Master (Master) - Finland

Lake Bodom, near Espoo, is the backdrop for the Master golf complex which houses two 18-hole layouts; The Master, a beautiful parkland championship layout and the slightly shorter Forest, a picturesque woodland course.

Prolific Finnish architect Kosti Kuronen was responsible for the design of The Master and it opened for play in 1987. Five years later, Jan Söderholm designed the 9-hole Forest course and this was extended to a full eighteen-hole layout in 1997.

Although The Master is laid out over rolling parkland and there are trees aplenty, fairways are still generally open. As the course slowly matures over the years, things may get a little tighter in places. It’s also good to see a modern design that lets the holes flow with the landform to create an out and back routing, rather than have a front nine and back nine that each have to end in front of the clubhouse.

Back-to-back par fives end the outward half. The 8th is a left dogleg with out of bounds down the right where the fairway rises, forcing a blind second shot. The 9th is more open, though a ditch crosses the fairway around the landing area and a pond guards the two-tiered green to the front right of the putting surface.

The short par four 18th is only 294 yards off the back tees but the left to right sloping fairway guides tee shots into a bunker on the right of the fairway, hampering many attempts at a final hole birdie.