bucket – list” needs an additional golfing treat, perhaps Hella shouldbe included.

Golfklubbur Hellu,Strönd,851 Hella,Iceland.http://golficeland.org/introduction/hella-golf-course.htmlTelephone:The golf club: 354 – 487-8208

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ODDUR GOLF CLUB

The course was inaugurated in August 1997 and isnow considered one of the finest golf courses inIceland located in beautiful surroundings in the im-mediate vicinity of the greater area of Urridavatns-dalir (which is about a 20 minute drive from thecentre of Reykjavik). The golf course is surroundedby a lava-inspired landscape – completely unique toOddur. It’s an exhilarating experience to play golf inthe midst of nesting moor birds to enjoy their sing-ing whilst immersed in the natural beauty of the Ice-landic lunar-esque landscape far away from thecity's noise and everyday toil.Oddur is a modern Heath land course which is fullof bends, turns, hazards, undulation and clever de-sign features – all wrapped up in a typically Icelan-dic, lava created aesthetic masterpiece. It is one ofIcelands most popular golf courses (amongst locals)and you can see why within seconds of entering themagnificent grounds.Hannes Thorsteinsson a very well respected andexpert golf course designer with an expert likeknowledge of the local land and personalitydesigned this course very much in keeping with thecompetitive nature and psychy of the natives. Damnhard, challenging and thought provoking at everyturn, whilst being consistent, honest and fair all theway round. The fairways may be tough and containa surprise or two, but they run smooth and true thewhole way round (even if they do rise and fall), andlike Keilir, have lava stretches to capture and wardyou around. The greens, tactically placed andstrategically situated are without exception beautifulsurfaces and play fast. Birdies here are hard work,but play a good line with pace and they will rewardyou with straight, true putts – misjudge the lie of thegreen and prepare for one or two additions to yourcard! :+)

Oddur’s history is perhaps in keeping with the numerouschallenges which face golf course developers thesedays. The land was purchased in the mid 20th century,but it wasn’t until ‘The fellowship of ‘Odd Fellow’’ found-ed a private golf club in 1990 that Oddur began to takeshape. In 1993 the Oddur Golf Club (GO) – an open golfclub – was established and became a member of theGolf Association of Iceland (GSÍ). It´s purpose and aimwas firstly to enable the members of GOF to participateon golf tournaments on a National basis, and secondly togive all people interested in playing golf access to thisunique golf course.7 years after the introduction of the private club,the OddFellow Golf Club (GOF) built a magnificent 18 hole golfcourse, covering an area of 162 acres. It has proven sosuccessful and so enjoyable in the years to now, that itnow welcomes golfers from across the world seeking abrand new and exclusive challenge which only Oddurcan provide.The golf course itself is located on one of the hills East ofGardabaer, the neighbouring town of Reykjavík - besidethe Reykjvavik conservation area Heidmörk. The distanceto the center of town in Hafnafjördur is about 5 km, anddown town Reykjavík is only about 12 km away. EvenKeflavík airport is only a mere 45 km away – although youfeel as though you are literally on another planet such isthe sheer peace and tranquillity to be experienced inthese unique grounds.The clubhouse has first-class facilities worthy of any top-tier venue and the obvious care and attention that hasbeen invested in developing and maintaining such highstandards must be immense. The grounds are perfectlymanicured and cared for with both grace and high skill.The unique fauna and flora and variety of local nativeshrubs and plants is as beautiful as it is understated –very much in line with Iceland’s rugged and spectacularambience. Restaurant quality food and drink is servedbefore and after your round and the club house’s facilitiesare as welcoming as they are comfortable. Therestaurant opens at a brisk 8am and doesn’t close until2200hrs to capitalise on the climate and daylight hours ofthe Icelandic calendar (seasonal variations dependent ofcourse), and when we played here until late at night, aregular member commented that the course playsdifferently and isdependent upon the season even thatyou’re there. The light that bounces and shimmersaround the course into the evening is quite simplysomething that I hadn’t experienced before – noranticipated. Perfect clarity of course, but mesmerising allthe same and a thrill to play golf with themidnight sun!

Oddur boasts a state of the Art driving range which is both a joy to hitballs from as much as it is easy and accessible to reach and prepare/warm up on. Genuinely championship standard facilities.The subtlety named Ljuflingur or “Darling” in English – is a charminglittle 9 hole par 3 course, which is very suitable for working on yourshort game as well as for all beginners in golf and great fun (either be-fore you play the main course or for those learning golf). For all thoseSeve worshippers (we all are, right?), it provides the short game funand skills which these days are being lost to power hitting and monsterdrives. Well worth a brief round.Again, the fairways, grounds – even the buggies are immaculate. Per-fectly clean and showroom condition. The course is mature and cer-tainly doesn’t feel new or without character – . It’sbursting with charisma and wit. Though everything is managed well andprepared meticulously, not for one second is it sterile or scientific in feelor playing style – it’s not overtly traditional or historic to play eitherthough. It feels a combination – just the right balance – of modern vir-tues combined with traditional sympathies. In summary, a course whichwill undoubtedly please big hitting golfers; as well as delight short andtactical players. It will also play equally well for ultra-competitive typesand recreational or relaxing inspired golf rounds. An ideal and rare com-bo.The 18 hole course is a bully at times, harsh, challenging, tricky andrelentless from hole to hole, or even shot to shot on occasion. It re-wards risk, but will punish wayward shots and sliced balls. Exceptional-ly challenging and on every hole there are numerous shot variations andselection posers cleverly selected to make every shot a considerationand concentration poser. The design has been well thought out andexpertly executed in its structure.Though every hole without exception is fun and a challenge to play, thelast four holes were my favourite. The 15th in particular plays com-pletely through lava fields so is a massive highlight and should be sa-voured by the visitor. Be warned, don’t let the scenery take yourconcentration here, or you’ll end up losing a good card score (as one ofour party succumbed to…)

A spectacular golf course, full of obvious charm, challenge and wit. It iseasy to see why the locals flock here in such high numbers – every holeis as much fun as it is difficult to play through. The greens ans fairwaysare hard but always true and consistent. The rough is a combinationbetween traditional and laval fields. The views - wow, such views –take your breath away and service and quality of golf and facilitieswould honestly not be out of place anywhere.The staff are all welcoming (as are the members) and when all com-bined, Oddur justifiably finds itself at the top end of Scandinavian golf.Stunning, challenging and clever – superb. A must play in Iceland.

