Top 100 Golf Courses revises its Nordic rankings

Top 100 Golf Courses updates its Nordic rankings 2016 Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden ranking charts reviewed Top 100 Golf Courses occasionally issues a news release for a particular geographical grouping of neighbouring countries – for instance, we recently highlighted the four Central European nations that comprise the Visegrad Group – and in this article we present a collective look at the Northern European countries which form the Nordic region – namely Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. It’s exactly two years since we last revised our rankings for these countries so we’d now like to present the updated chart for each of the five nations, featuring 160 courses in total. This is 25 more than the number of layouts that appeared in our last editions as we’ve now extended our Finland rankings by five to create a new Top 30 and we’ve added ten new courses to both our Denmark and Norway listings. Iceland Last edition, our Icelandic Top 10 remained exactly the same as it was in 2012. This time, there’s a little movement in the chart, though Keilir is still our national number 1. Boasting a rather unique front nine that’s laid out across ancient lava fields, this course certainly stands out from the crowd in a land that has more than its fair share of peculiar landforms. Architects Mackenzie & Ebert reconstructed new greens for the club last year at holes 10 and 11 and this work obviously went some way towards the course consolidating its number 1 status. Two other courses make upward moves, with both climbing two places in the new rankings: Vestmannaeyja (number 4) lies off the Icelandic mainland and it’s home to the annual Volcano Open, whilst the 18-hole Korpa course at Reykjavik Golf Club (number 5) is a late 1990s design which now complements the older Grafarholt course at the same club. We’ve also just conducted our biennial check regarding the proposed Black Sand project with Faldo Design and Gareth Williams, their Architecture and Business Development manager, tells us the much-anticipated development still remains on hold, an unfortunate victim of the Icelandic financial crisis that first unfolded in late 2008. To view further details of the Icelandic Top 10 click the link. Denmark The Scandinavian (Old) course remains our top track in Denmark and this stellar Robert Trent Jones Jnr course also climbed an impressive five places to number 21 in our recently revised Top 100 of Continental Europe chart. One reviewer described it as “by far the best course in Denmark” whilst another reviewer simply stated: “you don’t get any better than this”. A couple of courses make positive upward movements within the Top 10. They’re both Rick Baril designs that opened within a year of each other and they are Lyngbygaard (18-hole) near Aarhus (up two to 8) and the Brakor & Elbaek nines at Stensballegaard on the north side of the Horsens Fjord (up three to 10) which debuted in 2008. Furesø (Farum & Hestkobsgard) makes a significant surge up the listings, rising a healthy ten places to number 17, thanks in no small measure to work carried out last year by Tom Mackenzie, who rebuilt every green surround and bunker as the club celebrated its 40th anniversary. The ten new entries to our expanded Danish chart are headed by Nick Faldo’s Ledreborg Palace course at number 15 and this is a contemporary layout that was constructed with great sensitivity inside the old ancestral estate of the Hostein-Ledreborg family back in 2007. The second highest newcomer is HC Anderson – previously known as Gyldensteen – on the island of Funen and it enters at position 19, immediately followed by Hvide Klit, another new entry at number 20, which is the northernmost golf course in the country. We understand that the Nicklaus-designed Great Northern course (commissioned by the heir to the Lego fortune) will open later this year, and it’s likely to leap into our 2018 Danish rankings. To view further details of the Danish Top 40 click the link. Finland Kytaja (South East) is still the top course in our newly expanded chart for Finland, a position it’s held since 2008, when we first started ranking courses in this country. It’s part of a 36-hole golf complex designed by the critically acclaimed architect Thomas McBroom, who has a string of highly rated modern tracks to his name back in his native Canada. There are three bold upward moves at the top end of the chart: the Etelä-Saimaa layout at Viipurin soars nine places to number 3 (having only just entered our listings at number 12 in 2014), the Benz course at Nordcentre (the newer of the two 18-hole layouts at this golf and country club) shoots up six spots to number 5 and the Old course at Tahko (a Jan Sederholm new millennium design) rockets twelve places to number 7. The first of eight new entries arrives at number 13 and it’s Levi Golf in Lapland, where Mackenzie & Ebert are currently involved in some upgrading work to the