Golf in Sweden

This country profile highlights some of the key aspects of golfing in Sweden.

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About the Country
Sweden evokes many images but the only real way to discover its charms, beauties and size is to come and see them for yourself, a journey that is now so much easier with the new Oresund bridge connecting Copenhagen (Denmark) and Malmo (Sweden). The sea-faring and adventurous spirit of the Swedes is epitomised in their Viking ancestors, and in modern-day Swedes the prevalence of blond hair and blue eyes signals just how far north your travels have brought you. The southern part of the country is neither mountainous nor flat, unremarkable in some ways, but with a beautiful coastline and an interior dotted with traditional red houses and barns. Further north, the scenery becomes more spectacular and in places mountainous.

About the Golf
This is one of Europe's golf-mad countries, which ensures plenty of courses, but equally plenty of golfers who keep the courses busy both during the week and especially at weekends (Danes will tell you though that Denmark is even busier still). Its hard to imagine why more foreign visitors do not head for the golf courses of Sweden. The overall quality of courses and facilities ranks alongside any great golf nation, and with the likes of Barseback, Ljunghusens, Halmstad (Tylosand), Ullna and Bro-Balsta on offer, this is 5-star golfing country. In recent years Sweden has produced many great golfers, with professionals like Annika Sorenstam, Sophie Gustafson, Jesper Parnevik and Fredrik Jacobsen flying the blue and yellow flag with much pride. All were no doubt products of the excellent junior coaching programs that are clearly evident on the practice grounds, starting it seems with the under 5's (that's age not handicap !).

Golf Good Points
The quality and number of courses is impressive. On the course, facilities such as toaletts (toilets) and halfway houses are also of an excellent standard - the mid-round hot-dog is a firm favourite in Sweden. Practice facilities are also generally very good. Golf etiquette is usually well observed, so pitch marks on greens are repaired and divots replaced (hurrah !). Finally, lunchtimes are often the busiest times for golf clubs, with many locals joining a word about lunch.

Less Good Points
Not being able to make golf bookings more than 1 to 14 days in advance can hamper your itinerary planning, especially as the golf courses are generally busy and competitions are very popular. Weekends can be especially difficult to get onto the busiest and better rated courses, such that early morning and late afternoon rounds may need to be considered. Stroke savers and other written communication to the golfer is in Swedish language only.

Golf - Booking
Generally tee times can be arranged ahead of time, but only a matter of days in advance, which can vary between 1 and 14 days. This can make itineray planning difficult. Only a handful of courses will accept tee time reservations any amount of time in advance. Once the golf booking is made on the phone, you can treat this as a secure tee-time - the secretaries offices are generally very reliable. Early morning tee-times are possible, many courses taking bookings from 7:00 a.m. Also worth noting the long daylight hours in summer, making it possible to start a round in the late afternoon and play well into the evening.

Weather
Although golf is played by some Swedes all year round, especially in southern Sweden, the best and surest times to visit are between May and September. Within this period the most reliable weather (which on any given day could be sunny or rainy or both) is to be found in June, July and August. However, many will tell you of the superb conditions they enjoyed outside of these summer months. The further north you go the shorter the available golfing season. In Stockholm for example, most golfers would reckon to play from May until mid-October (and then its time to get the skis out !)

Getting around
Quieter roads than in many European countries makes it much easier to get around. Most of the country is serviced by good quality motorways. Everyone is required to drive with headlights on (day and night)

Accomodation
The bigger Swedish cities and towns are well-served by good quality hotels, but these can often get very booked-up, especially in the June / July holiday season and at weekends. Outside these bigger towns, hotels can be scarcer than you might think, so its best to identify and book your accommodation reasonably well in advance. Scandic, Best Western, Radisson SAS and Ramada are big names with multiple hotels of good quality, but also look out for many excellent independent hotels - these are often more traditional and offer excellent Swedish cuisine. .

Currency
Swedish Kronor

Language
Swedish. English widely spoken as a second language.

Visit our Sweden Golf Course Guide for ratings, reviews and contact information for Sweden?s main golf courses.

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