Golf club OddurUrridavollur, 210 Gardabær, Iceland+354 565 9092

http://www.oddur.is/

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KEILIR GOLF CLUB

Iceland has an abundance of Natural features. Spectacularscenery with unique attributes which can only be found in thisremote and wonderful Island. Keilir Golf Club, regularly rankedin the top 100 golf courses of Europe utilises and exploitsmany of these natural phenomenon to its advantage topresent itself as a truly unique and exceptional challenge – andexperience – for the brave and dedicated golfer.Whilst playing across sunny climates and traditional Linkscourses is the mainstay for many golfers, Iceland is fastbecoming a hub and option for many.Keilir golf club, founded in 1967 is a trailblazer in terms ofsheer quality and unique golf experience. It is unique to Icelandfor a number of reasons. The scenery surrounding youcaptures your imagination and the ground itself is acombination of immaculate greens and fairways with lavarocks that need to be seen to be believed. It’s a picture and anexperience that will stay with you for a lifetime and needs to beplayed.Keilir is located on the Hvaleyri peninsula, just south of thecapital, Reykjavik. Originally a nine hole course, the local townof Hafnafjördur saw the potential Keilir promised and enabledan expansion of the course. In 1971, Swedish Golf designerNils Skjöld designed a new 12 hole course on the peninsulaand in 1997, a new front nine was completed to provide aworld class 18 hole course, worthy of any challenge and wellworth the effort.It has been reviewed as “clearly the best course in thecountry” by prominent golf writers and as mentioned not onlyfeatures as one of Iceland’s best clubs and courses, butmanages to break into Europe’s top 100. A major milestonefor such a young and innovative course.Only in Iceland can a Tee shot face the hazard of falling intoLava rocks nestling between a narrow fairway! The fifth hole isa prime example of such a hazard. This par 5 requiresaccuracy and a long drive to navigate between the perilousrocks. The green awaits you down the approach but isguarded by raised banks and more lava creations. Quitestunning playing against such a back drop with the seacrashing against the shore close-by.

The sixth and seventh holes are equally challenging andmemorable par 4’s. Accuracy and strategy are essential inachieving at least a par, and a birdie, though possible,genuinely requires nerves of steel to safely avoid thepitfalls.The front none holes are devoid of bunkers, the lava rockspresent challenge enough and the experience of playingthrough such terrain is both captivating and inspiring.Justin Rose was quoted after playing Keilir “It looks sobeautiful when you look across the water, with the lavaand the water, its just so unique”. It is simply stunning andtakes your breath away the first time you stand at the faceof the course.Trevor Immelman and Pedraig Harrington have alsoplayed and enjoyed the course to great acclaim andcredit.The tenth hole provides a more traditional feel with morerecognisable fairways and greens, however the coastalviews and Mount Keilir providing a dominant backdrop.

The course is open from May to October and providestop tier facilities and playing conditions. Its restaurantprovides exceptional Icelandic fare and would be awelcome eating experience in any surrounding, the levelof service and welcome faces to greet and assist youmakes this experience even more worthwhile.Keilir is a remarkable and inspiring Golf course and club.Its service and welcome genuinely will leave you humbled.The quality of its club house, restaurant, training facilitiesand driving range are unrivalled in Iceland and the overallfeeling and experience to play amongst such a uniqueenvironment and one typically Icelandic is a must do.

Golfklubburinn KeilirSteinholti 1220 HafnafjordurIceland

Telephone:The golf club: 354 – 565 3360.

Email: keilir@keilir.isWeb: www.keilir.is

premiumTHE FINEST

REYKJAVIK GOLF CLUB

Reykjavik is the oldest golf club in Iceland and located just10km or so from the capital bearing the same name. It’sadelightful and breeze of a drive to get here from the hustleand bustle of the great northern city, but once here,immediately you get a feel for the place – the history,tradition and presence this club exudes. It is consideredthe country’s premier and perhaps most internationallyrecognised and respected golf club and course.

Golfklúbbur Reykjavíkur was founded in 1934 when golfwas played in the centre of Reykjavik itself. As the citygrew, the club moved to Laugardalur – now the site of theNational football stadium, then to Leynimyri where PrincessIngrid of Denmark and Iceland hit the first shot on a course,(then shared with cattle) finally to its current location – themagnificent “Grafarholt course”.

Grafarholt

The ‘Grafarholt’ course was officially opened in 1963 afterbeing designed by renowned Golf course architect, NielsSkjold – who also notably designed Sudurnesja Golf Cluband Keilir on the Island. Golfklúbbur Reykjavíkur (or GR)however, is considered his finest achievement, where hecombined a sympathetic understanding and touch to thenature and landscape of the lava shaped land with afiercely competitive and challenging course. Now, almostsixty years after its creation, this beautiful and expertlymaintained course is fully matured, and has grown instature and life to become not only one of Iceland’s veryfinest golf experiences, but arguably one of Scandinavia’sand even Europe’s great courses to play, (unfortunately thecattle no longer reside on the lush and green fairways…).

The 18 hole, par 71 Grafarholt course measures a morethan respectable 6,580+ yards and is considered one ofSkjold’s most difficult course designs. The holes play to acrescendo and have been designed with a feel and look tomatch its majestic landscape which is quite stunning. It liesmore than 100m above sea level so bears the scars andfauna accordingly in such a harsh environment – which alladds to the spectacle and effect this unique course pro-vides.

The glacier at Snaefellsjokull – 200m to the North is visibleon a clear day re-enforcing the realisation of the climateand location of this most picturesque of golf experiences.

