Sweden

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Lets talk golf in Sweden. What are the must plays? What are great places to play that may not meet the GCA course of the year? I will come clean with my motivation for these very deep questions shortly.

[Phil McDade]

I've never played there -- only married into a family with much Swedish heritage. But from the World Atlas of Golf and various pictures on the web, Falsterbo looks really neat -- linksy, not than many trees, hugging the ocean, and near Copenhagen, where I have been, and which is a blast.

[David_Tepper]

Tiger B. -

Eric Franzen, who is a very active poster here, works for the Swedish Golf Federation. I am sure he will fill you in.

DT  

[David Stamm]

Tiger, I have always heard that Barseback was a very good course.

[Mike_Clayton]

I have not been there for 10 years but the best golf was in the south by Malmo.Falstebro was the best course but there were a couple of others - Flommen and Ljunghusens - which were worth seeing.
There was nothing in Stockholm - not golf anyway - but it is a beautiful city.
Barseback was over rated I thought - the three others were better from memory but it was a while ago

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Halmstad is highly rated.  The 9-holer at Helsingborg is a true links, if I remember correctly.  There's also a charming course at Molle, a few miles up the coast from Helsingborg.  It's nothing special architecturally, but its setting on a wooded rocky promontory above the sea is something special.

[Tony Ristola]

Seems most of the bases have been covered. I heard someone went in and redid Falsterbo's greens, or at least some of them. True?

Kevinge in Stockholm would have been something worth seeing, except the city kept stealing corners of the course for residential towers.

If you are in the Stockholm area Bra Balsta is a pretty decent track. I played it 15 years ago and enjoyed it.

[Bill_McBride]

Cherchez la femme.  

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Ok I am coming clean. I was having lunch with a friend here in town that pole vaulted on the euro/Am circuit during his 20's after the LSU track days and before Law School. He met and married a Swedish track girl that will take your breath away. He was telling me Sweden has the highest percentage of female golfers of any country in Europe and thats before you go to the beautiful part. therefore being the smart man I am, it seems Sweden and Scandinavia is the land for me this summer. Thank you thus far and please continue the sage advice.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Tiger, If you are going to throw in Denmark as well, then I can arrange for you to play at Hammel with Anette, who is 6ft 1 or 2, blonde, slim and just gorgeous.  Hammel isn't a great course and Anette is married to a very successful solicitor, but these are minor complications.  You are just down the road from Silkeborg which is where Thomas Bjorn played his youthful golf, I believe.  Again, it's not a great course, but who cares when they are all 6 ft 1 or 2, blonde, slim and just gorgeous.  (Sorry, I didn't mean to reveal in public my affection for Thomas....)

[Bill_McBride]

What did I tell you?  Cherchez la femme Scandinavian!  

[Joe Hancock]

Does any segment of the Swedish population consider golf course shapers on the same level as rock stars?.....

If so, I'm on my way......

Joe

[Ulrich Mayring]

Flommens, Ljunghusen and Falsterbo have been mentioned, real links very close to each other, south of Malmö. I can also recommend Torekov, a little further up the west coast. I think Mr. Rowlinson is cutting Mölle a little short, though

Halmstad, well. If you like trees, it's probably a very good course. Quite long, architectural merit, but to a recreational player somewhat boring. Same goes for Barsebäck.

Ulrich

[RE Blanks]

I was there in 2000 and played Falsterbo.  They had just done some work to the greens.  I was stung by a bee on the 4th hole.  On one of the holes on the front nine I played my approach to the wrong green.  I really liked the course and my playing partner, who worked at the club and played semi pro soccer at a local club in Malmo.  He played with a brand of equipment that I had never heard and was probably about 15 years old.  He shot close to even par and hit some incredible shots on a very windy day.  

The thing that I really took from the day, other than playing a very good course, was the difference of golf in the USA and in Sweden.  Golf is a family game.  The jr program is on the same terms as tee ball or soccer in the USA.  The kids come to the course early.  Take instruction in the morning, eat burgers together for lunch and play a match against another club in the afternoon.  
Also, my playing partner asked how much it cost to play in the USA and I told him what it cost to join a club and monthly dues and he almost fell on the floor.  

[Eric Franzen]

I would agree that Falsterbo is THE course to play in southern Sweden. Ljunghusen, which is seaside/heathland, is based on the same peninsula and also very worthy to check out. Pass on Falsterbo's next door neighbor Flommen... just a very dull layout.

Barsebäck has hosted the Scandinavian Masters numerous times and is a decent parkland layout, spiced up with a stretch of more rugged seaside holes.

