Hills - Sweden

Hills Golf & Sports Club was one of the most talked about new championship golf courses in Europe when it opened in 2005. In fact, many experienced commentators rated it as one of the top 10 new courses constructed in the world that year.

Named after the celebrated American architect Arthur Hills, who co-designed it along with Steve Forrest, the course at Hills Golf & Sports Club can be stretched to nearly 7,500 yards and is laid out over a rugged landscape that veers from marshland to forest ridge, through woodland and over rocky outcrops.

Situated just south of Gothenburg, the Hills course begins and ends in an enormous, natural amphitheatre, with the impressive clubhouse, 1st and 10th tees all sitting on a huge rocky promontory overlooking the 9th and 18th, where both of these holes are played either side of a lake. And here’s an old-fashioned twist to a modern design; back-to-back par threes at the 5th and 6th holes.

It’s hard to define the exact style of course at Hills as it varies so much over its length. Early holes with their water hazards between the 2nd to the 7th would not look out of place in Florida. The uphill par five 8th doglegs to the right through woodland that could be anywhere in central Europe whilst the par three 13th has the feel of a heathland course in rural Surrey.

Hills Golf Club filed for bankruptcy in 2011 and was rescued in 2012 by a consortium of golf enthusiasts fronted by European Tour pro Johan Edfors, who has since implemented a number of changes to the original Steve Forrest design. The 2018 Nordea Masters was hosted at Hills in August 2018. England's Paul Waring won the title, beating South African Thomas Aiken in a play-off to secure his maiden European Tour title after 200 previous attempts.