Big, modern hitters will enjoy the challenge and scopethis course offers. Many of the holes play uphill and re-quire an accurate as well as long tee and drive shot.The hazards are plentiful and challenging. Most are clev-erly hidden or part and parcel of each hole and havegrown, developed and naturally over time embeddedthemselves as part of this living and thriving adventure.The very best golf clubs evolve naturally as well as man-made re-development to meet modern criteria and GRis the epitome of this. Every part of the course has arole and part to play, whether it be to dissuade thosesliced or wayward shots or to capture a lazy approach.The fairways are consistent and honest even if they aredesigned to tempt or scare you off your particularchoice of shot depending on your bravery or mood atthat time.

Short game fans will be in their element here also. Theholes perhaps favouring finesse and style with a tacticaltheme to inspire and out-think some of the obstaclesrather than try to hit through them – either way, thecourse is always asking questions and the membersthemselves talk of playing the same hole completelydifferently depending on the annual weather systems,air pressure or even how their football team or businessdeal went…

Any course which demands your full concentrationthroughout is worthy of a place in our finest golf clubsand courses in Scandinavia, Skjold’s vision and uniquedesign enabled a course which is as diverse as it is funwith no two holes playing alike or containing similarchallenges.

Korpa

GR boasts, not just one of the countries best course, buttwo. Korpa course was opended in 1997 and has estab-lished itself already as an equal to the Grafarholt. The frontnine holes hug the Atlantic coast providing a genuine linksfeel and are spoilt with views overlooking the sea and rug-ged landscape as well as Esja, Reykjaviks landmark Moun-tain.

The back nine runs beside the River Korpa and it includessome of the most challenging holes to be played in Scandi-navia. The par4 12th and par 5 15th are full of twists andturns and truly stretch the better players so beginners andoccasional golfers beware! Hannes Thorsteinsson designedthis course to play hard and push all levels of players andalso to add a second dimension to the existing course atGR. At 6600 yards, this par 72 course really impresses andis worth a visit alone and a second days play.

Both the challenge and enjoyment of the golf and hospitalityto be enjoyed at GR really set this traditional club apart frommost other Icelandic Golf clubs..The quality throughout this modern thinking-old club is obvi-ous and everywhere. The drive into the club is inspiring andimpressive, the club house a beautiful and typical of Icelan-dic pride in design and function. It underwent a major reno-vation at the turn of the century so is pristine and full of all ofthe mod-cons you would expect to find. There are world-class practice facilities and it’s training and golf school initia-tives are admired through Europe, developing and nurturingthe best young players and encouraging the keen younggolfers alike.

The food, drink and overall personal care and service is absolutely top-tier. The restaurant and dining room is one of the verybest eateries and facilities in Iceland of ANY kind! Certainly, it has some of the best views to be enjoyed in the country! Reykjavikcan be seen whilst you enjoy the locally sourced and expertly cooked food in surroundings which would not be amiss at any toprestaurant.

Iceland is blessed with many natural wonders and scenery which will live a lifetime in your thoughts. The Grafarholt course in par-ticular 18 holes which would be showcased as special, but combined with those natural wonders and views onlyIceland can provide, make Reykjavik Golf club a must play venue on your Icelandic adventure.

Golfklubbur RekjavikurKorpulfsstadir112 Reykjavik+354 585 0200http://www.grgolf.is

MAKING MEMORIESOne of the best investmentsyou can ever makeBy Jasper Orteen

When glacier driving, diving in crystal clear pools,venturing and exploring the amazing waterfalls onoffer is part of the ‘dream scenario’, then things andplans need a little assistance.Why take a chance on that “once in a life time expe-rience “then? I don’t think many of us would buy aFerrari or engagement ring on eBay, so the logicshould follow that in order to get the best from Ice-land – speak with the experts.

Ask anyone who has been toIceland and enjoyed many of the ‘mustsee’ stuff and they will probably pointyou in the direction of Isafold travel.

The dynamic tour operator ‘IsafoldTravel’ was founded in 1997.It started as a very small operation as

the founder and co-owner, Jón Baldur, took guestson custom made trips around his beloved Iceland.Although the company has grown a lot since then,the service remains guest and customer orientedand the personal service and attention is second tonone.

Wise words and not just poetic wisdom, it’s the visionfor one of Iceland’s foremost and reputable compa-nies specialising in managing and organising your va-cation for almost twenty years.

Iceland is of course a remote and (mostly)undiscovered and undamaged country.For many of us it is a once in a life timeexperience and vacation to visit, a tickOn your bucket list - !The geysers, glaciers, lava createdlandscapes and the mountainous and stunningscenery are just a few of the unique attributes thatcreate such a wonder-scape.When we travel abroad (generally speaking), goingonline, searching for flights and booking arecommended hotel is a straight forward exercise –we already know what to expect and how to do it.

Above: Northern Lights, Iceland Style

Below: Godafoss - Iceland’s famous

Above: Trekking through the impressive natural Icelandic features

Isafold Travel is fully licensed by the Icelandic government and the company is a member ofSAF, the Icelandic Travel Industry Association, and the ATTA, the Adventure Travel Trade As-sociation and always ranked amongst (if not top) of travel professionals here.

Isafold Travel is strategically located at 21 Smiðshöfði, 110 Reykjavík, which is at the outskirtsof Reykjavík, just by the main road out of the city, before it divides into National route 1 North,towards West and North Iceland, and National route 1 East, towards South and East Iceland.

The building is split into the travel agency office on the upper floor, where we tailor-make yourtrips, and a maintenance hall on the ground floor, where we work on the vehicles of the com-pany to keep them in top condition.

The History of Isafold

Isafold, or Ísafold, is a poetic name for Iceland. Most Icelanders connect the name with BjarniThorarensen’s poem “Eldgamla Ísafold” (Ancient Iceland), dating back to the very beginningof the Romantic movement in Iceland.

Isafold Travel’s founder was also greatly affected by the German book “Ísafold – Reisebilderaus Island”, which was published in 1909 by Ina von Grumbkow. The book is a narration ofvon Grumbkow’s voyage to Iceland searching for her fiancée who had vanished without traceon a scientific expedition in 1907, a testament to unabiding and unforgiving might of the Ice-landic wilderness.