Halmstad, the North Course, hosts the Solheim Cup this year and is a challenging parkland course in the classical vein. One of the three best courses in Sweden, if you ask me.

I agree with Mark R regarding Mölle.

Let's move on to Stockholm.

Stockholms GK (Kevinge) is a very altered Colt, Allison & Moore creation that still offers some stunning par 3's.

Bro-Bålsta is worth playing if you want to sample some domestic design work by Peter Nordwall. This is Annika Sörenstams home course, which  hosted an event on the Ladies European Tour last year.

Bro Hof opens this year with a seaside layout from RTJ II. Swedish entrepreneur Björn Örås invested around 45 million dollar in this club. I have toured it, but will wait to express an public opinion until I actually played the course.

Get in touch if you plan to come over, Tiger.

Cheers,

Eric

[Paul Jones]

He was telling me Sweden has the highest percentage of female golfers of any country in Europe and thats before you go to the beautiful part. therefore being the smart man I am, it seems Sweden and Scandinavia is the land for me this summer. Thank you thus far and please continue the sage advice.

John,

If you go, please post pictures  

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Mark was kind to mention some courses in Denmark which he liked as well. Are there any in Norway which wowed the treehouse?

[Tony Ristola]

Played Rya on the coast and enjoyed it. It's not a stunner, but it was fun, the location beautiful...or my memory is bad. During one Scandinavian Tour event in 86 or 87, 5 guys aced the 2nd hole. Short hole dead into the wind with the sea in the background.  I think that is or tied the record for aces on one hole during a tournament round.
There was talk of changes (about reclaiming the seaside holes), but don't know if any occurred.

Eric, I'd seen some other work by Nordwall, and none was near as good as Bra Balsta (that was his first...or?). I'd heard some things both good and otherwise from his project on Gotland...how is that?

How about Skelleftea? I vaguely remember it wasn't too bad, or I'd got so used to playing 15 and 16 hole golf courses (the other 2 or 3 being freakish holes) or courses with rock outcroppings all over the place that this was finally a relief to play something different. Or my memory is fading.

All those rumors you hear about Svenska Flickor (my memory is deadly shape in this dept.)...well...Joe...saddle up your iron and see for yourself. It's tough there right now...having spoken to someone in the SGF (USGA Sweden) recently, there isn't much new construction...though I've got some guys trying...still trying after 7 years.

That 45 million budget is not normal for Sweden. How is he going to make it back? Is there residential tied to the project?
Most courses are built on land loaned by the community (correct me if I'm wrong Eric), and the construction budgets usually meager.

[Eric Franzen]

Played Rya on the coast and enjoyed it. It's not a stunner, but it was fun, the location beautiful...or my memory is bad. During one Scandinavian Tour event in 86 or 87, 5 guys aced the 2nd hole. Short hole dead into the wind with the sea in the background.  I think that is or tied the record for aces on one hole during a tournament round.
There was talk of changes (about reclaiming the seaside holes), but don't know if any occurred.

Eric, I'd seen some other work by Nordwall, and none was near as good as Bra Balsta (that was his first...or?). I'd heard some things both good and otherwise from his project on Gotland...how is that?

How about Skelleftea? I vaguely remember it wasn't too bad, or I'd got so used to playing 15 and 16 hole golf courses (the other 2 or 3 being freakish holes) or courses with rock outcroppings all over the place that this was finally a relief to play something different. Or my memory is fading.

All those rumors you hear about Svenska Flickor (my memory is deadly shape in this dept.)...well...Joe...saddle up your iron and see for yourself. It's tough there right now...having spoken to someone in the SGF (USGA Sweden) recently, there isn't much new construction...though I've got some guys trying...still trying after 7 years.

That 45 million budget is not normal for Sweden. How is he going to make it back? Is there residential tied to the project?
Most courses are built on land loaned by the community (correct me if I'm wrong Eric), and the construction budgets usually meager.

Tony,

I haven't played Visby, but it is quite often (together with Bro Bålsta and Svartinge (Sweden's only private course) mentioned as one of Nordwall's better moments.

To be honest, I don't know anything about Skellefteå. The best course I've played in Northern Sweden is Avan at Gävle GK.

Actually there are a couple of interesting projects in the Swedish pipeline right now. For example PGA National Resort with 36 holes by Kyle Phillips and Branninge G&CC by Nicklaus Design. Steve Forrest will also work on a seaside site next to Trelleborg, which is supposed to have some potential.

The memberships for Bro Hof will start at around 42 000 dollars, quite high end for Sweden as you know. I think they plan to sell around 1100 of those for 36 holes. No residential project is tied to the course, but there will be a hotel.