course. The company also laid new greens last year on both the Seaside course at Pickala (another newcomer at number 17) and the Classic course at Vierumäki, as well as starting construction of a new 18-hole layout at Vantaa, near Helsinki. Other prominent new entries within the Finnish Top 20 include the woodland Purinpelto (“Devil’s Field”) course at the 36-hole Lakeside golf complex near Tampere (which debuts at number 15) and the sandy soiled seaside layout at Yyteri (entering at number 16) which lies close to Yyteri Beach on the Baltic Sea, near the city of Pori. To view further details of the Finnish Top 30 click the link. Norway Miklagard remains our number 1 course in Norway and this Robert Trent Jones Jnr design – which hosted four editions of the Norwegian Challenge event on the European Challenge Tour, starting in 2011 – has offered the best of players a consistent test for more than a decade now. The course also occupies a place in the lower reaches of our European Top 100 chart so there’s little doubt about the quality of the golf product here. Holtsmark is another highly regarded RTJII Norwegian layout and it rises a very respectable seven places to number 4 in our revised national chart. The course is famed for its intimidating closing hole, which was described by one reviewer as “one of the finest closing holes I know… all you see is fairway and greenside bunkers cleverly lined up so you get this daunting optical illusion.” Also moving in the right direction, we have the tree-lined track at Stavanger climbing one spot to number 3 and this 1950s design – one of Norway’s oldest courses – only seems to improve with each passing year, as an ever-increasing number of golfers appreciate the challenge presented by a fine array of gently undulating fairways and small, subtly-contoured greens. Atlungstad also climbs a commendable three places to number 5, reversing the fall of two places it made in the 2014 listings. The course enjoys a gorgeous setting next to Lake Mjøsa, Norway’s biggest inland waterway, so golfers who might be suffering a modicum of pain due to the penal Dave Thomas bunkering on the course can always seek some solace from their wonderful surroundings. The first two of ten new entries into our newly extended Norwegian Top 30 are worth mentioning: Sola (Championship) (new at number 16) operates within a modern National Training Centre for the Norwegian Golf Federation and Lofoten Links (new at number 20) was just enlarged to a full 18-hole layout by Jeremy Turner last year so watch out for this one when we re-rank the country again in 2018. To view further details of the Norwegian Top 30 click the link. Sweden Sweden also retains its number 1 course. Like Denmark and Norway, it’s a Robert Trent Jones Jnr design – the Stadium course at Bro Hof Slott – that heads the national table, a status it’s enjoyed since 2010. The Nordea Masters was held here from 2010 to 2013, before the event moved to the PGA of Sweden National, but the course is set to resume its position as host venue this year. Two courses make noteworthy positive moves near the top end of the rankings. The first of these is the old layout at Falsterbo (up 2 to number 2) which was recently described by a reviewer as “one of the best links courses outside UK&I”. The second track is the North course at Halmstad (up 2 to number 3) where the European ladies team lost the Solheim Cup to the USA when the event was played here in 2007. Another course to make its mark is Ullna. The layout closed five years ago when it underwent an extensive renovation by Nicklaus Design, with new tees, bunkers and greens installed throughout the course, but it has now shot back up the national rankings, rocketing ten positions to number 5. It was also the highest new entry at number 44 when we updated our European Top 100 chart a month ago so Ullna’s definitely back with a bang. Three other courses are worthy of mention because they make moderate moves up the Swedish chart: Martin Hawtree’s 2009 design at Vallda (up two to 12), Arthur Hills and Steve Forrest’s Hills course (up two to 15) and the Ostra course at Kristianstad (up three to 17) which was expanded to a full 18-hole layout back in 1969. There are six new entries, the highest of which is Bastad (Old) at number 29, where Fred Hawtree and JH Taylor designed the course in the 1930s so it’s now reckoned to be the second oldest 18-hole layout in the country. To view further details of the Swedish Top 50 click the link. We always welcome comments when we publish updated national rankings so feel free to let us know what you think of our five revised national charts. Have we left out a layout that really should be listed or do we feature a course that doesn’t deserve to be included? Please click the “Respond to this article” link at the top or at the bottom of the page if you’d like to let us know your opinion. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