Ísafold ehfkt. 410202-2120

Smiðshöfði 21IS-110 Reykjavík

Tel: +354 544 8866E-mail: info@isafoldtravel.is

http://www.isafoldtravel.is

Lost Ball or Out-of-BoundsAfter looking for a maximum of 5 minutes, you must go back towhere the shot was originally played from, and replay, incurring astroke and distance penalty.

Improving Your Swing PathYou cannot bend, break or hack anything growing or fixed if it im-proves you lie, your stance, or your area of intended swing.

Removing Foreign Objects (in play/ in a Bunker etc)You may not move or remove any loose impediments in a bunker un-less they are foreign to the area. E.g. you may remove a candy wrap-per but not a pine cone or tree branch . If, in moving looseimpediments, you accidentally move your ball, you must return theball to its original position and penalize yourself one stroke

Number of Allowed ClubsYou are only allowed to carry 14 clubs in your bag.

THE 10 MOST MISUNDERSTOOD RULES OF GOLF

Grounding Your Club in a HazardPractice swings may be taken inside a hazard as long as you don’ttouch the ground, sand or water with your club. The top of thegrass may be touched during a practice swing.

Accidentally Moving Your BallThere is a 1 stroke penalty for accidentally moving your ball and itmust be replaced in its original position before hitting.

Asking for AdviceIt’s against the rules of golf to ask an opponent what club theyhave hit. The penalty for this breech is loss of hole in match play,or a 2 shot penalty in stroke play.

Repairing the Line of your PuttYou may repair any ball marks in your line and remove anypebbles or foreign objects in your line, provided you do it withyour hand or club.

We’ve all been there!… What actually happens when something goes wrong on your round? These are a few of the mostmisunderstood rules of golf that seem to crop up from time to time. Many of you may not worry too much about them,but for those of you who do… Indulge :-)

Tiger Woods watches a (completely proper!) bunker shot on the sixth hole during the final round of the 141st Open Championship at Royal Lytham &St. Annes Golf Club.

Nicklaus was all of 19 at the time,but was mature beyond his years as aman and a golfer. No less than GeneSarazen, one of five men to win thecareer grand slam, said early on of theyoungster from Columbus, “I’ve neverseen a player who could shut himselfoff from all around him the wayNicklaus does”.Though eternally patient andperspicacious, he didn’t have the gameto win a National title until he wentthrough – as he calls it – “ a sort offinishing school”, in the summer of ‘59.

The lessons began inMuirfield when Nicklaus playedbeautifully for two days in his firsttaste of golf abroad.

A missed cut at winged footactually furthered his education.After watching his playingpartners, Doug Ford and GeneLittler, scramble to scores thatmade the cut while he shot two77’s, Nicklaus realised he had notyet figured out how to manage hisgame on days his ball striking was

J A C K N I C K L A U S

TEELY BLUE EYES were all the rage in 1959. Yes it was 50+ yearsago when the Grammys were introduced, and legendary crooner, FrankSinatra was amongst those receiving acclaim. Meanwhile, in the ColoradoMountains, the world was introduced to a legend in the making– a superlative young golfer named Jack William Nicklaus.

Nicklaus, already well known in golfing circles after being namedto represent the US in the Walker Cup matches in Muirfield,Scotland, began his ascent to the pinnacle of the world’s sportingstage when he collected the first of his 20 major championships by

defeating defending champion, Charles R Coe, 1 up, in the 59th U.SAmateur at Broadmoor Country Club in Colorado Springs, Colo.

SBY WILLIAM BENNETT

DISM ISSEDLASSC

Charlie Coe andNicklaus

lacking. In assessing how to grasp the intricacies ofsuch management, Nicklaus in the summer o f ’59became a devoted student o f g o lf course design.He brought all of these new found enhancementsto h is competitive make up at the Broad -moor, where he engaged Coe, his Walker Cupcaptain , in one of the most exciting finals in thehistory of the amateur championships — a showdown Nicklaus still ranks as one of the toughest inwhich he’s ever participated .Nicklaus had not advanced past the first Round inhis previous U.S. Amateur appearances, but theyoung golfer trumpeted his improvementEarly that fateful week when he had dismantled atalented player with a famous name in the firstround. The player was Robert T Jones III, the sonof the celebrated Grand Slam winner, andNicklaus took him down with disarming ease, 7and 6.Reminded of this result recently, Nicklaus laughedat a memory he had not recalled in decades.“The funny part about that is that Bob and Italked a bit after the match , and he told me thestory of how he called his dad beforehand to seeif he was going to come out and watch ,” Nicklaussaid. “He told me that he asked his dad after thepairings came out if he were coming, and Bobsaid his dad asked who he was going to play. ‘O h ,I’m playing the young Nicklaus kid,’ Bob told hisdad, to which his dad asked , ‘Is that JackNicklaus?’ Bob told him it was, and his dad

replied , ‘Well, I’m not coming out and watchingyou lose 7 and 6.’“We both kind of laughed that the score ended upbeing that way. But, yeah, that was fun playingagainst Bob. Obviously, he was a very good player inhis own right”.Young Jack’s road got bumpier in the later rounds.He survived a close call over Dave Smith in the fifthround, which was played in a fog bank so thick thatspotters were needed throughout the course tofollow the golfer’s shots and another former U.Spublic links champion, Gene Andrews in the semi-final 1 up. Then came the final, and it was a nailbiter against the two-time Amateur champion.Despite a fine par-birdie-birdie start, an incredulousNicklaus found himself one down to Coe and hefell behind by as many as three in the morning 18holes before ending up two adrift at the break. Alanky Oklahoma oil broker, Coe actually held orshared the lead for the first 31 holes and ledoutright for the first 20. In contrast, Nicklaus, whoshot 71-69 to Coe’s 69-73, led for only 4 holes in

total. Nicklaus finally nosed ahead in the 32nd holethanks to his hallmark patience, as he converted his

10th par in 11 holes.An uncharacteristically sloppy bogey from Nicklaus

at the 17th set up a dramatic finish. With the matchsquare, the two men drilled3-woods into the fairwayat the Broadmoor’s home hole, a 430 yard par 4that doglegs sharply right and up.

