Helsinki in the summer is one of the most bustling European capitals to venture into. Open-air cafes throng with people?bikers, motorcyclists, pedestrians, tourists and locals alike. The city derives a lot of its character from its proximity to the sea?it?s surrounded by it on three sides, with almost 100 km of coastline and over 300 islands. Nature does have its sense of justice. After subjecting the Finns to a harsh winter and near-darkness for almost six months, the sun comes out for as much as 21 hours from May to August. And in Lapland, in the northern part of the country, it doesn?t set at all. Now, golfers are a tenacious lot to begin with. They don?t take kindly to being subjected to forced deprivation of this magnitude?especially if they?re as inveterate about their game as the Finns are.
That?s the milieu in which itinerant golfers find themselves when they land in Helsinki in the glorious summer months?and, not surprisingly, run into hardy Finn fourballs playing as many as three rounds in a day (even though they, literally, have all day). Thankfully, there?s a surfeit of golf courses to handle the deluge?over 150 layouts scattered around this Nordic land.
But the one that?s not to be missed is the Vanajanlinna GC, about an hour?s drive outside Helsinki. Designed by Tim Lobb of Thomson Perrett & Lobb, the course opened for play in 2006. Set amongst birch and pine, the course looks like it?s been part of the landscape for decades. On exquisitely-laid fairways bounded by craggy hills with rocky outcrops, the tree-lined holes tumble down to a lake on the shores of which sits Vanajanlinna Castle, now an exclusive hotel. If you?re a Formula One aficionado, you can get your thrills by checking into the room where Kimi Raikkonen stayed after his wedding (which was also held at the castle). The course itself, ranked second by Golf Digest Finland, is absolutely top-notch: a parkland layout with a wide selection of tees, it hosts a European Challenge Tour event every year.
Another fantastic multi-course resort is the Thomas Broom design Kytaja Golf Club located close to the city of Hyvinkaa, a 30-minute drive north of Helsinki. Two championship layouts?the South East and the North West?and fantastic scenery, including a Pebble Beach-like stretch of three holes encircling Lake Kytaja, make it visually spectacular.
Nine-hundred kilometres from Helsinki and a hop-skip-and-jump from the Arctic Circle lies the town of Levi. Just after the stroke of midnight, there comes a moment when, suddenly, an unearthly silence steals over the golf course. We are on the seventh hole of the Levi Golf & Country Club, having teed off at half past ten after a sumptuous dinner and our pace has been sedate. The GC is located in the midst of gorgeous fell scenery, encircling a lake, and soaking in the sights is as much part of the agenda as making par. But when the persistent clamour of birds ceases abruptly, it seems that time has stood still?it?s late in the night and the sun is stubbornly stuck at four o?clock. The feeling of unreality is driven home by the pin-drop silence. The sun?s perseverance notwithstanding, this is the dead of the night.
In Finnish Lapland, Levi, a very popular winter sports destination in the winter, transforms into a pilgrimage for golfers in the summer months of June-August when the sun refuses to go down. One of the northernmost golf courses in the world, the experience of midnight golf is an incredibly unique experience. Tee-offs are usually scheduled at night so that the round culminates around midnight. The Levi G&CC, which opened only a few years back, is no championship venue?the greens are slow and the fairways patchy at times?but it is unrivalled in its natural setting and diversity. Reindeers saunter on to the course from the surrounding forest and gaze nonchalantly at our slow play. At over 6,000 m (yardages in Finland are always in meters), the course presents a challenge to amateurs, albeit not a stiff one. One trip to the woods (woods literally means woods here, not a euphemism for brambles or a thorn thicket) is enough to convince you about the absolute necessity of staying in the fairway. The course is well-equipped for catering to the needs of the visiting golfer. Clubs and shoes can be hired, and if you are carrying your own clubs, they can be stored at the club for a charge.
Considering its location, Levi is surprisingly accessible?just a 90-minute connecting flight from Helsinki to Kittila brings you to, literally, one of the remotest corners of the world. The Levi Fell village is a blend of Lappish exoticism,high-quality accommodation and a carefully developed range of services. The home of Santa Claus, a fell called Korvatunturi (Ear Mountain) is in Lapland and near the town of Rovaniemi, 170 km from Levi.
A rush to play golf in the summer months makes ?speed golf? quite the rage in Helsinki. The current record is held by Teemu Tyry, who played (and pulled his trolley too!) across an astounding 180 holes in one day (24 hours). At Espoo, another GC in the vicinity of Helsinki, I run into Esa Makinen, a 50-year-old auto dealer. Makinen is the golfing equivalent of an arctic explorer, untiringly playing golf courses around the world with an epic drive. His tally currently stands at an astounding 700 golf courses in 110 countries.
If you?re a first-time visitor to Helsinki, though, you might not share his enthusiasm. For all the beautiful and challenging courses in this fascinating country, you wouldn?t be faulted for packing away the clubs and taking a tram into town.
A golfer, Meraj Shah also writes about the game