Linna Golf, Finland

Linna Golf course opened for play in 2005 and is roughly 100 kilometers from Helsinki and only 75 kilometers from the cities of Tampere and Lahti. This idyllic course offers a great variety of beautiful landscapes and terrains. The course is built on Vanajanlinna Manor grounds and spans over 100 hectares, making for a spacious course.

Linna was originally nominated as a Gem by Petri and was added to the Top 100 website in May 2008. Since then Linna has become not only a nationally ranked course, but also a track that regularly features in our European Top 100. Petri’s original nomination article follows:

Even if I might be considered biased, Linna Golf is by any national poll regarded as either the No.1 or No.2 ranked course in Finland (Golf Digest Finland, www.golf.fi, Finnish Golf magazine). The course was designed by European Golf Design / Tim Lobb and was completed with highest criteria of design and construction (USGA specifications). It is part of the European Tour Courses group and has already since its inauguration since 2005 been rewarded a Challenge Tour event for 2009, European Amateur Championships in 2010 and the goal is to host a European Tour event shortly after.

The course itself goes through beautiful mature forested land with quite a few water features and has beautiful views to neighbouring Lake Katuma. The holes are designed so that while the back tees provide a stern test to the best of professionals, the club golfers tees provide players with a good chance of avoiding traps and enjoying their round to the fullest. Linna Golf has huge greens that are maintained at highest level – normally the greens are between 10-12 on the Stimpmeter.

Golf legend and five times Open Champion Peter Thomson said of the course when he visited Linna Golf: “I doubt there is a better course in Scandinavia. The terrain is excellent and has been used in the best way possible to create a course with a great variety of holes which will challenge all standards of golfers. In time, I believe Linna Golf will become a national treasure.”