Jack Nicklaus says hisfirst national title winwas one of the hardestFought of his career.

J A C K N I C K L A U S

a hill. Their drives came to rest three crucial yardsapart, with Nicklaus’ ball stopping just beyond hisopponent’s, meaning he would have theadvantage of hitting the second onto the green.That advantage made all the difference to a youngplayer who was proving to be savvier than he hadshown to be only months before when he playedin his first Masters and missed the cut at theOpen.Choosing an 8 iron, Coe took dead aim at theflag, but his approach failed to hold the green andhis ball raced over the putting surface and down aslope into a grassy hollow. Fingering his own 8iron, Nicklaus watched Coe’s shot intently andthen opted to hit a punch 9 iron. His approachtrundled to within 8 feet short of the hole.Coe, not conceding, nearly chipped in from thealmost impossible shot, but the opening was thereand the precocious Nicklaus took it. He holed hisleft to right birdie putt for a 1 up victory tobecome the youngest U.S Amateur champion innearly half a century.

In his autobiography, My Story, Nicklaus wrote: “Ifthere is ever really a moment when a man can say adream began, and he tried to begin to give itsubstance, this for me was the moment.”Years later, that sense of discovery he felt thatsummer was still vibrant.“I think in some ways I still didn’t know how good Iwas at golf, even when I was named the No.1amateur at the end of the year, “ Nicklaus said.“But I figured that I must be better than I thought,and so winning the US Amateur was probably myfirst stepping stone to realising that I might reallyhave a future in the game”.Maybe young Jack didn’t know, but his fatherCharlie did. In calling home to herald his son’svictory, Charlie Nicklaus was moved to proclaim,

“I believe our son was born to greatness!”

J A C K N I C K L A U S

“I think in some ways I still didn’t know how good I was at golf, even when Iwas named the No.1 amateur at the end of the year, “ Nicklaus said.

“But I figured that I must be better than I thought, and so winning the USAmateur was probably my first stepping stone to realising that I might really

have a future in the game”.

By J Roberts

Tiger vs. Jack: Are majors the only way to measuregreatness?We all know the score: 18-14. Jack Nicklaus. Tiger Woods.Major championships.But does that mean the Golden Bear is the definitive answerto the question of "Who is the greatest golfer of all time?" ifTiger never surpasses Jack in that category? It's not thatsimple.Certainly, majors define careers, but perhaps it's too narrow-minded to only look at a player's performance in golf's fourmarquee events. After all, would anyone rank Andy Northand his two U.S. Open titles ahead of one-time major winnerslike Lanny Wadkins, Davis Love III and Tom Weiskopf?So what else should count when measuring golf's all-timebest? Total PGA Tour titles is the obvious place to start.Woods' 79 wins trails only Sam Snead (82) on the list,having passed Nicklaus' total of 73 last year at age 36.You want more consistency? How about Tiger's record of142 consecutive cuts made, a streak that spanned more thanseven years. Nicklaus' best was 105, the third-best mark ever.But isn't being great really about dominating the competitionrather than compiling numbers? In that regard, Tiger comesout on top in a few other telling stats.

an successonly be measuredwith Major wins?

C

Woods has the most seasons of winning five ormore times on the PGA Tour with 10, includingthis year. Nicklaus is tied for third with seven(Snead accomplished the feat eight times).Not surprisingly, Woods also has claimed themost money titles ever (he's already wrapped up2013) with 10, as well as the most Player of theYear awards and Vardon Trophies for the bestscoring average on tour. There is no argumentthat Woods already has been the game'sundisputed best player more times than Nicklausever was.Perhaps the most impressive stat that speaks tothat is Woods' overall winning percentage ofabout 27 per cent. In comparison, Nicklaus wonabout 12 per cent of his starts (Ben Hogan wonat more than a 20-percent clip). Of course,Nicklaus' number came down as he played pasthis prime, but it would take a lot of really leanyears for Woods' percentage to come close tothat.Add it all up and suddenly 18-14 doesn't seem asone-sided. Of course, Tiger, 37, still has time totilt that score in his favour or perhaps pull even.And if that happens, even the most ardentNicklaus supporters would have to concedeWoods wins the tiebreaker.

Above: Woods celebrating the Open win in 2000

Left: Nicklaus Watching a putt.

Jack Nicklaus - 18Tiger Woods - 14Walter Hagen - 11Ben Hogan - 9Gary Player - 9Tom Watson - 8Bobby Jones - 7Arnold Palmer - 7Gene Sarazen - 7Sam Snead - 7Harry Vardon - 7Nick Faldo - 6Lee Trevino - 6Seve Ballesteros - 5James Braid - 5Phil Mickelson - 5Byron Nelson - 5J.H. Taylor - 5Peter Thomson - 5Willie Anderson Jr. - 4Jim Barnes - 4Ernie Els - 4Raymond Floyd - 4Bobby Locke - 4Tom Morris Jr. - 4Tom Morris Sr. - 4Willie Park Sr. - 4Jamie Anderson - 3Tommy Armour - 3Julius Boros - 3Billy Casper - 3Henry Cotton - 3Jimmy Demaret - 3Bob Ferguson - 3Ralph Guldahl - 3Padraig Harrington - 3Hale Irwin - 3Cary Middlecoff - 3Larry Nelson - 3Nick Price - 3Denny Shute - 3Vijay Singh - 3Payne Stewart - 3

Major WinnersMajor Winners can be measured in two categories. ProfessionalONLY and Professional and Amateurs combined. Maybe Seve shouldhave won more? - Did Vijay win too many? See what you think…

Jack Nicklaus - 20Tiger Woods - 17Bobby Jones - 13Walter Hagen - 11John Ball - 9Ben Hogan - 9Gary Player - 9Arnold Palmer - 8Tom Watson - 8

Note: The two amateur majors thatare counted at the U.S. Amateur andBritish Amateur championships.

Most Majors - Amateur & Pro.Most Majors - Professional

Seve saw it.