Top 50 Golf Courses of Finland 2022 This is the second of five Nordic chart updates we’re publishing over the next few weeks. Having recently extended our panel of raters in this region, we now have enough data to warrant the extension of our Finnish chart to a Top 50. Golf didn’t get going in Finland until 1932 when Helsinki Golf Club was founded (and the Finnish Golf Union was only established in 1957) but the sport has grown in popularity ever since, with around 180 courses spread around the country. KPMG’s last Golf Participation Report for Europe (which was issued before covid hit the world) showed Finland ranked at #10 for the total number of registered golfers but if you look at the number of golfers per golf course then the Netherlands is #1, followed by Finland with 1,112 golfers per course – so it could be argued there’s an under provision of courses for the numbers who play the game nationally. The golf season doesn’t last for very long in this country – six months from April to September usually – but during the summer months it’s possible to play until well into the evening as the sun sets late in this part of northern Europe at that time of year. Linna We have a new #1 for Finland, with the 18-hole layout at Linna Golf rising one position from the runner-up spot to take over at the top. Designed by Tim Lobb when he worked with European Golf Design, the course is routed through a pine and birch forest next to Lake Katuma, with water coming into play on several occasions. A member of the European Tour Destinations network, Linna also hosted the European Amateur Championship in 2010 then the European Amateur Team Championship four years later. Ǻlands The Castle course at Ǻlands Golfklubb rises ten places to #2 in our new listings, following a spectacularly successful renovation by Philip Christian Spogárd of Spogárd & VanderVaart. The club operates two 18-hole layouts (the Castle and the King’s), both originally designed by Jan Sederholm, along with a 6-hole course called the Princess. The Castle revamp lasted almost two years, with a number of holes repositioned closer to the sea, greens rebuilt to USGA standard, and bunkers re-edged from Durabunker. Aura The course at Aura Golfclimbs four places to #9, re-entering the national Top 10 for the first time since 2014 (when it was also placed at number 9). Situated within a Nature Park on the island of Ruissalo, outside the city of Turku, the course has been in existence since 1958, when it first opened for play. The layout was upgraded in 1980, subsequently staging the European Amateur Championship in 1994, the European Challenge Tour in 2015 and then the Ladies European Tour in 2021 so it’s more than capable of testing elite amateur players. Pickala The Seaside layout at Pickala Golf rises ten places to #13 and it’s just one of three terrific 18-hole layouts on offer at a fantastic 54-hole golf facility located less than an hour’s drive from Helsinki city centre. The Seaside was the first of the courses to appear here in 1987, followed four years later by the Park, with both tracks designed by Reijo Hillberg. The Forest course was last to arrive in 2004, designed by Jan Sederholm. Don’t let the “Seaside” name fool you though as it’s wooded parkland golf all the way from 1st to the 18th. Kalajoki The course at Kalajoki Golfsoars an incredible twenty places to #18 in our revised Finnish listings. A Pekka Sivula design which debuted in 2002, this par 73 course is set out across a sandy, pinewood forest close to the shoreline on the west coast of the country in the popular tourist destination of Kalajoki Hiekkasärkät. There’s also a short par three course on offer for beginners and for those who’d like to warm up for the main event – and, intriguingly, visitor green fees for the 18-hole course include a golf cart and sauna with towel! Helsinki Moving ten rungs up the ladder to #26, the course at Helsinki Golf Club (or Helsingin Golfklubi to use its proper name) dates back to 1932, making it the oldest golfing layout in the country. With fairways laid out inside the grounds of Tali Manor – which now doubles up as a rather grand clubhouse – the course is a rather splendid parkland track which has hosted a number of prestigious tournaments down the years, and is probably best known for staging six editions the Finnair Masters on the Ladies European Tour between 2006 and 2011. Aulanko There are thirteen new entries in our extended Finnish standings and they’re headed at #15 by the 18-hole Eversti course at Aulanko Golf. The club has existed for over eighty years now, with its original 9-hole Hugo course dating back to 1940, making it one of the oldest golfing grounds in the country. The Eversti is a Lassi Pekka Tilander layout that was unveiled in 2006, hosting the Finnish Amateur Championship in 2012. More recently, the European Senior Golf Association held its Team Championship and Cup for Senior Men here in 2018. To view the complete detailed list of our latest Top 50 Golf Courses of Finland click the link. View list here.