Remembering Medinah 2012and the astonishingEuropean Ryder Cup successBy A Lyon Dean

“ ”MEDINAH, Ill. -- This story begins on a sandy beach in the northof Spain. A boy with an old 3-iron. Hitting stones. SeverianoBallesteros, who in time would work magic. Better with a 3-ironout of a greenside bunker than most men with a sand wedge.Seve would win in ways no one else could imagine. To call himbeautiful is to be precise, for he came to the world with looksand charm and with a gift of talent that he shared with us all.

He died a year ago, 54 years old, a cancer in his brain.

He was in Chicago during the historic Ryder Cup win for Eu-rope in 2012 according to Olazabal. Sunday morning , beforeanyone struck a golf shot in this Ryder Cup, the European cap-tain, Jose-Maria Olazabal, told a reporter, "I felt Seve in theteam room last night."They'd been friends and partners, Ballesteros and Olazabal.Both won the Masters. They won and lost Ryder Cupstogether. They shared life. Sewn into the left sleeve of theEuropean team's shirts for the Sunday singles competition,Olazabal had asked for the iconic image of Seve, an arm raised,Seve triumphant.

This was the kind of day Seve Ballesteros lived for. It was aday when something gets done that no one thought couldbe done. To win the Ryder Cup, the Europeans needed anhistoric, unprecedented comeback. They needed to win 8of 12 singles points on the other team's home course.They won 8.5.

They won those points against an American dozen that hadnearly turned the thing into a rout in the first two days. Asthe shadows lengthened at Medinah Country Club late thatfateful Saturday afternoon, the U.S. led, 10-4. With 14points available, needing only 4 to win, a certain confidencesettled on the Americans -- until, in Saturday's last twofour-ball matches, the Europeans produced unlikelyvictories.

Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald defeated Tiger Woods andSteve Stricker. Then came Ian Poulter, the fire-breathingEnglishman, "a cross between Rod Stewart and SidVicious," broadcaster Peter Jacobsen called him. Came IanPoulter with five straight birdies on the last five holes tobeat Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson.

There, in Poulter's work, was the turning point in this story.Poulter recognized it. "It was amazing to see the atmos-phere change in that team room," he said. "The spirit, Imean, it just changed. ... All week we'd been beaten quiteclearly, and we just felt there was that little glimmer of

Two hours into Sunday's rounds, the glimmer had grown to aglow. Midway through most of the 12 matches, the Europeansled three and were all-square in seven. Suddenly, the game wasafoot.On a golden autumn day, with Medinah's thousands of treesblazing orange, red, and yellow, the Ryder Cup became the bestsports event in America. Better than any World Series spreadover two midnight-oil weeks ... better than any NBA Finals, be-cause, really, Oklahoma City? ... better than any Super Bowl be-cause Mother Nature's spectacle is better than anything the NFLcan create ... better, mostly, because the Ryder Cup is golf, andgolf, more than any sport, gives us real narratives that, in the bestof its stories, cause us to wonder how in hell anybody canbreathe let alone draw it back for a shot over a pond the approxi-mate size of the Atlantic.Then the blue went up on the scoreboards, the European blue.The Scotsman, Paul Lawrie, defeated Brandt Snedeker, 5-and-3.

That wasn't supposed to happen. Then Rory McIlroy de-feated Keegan Bradley, 2-and-1 -- this after McIlroy hadlost track of Illinois time and needed a state-trooper escortto reach Medinah 12 minutes before his tee time. Next,Poulter defeated Webb Simpson, 2-up, and he talked, halt-ingly, of "this good man on my left sleeve right now that'sgoing to pull us through this."A fantasy, that. But the signs were there for those whowould see.

It turns out that McIlroy can make six birdies in Ryder Cupplay without warming up, unless stuffing a breakfast sand-wich into one's mouth while putting on one's shoes iswarm-up enough at age 23. Soon enough, three Europe-ans had chipped in for birdies from distances as great as100 feet.There were groups behind, the story moving quickly to itsend now.

Crazy happened. Seve saw it. (Cont.)

Lee Westwood heard silence and knew what it meant duringhis match with Matt Kuchar: "Quiet... then you knew thatwhen you start hearing fans, 'Matt, we need you, they areunder pressure."

The story is things we didn't know. "A Ryder Cup is not forthe faint of heart," Poulter said, and the Belgian Nicolas Col-searts said, "It gets you through the guts." The Canadiansportswriter Bruce Arthur, in a tweet, called the developingstory a mash-up of "Happy Gilmore and an Idiocracy Presi-dential convention." Meaning, let's guess, that Arthur likedthe goofy improbability of it all. "It's what golf is all about,"U.S. team captain Davis Love III said.Now we have seen Keegan Bradley on fire. We have seenJason Dufner impervious. Tiger Woods, the ultimate soloist,came down the first fairway this morning to cheer for a team-mate. Zach Johnson has iron in his spine.

All those Europeans, with their stout hearts, earned this RyderCup; with the Cup at stake, they made 51 birdies to the Ameri-cans' 44. This after trailing in birdies the first two days, 99-74.

Whoever wrote this implausible story foreshadowed its endearly. The fourth American out, Phil Mickelson seemed to havea critical point won only to see the Englishman Justin Rosesteal it by rolling in three straight putts on the last three holes,the last two for heroic birdies.And Rose said of his last stroke, "As soon as I holed that putt,and as soon as I came off the green, my first thought was ofSeve.""He's been an inspiration for this team all week long, and whoknows, if something crazy happens today, I know that were aregoing to be looking upwards."

Crazy happened. Seve saw it.

BJORN AGAIN(*may contain other bad puns)

By A Lyon-Dean

Articulate and insightful, the Dane exerts intelligent authority as chairman ofthe European Tour's Tournament Committee.At the same time he is nurturing a game that looks capable of influencingthe outcome of many an event in 2014. Indeed in the year of his 43rd birth-day Bjorn appears destined for a Ryder Cup return.He would be playing for a captain chosen by the committee he chairs. Notthat you will find Bjorn daring to think that far into the future. Playing forPaul McGinley's Europe this autumn is parked firmly in the back of hismind.