Top 100 Golf Courses updates its Nordic rankings 2020 This news release covers the five Northern European nations of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. We’re increasing the number of courses featured in this region by extending three of the national listings so we now publish ranking details for almost two hundred of the approximately 970 golfing layouts that are spread out across this vast northern section of the continent. The latest KPMG Golf Participation Report for Europe 2019 indicates participation rates are collectively slightly down in these five countries for the period 2017-18, though Iceland and Norway both buck the general trend; the former recording a 0.82% increase to 17,164 registered golfers and the latter posting a 2.28% rise to 103,000 affiliated members. More encouragingly, a similar document co-produced by the R&A and the European Golf Association entitled the European Golf Participation Report 2019 highlights that Iceland’s registered golfers as a percentage of the population (5%) is the highest in Europe, edging Sweden (4.8%) into second place. The Swedes also have the most junior golfers (46,844) and 3rd most adult female players (121,552) so it’s not all doom and gloom in this part of the golfing world. Denmark The leading seven courses in our Denmark Top 40 remain in the same position, which means that the Old course at The Scandinavian is still our #1 layout. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Junior and opened for play a decade ago, it’s been the national No.1 since taking over the top spot in 2014. Comprising 50% of a fabulous 36-hole golf complex on the outskirts of Copenhagen, the Old course is also one of five Danish tracks to currently feature in our Continental European Top 100. The Scandinavian - Old course Twenty-five kilometres further north of the capital lies Simon’s Golf Club, and here the A and B nines now climb two places to #8. Laid out by Martin Hawtree in the early 1990s, the original 18-hole layout has since had a newer loop (the “C” nine) added to form a very impressive 27-hole golf facility. Many will take for granted that the Made in Denmark tournament is now an annual fixture on the professional calendar, but not so long ago Simon’s held the inaugural Danish European Tour event, the Nordic Open, where Ian Poulter won the one and only edition in 2003. Simon's There’s only one new Danish entry, Sønderjyllands Golfklub in Southern Jutland, situated less than fifteen kilometres from the border with Germany. The fairways are set out in an area formerly known as the Gravel Balls, which forms the western continuation of a large glacial meltwater cone, with gravel deposits to a depth of up to forty meters in places. The club celebrated fifty years of operation in 2018, having started out with a 9-hole layout before another nine holes were added in stages up until 1986. Sønderjylland Rank/ To view the complete detailed list of the Top 40 Golf Courses of Denmark click the link. Finland There are only five non-movers in our newly extended rankings for Finland and one of the layouts retaining its former position is the national #1, the South East course at Kytäjä Golf. We’ve been listing Finnish courses biennially since 2008 and this one has topped the table every time so it’s probably no surprise that it holds onto its No. 1 status. Designed by Tom McBroom, it forms half the golfing complement at a stylish 36-hole complex that opened its doors to visitors early in the new millennium. Kytäjä - South East course A couple of courses make admirable six-place gains in our new Top 40: the first is the 18-hole layout at Aura Golf (at #13) which was initially set out on the island of Ruissalo, outside Turku, back in 1958 and the second is the more modern course at Virpiniemi Golf (at #16), where Jan Sederholm fashioned two distinct returning nines in 2006, close to the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia on the Baltic Sea. Aura The highest of our ten new entries is the Castle course at Ålands Golfklubb (new at #12) in the Åland Islands, which we used to list separately, but we’ve now integrated the archipelago into our mainstream Finnish standings. The 18-hole Castle layout has just undergone an extensive upgrade by Philip Spogárd, who installed a new irrigation system, renovated greens to USGA standard, and reworked all the sand hazards with Durabunker edging. Ålands - Castle course To view the complete detailed list of the Top 40 Golf Courses of Finland click the link. Iceland Only one course remains in the same place for this revision and it’s Iceland’s #1 layout, the 18-hole Hvaleyrarvöllur course at Keilir Golf Club, located half an hour’s drive from Reykjavik airport. The club started out with a modest 9-hole set-up in 1967 then holes were gradually added over the following thirty years until the current 27-hole facility became a reality