“I have to say the end of last year was probably my best golf since2000/2001”

As he prepares for his first event of 2014 he isn't looking further than theend of January. This short-term thinking has been his approach during athree-year renaissance which has returned him to the form of his life.Bjorn ended 2013 with victory at the Nedbank Challenge in Sun City havingfinished second in the World Cup in his previous event. In late summer hewon the European Masters in Switzerland and he is back in the world's top25.This week he took time from his preparations for the Volvo Championstournament in Durban to discuss with BBC Sport his sustained excellenceon the course and the state of the European Tour."It was probably the first time I can ever remember coming into the last bitof the season feeling fresh in my mind and feeling really, really good abouteverything," Bjorn admitted.

"I had a golf swing that was working and a belief that was working and itwas a great finish to the year, so you start a new year with a lot of hope."

I probably never really 100% believed that I was go-ing to play that well again," added the man who wasrunner up at the 2000 and 2003 Open Champion-ships.During this period of fluctuating fortune Bjorn hasdeveloped into a genuinely big beast in golf politics.He revels in the power games of committee andboard rooms.Bjorn became chairman of the Tournament Commit-tee in 2007.

"I would be trying to find out what goes on anyway.Now I get all the information up front and I know itbefore anyone else," he said.

"I enjoy doing it. It has its surprises once in a whilethat you might not enjoy so much but any job youtake on in the world would be like that."I feel I have the confidence of the players and as long as I do that it is something Iwill continue to do."We get a lot of things done. Itmight not look like it at times but we do," Bjorn add-ed.

His primary role is to keep Europe's biggest starshappy.

Bjorn identifies the period at theend of 2009 when he committedto compete again at the highestlevel. Plagued by injury he hadn'twon for three years and finished alowly 91st on the European mon-ey list."I was just very determined to givemyself one more chance of play-ing with the best in the world andnot finish my career on a low," hesaid.Bjorn ended 2013 on a high withvictory in the Nedbank Challenge"It takes a long time to get back toabsolutely believing that you areturning into that player again."I have to say the end of last yearwas probably my best golf since2000/2001. That's a long time.

Bjorn with the European Masters won at Crans Sur Sierre,

…just a sign that this is the route that everybody knew we had togo," he added. Thomas Bjorn looking at Ben trophy hoisting aloftthe claret jug in 2003.Bjorn believes there will be more changes to the tour's hierarchy.He describes these as "interesting times" but warns that caution isalso needed. "Sometimes in business you can jump in too hard,"he said.

Wise words from a man embarking on the 19th year of his career."I was very determined when I became chairman that I didn't wantto leave it in a worse place when I finish the job," he said."We have gone through a really, really rough time in the world fi-nancially and that's something that we probably felt more thananybody. We are coming out of it now and hopefully we can startgrowing again."While it seems the Tour is back on an upward curve we know thatBjorn's golf is already in that position.Can he translate this stellar form into a return to a certain match tobe played at Gleneagles in September?"Hopefully Ryder Cups will come my way as a bonus from stayingdetermined and focused on playing good golf." It is a typicallypragmatic response to the prospect of returning after a 12-yearabsence.And heading into the new year there's little reason to believe hewon't return to McGinley's side to face the US.Especially as you know he will be observing the mantra that hasbeen serving his golf and tour so well in recent times: "Just don'tget ahead of yourself."

He constantly reminds them that this is where their careersbegan and urges them to reserve "that one percent" for thetour that spawned the opportunities they have today.The 15-time winner is convinced the controversy of forcingplayers to play two out of three events in the Final Series isclose to being resolved. "I had conversations with pretty muchall of them and we are not that far apart," he said.But Bjorn accepts that the European Tour will continue tostruggle to compete with the all-powerful PGA Tour in the US."We can still have a tour that works even though we have atour in America that is bigger and stronger.

"We have just got to realise that this is the case and the Euro-pean Tour might never be as strong as the PGA Tour."

He regards the recent appointment of a chairman of the Tour'sboard from the world of business as inevitable. David Williamssucceeds Neil Coles and becomes the first non-professionalgolfer to fulfill the role."It's a sign of the times, that's the way we have got to go. Wehave got to have our business relationships so strong todaywith massive companies around the world," Bjorn said."We've got to have the people that can go into those relation-ships that have the knowledge of how to deal with that."Yes, the players wanted change and they got change but Idon't believe it was so much a push from the players ratherthan it was…

Continued..

Ernie Els once landed himself in trouble by admitting there are occa-sions when pro golfers get out the wheelbarrow and fill it with cash.The former Open champion's metaphor helped describe certaintournaments that exist primarily to bolster players' already bulgingbank accounts.

In 2014, we've witnessed a couple of events that usually fall into thiscategory - Tiger Woods' 18-man World Challenge Tournament inFlorida, and the 30-strong field that competed at Sun City in SouthAfrica.

However both tournaments were much more than vulgar money-making exercises. They proved their substance by yielding excitingwinners with performances that create proper launch-pads for the2015 season.

Admittedly Jordan Spieth, who romped to victory at Orlando's Isle-worth club, and Danny Willett, who triumphed in South Africa, areboth significantly richer than a week ago.

Willett pocketed £680,000 from the second victory of his careerwhile Spieth collected £640,000 just a week after landing the Aus-tralian Open title to complete a stellar end to his year.

But the bigger benefit is the boost they gave to their overall golfingwealth. Both players delivered memorable displays that suggestthey will win plenty more in the future.

There was also a decent Ryder Cup debut at Gleneagles, where heformed a formidable partnership with fellow Texan Patrick Reed. Butit is during the past fortnight that he has genuinely elevated hisstanding.A brilliant closing 63 in Melbourne had world number one Rory McIl-roy purring in admiration. "You could give me another 100 roundstoday at The Australian and I wouldn't sniff 63," McIlroy admitted ina congratulatory tweet.

Spieth then travelled 9,000 miles to the United States and rompedaround Isleworth in a record 26 under par to beat the rest by 10strokes. It was the biggest winning margin of the year.Yes, it was a limited field 'exhibition' but it still boasted a high-calibreline up. The strength and value of such a comprehensive victoryshould not be underestimated.

SPIETH ANDWILLETT BRINGON THE YOUNG

(Left) Spieth and Willett (Right)

(Below) Charley Hull

"He's playing some pretty special golf right now," said Woods, who fin-ished tied last, 26 strokes behind.For Woods, the significance of the week was simply his return to action.

He has clearly been working on a new swing to the neglect of his shortgame and a succession of duffed chips should not sound too manyalarm bells at this stage.

Whether his tournament warrants the ranking points it is accorded isopen to debate, but Spieth's return to the world's top 10 is thoroughlydeserved.

Willett, meanwhile, is hurtling towards the all-important top 50 after hisSouth African triumph. The Nedbank Challenge has a rich history andthe Yorkshireman joins elite British company in becoming a winnerthere.

Sir Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Lee Westwood and Colin Montgomerieare past champions of a tournament that has been on the calendarsince Johnny Miller first won it in 1981.

Danny Willett

Danny Willett held off a stellar field at Sun City to land his second Euro-pean Tour titleThis victory has capped a landmark year for the likable Willett. He hasclimbed 60 places in the rankings and, since the US Open in June, hadrecorded five top-10 finishes prior to this triumph.

Now up to 56 in the world, he is within touching distance of eligibility fora dream schedule that would allow him to play all of the biggest tourna-ments on both sides of the Atlantic.

But it was the manner of this win that was most impressive, shooting65-66 over the weekend at Sun City. "He did everything really well,"said compatriot Luke Donald, who finished third, six strokes behind.

"He drove it amazingly well on a tough, tight golf course. Every time thepressure was on he hit it down the middle," added the former worldnumber one.

Fellow Englishman Ross Fisher was runner up and played in the finaltrio alongside Donald and Willett.

"Me and Luke didn't lose it - Danny went out there and won the tourna-ment," Fisher said.

In the women's game, 22-year old Northern Irishwoman StephanieMeadow came agonisingly close to securing a full LPGA card. She losta marathon play-off spread over two days but still receives conditionalstatus on the tour.

And Charley Hull, 18, has earned a similar standing by finishing 28th atthat LPGA Qualifying School tournament.In both the women's and men's games these are exciting and changingtimes. Indeed, potential abounds. And by the barrow-load.

Annika Sorenstam announced in May of 2008 that she would retire from competitive golf atthe end of that season after one of the most successful and prolific golf careers (of any sex).Since this Souvenir book is celebrating the Finest attributes, personalities and everything golf,we felt it apt to take a final look - or swing - at possibly the greatest of them all.

Annika Sorenstam is one of the greatest female golfers ever - many would say she's the bestever. Combining a cool efficiency with a passionate desire to win, Sorenstam was among thebest players on Tour from her debut in the mid-1990s through the remainder of the decade.But as the century turned, Sorenstam went on a run of success that rivals or surpassesanything else ever seen on the LPGA Tour.

Sorenstam preferred tennis in her childhood, but took up golf at age 12. She quickly becamegood enough to start winning, but was very shy. She's said that she sometimes blew shots inorder to finish second and avoid having to talk to anyone after a win.

Sorenstam attended the University of Arizona where she was a two-time All-Americaselection and co-player of the year in 1991. She won the 1991 NCAA Championship and the1992 World Amateur Championship.

Sorenstam turned pro in 1993 and was Rookie of the Year on the Ladies European Tour. Shemoved up to the LPGA in 1994 and, although she didn't win on the LPGA, was Rookie of theYear there, too. (She did get her first pro win in 1994 at the Women's Australian Open.)

That first LPGA win finally came at the 1995 U.S. Women's Open, and Sorenstam took off onwhat might be the best career in LPGA history. From 1995 through 2006, Sorenstam woneight money titles and never finished lower than fourth on the money list. She won 69tournaments and 10 majors in that span.

Sorenstam was one of the best players throughout the mid- to late-90s, winning three timesin 1997, six in 1997, four in 1998, twice in 1999, and five times in 2000.

Then she rededicated herself to being the best, hitting the gym to add strength - and yards toher drives. She befriended Tiger Woods and picked up some of Woods' practice habits; sheimproved her chipping and putting.

Sorenstam's domination from 2001-2005 was complete: she was money leader, low scorerand Player of the Year every year. Her win totals included 11 in 2002 and 10in 2005.

She became one of the longesthitters on the tour without losingany of her pinpoint accuracy.Along the way, she becamemuch more comfortable in frontof the cameras, her publicdemeanor becoming moreconfident, and won over manymore fans.

At the 2003 Colonial, Sorenstam became the first woman since Babe Didrikson Zaharias toplay on the PGA Tour. Sorenstam shot 71-75 and missed the cut, but earned plaudits for herplay and the way she handled the publicity circus.

Sorenstam dominated the LPGA Tour again in 2005, but her play slipped in 2006 - with"only" three wins, she was surpassed by Lorena Ochoa at the top of the LPGA pecking order.

Sorenstam suffered a neck injury in 2007 that limited her schedule, and at the end of the yearshe had recorded only her second winless season on the LPGA.

By early 2008, however, Sorenstam was back, with three wins early in the season. However,on May 13, 2008, Sorenstam announced it would be her final season on the LPGA Tour, andshe left competitive golf at the end of the year.

Date of birth: Oct. 9, 1970Place of birth: Stockholm, Sweden

LPGA Tour Victories: 72Major Championships: 10• Kraft Nabisco Championship: 2001, 2002, 2005• LPGA Championship: 2003, 2004, 2005• U.S. Women's Open: 1995, 1996, 2006• Women's British Open: 2003

Awards and Honors:

• Member, World Golf Hall of Fame• Vare Trophy (low scoring average), 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2005• LPGA Tour money leader, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005• LPGA Tour Player of the Year, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005• LPGA Rookie of the Year, 1994• NCAA Player of the Year, 1991• NCAA All-American, 1991, 1992• Member, European Solheim Cup team, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007

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THE FINEST - SCANDINAVIA 2015

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