in 1996. Mackenzie & Ebert have been involved in recent renovation work here, ensuring the links maintains a firm grip on its top billing status in Iceland. Keilir The only new entry in the 2018 version of the Iceland chart was Edwin Roald’s 12-hole layout at Brautarholt Golf Club, which debuted at No.9. After adding three new holes, the course now leaps five places up the 2020 listings to No.4, with a reviewer describing it last year as “a very pleasant surprise... the views from the course are spectacular the whole way round while the cliff side holes are the show stopper… for a great day of fun golf where thinking your way around is rewarded I can highly recommend Brautarholt.” Brautarholt The first of five newcomers arrives at #10 and it’s the White River Golf Course at Golfklúbburinn Kiðjaberg, situated seventy kilometres east of the capital. Work started on the layout in 1989 before a 9-hole track was brought into play five years later. Another decade then passed before it was finally extended to an 18-hole layout and there’s also now a 5-hole par three course available for junior and learner golfers at a tidy little golf club. Kiðjaberg To view the complete detailed list of the Top 15 Golf Courses of Iceland click the link. Norway Lofoten Links is still the #1 course in Norway and it also now occupies a position in the upper half of our Top 100 for Continental Europe. It’s quite a turnaround in fortunes for a rather out of the way development that started out in the early 1990s with just a few holes etched into a fantastic natural landscape on the island of Gimsøya in the northern reaches of the country, where golf can be played 24 hours a day in the summertime. Lofoten Links A recent post summed up the course rather well: “the links at Lofoten has a magical setting with a combination of imposing mountain and ocean backgrounds. The routing of the links incorporates no less than seven gorgeous ocean-side holes. The combination of granite boulders defining tight landing areas plus carries over rolling sea and sandy coves on these holes is intoxicating.” The biggest upward move in the Norwegian Top 30 is made by the course at Elverum Golfklubb, rising five spots to No. 22. Construction of the layout began in 1987 and the first nine holes were commissioned twelve months later. An extension to eighteen holes was then undertaken in 1990 and the completed project was ready for play by the end of the following year. In 1993, the old club folded but the new club management has gone from strength to strength ever since. Utsikten-Kvinesdal The only new entry appears at #28 and it’s the woodland course at Utsikten Golfpark, overlooking the town of Kvinesdal and the magnificent Fedafjord which runs south from the mouth of the river Kvina to the Listafjorden. It’s a fabulous environment for golf; the wild forest and edge of the moors on one side, with the fjord leading to the ocean on the other. To view the complete detailed list of the Top 30 Golf Courses of Norway click the link. Sweden The Stadium course at Bro Hof Slott Golf Club is our No. 1 course in Sweden for the 6th straight edition of our newly extended Swedish standings, having risen from No. 3 to the chart summit in 2010. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Junior, the course will host the Scandinavian Mixed tournament in June this year, with male and female professionals from the European Tour and Ladies European Tour going head-to-head for one prize fund and one trophy. Bro Hof Slott - Stadium course Advancing seven places to #9, the Östra course at Kristianstads Golfklubb enters the Top 10 ranking tier in Sweden for the first time, after twelve years of fluctuating between #13 and #20. Founded in 1924, Kriastianstad is one of the oldest clubs in the country, starting out with a modest a 9-hole course then evolving into a 36-hole golf facility in the modern era. Kristianstad - Östra course In 1986, it hosted the Kristianstad Open, a Ladies European Tour event featuring stars like Liselotte Neumann, Helen Alfredsson and Laura Davies. In September this year, 126 of the world’s finest professional women golfers will compete in another LET event, the Creekhouse Ladies Open, with a €400,000 prize fund on offer for those taking part. The highest of our new entries makes an appearance at #32 and it’s the Södra course at Skövde Golfklubb, which is the main golfing component of a 27-hole set-up at the club. Architect Christian Lundin of reGOLF has recently completed a rebuild of the original Peter Nordwall design, using contractor Nelson & Vecchio to grass the layout with fescue and encourage the ground game wherever possible, improving the overall playing experience for every standard of golfer. Skövde - Södra course To view the complete detailed list of the Top 70 Golf Courses of Sweden click the link. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses