Around Malmö, Helsingborg and Kristianstad, Eu- More Than 25 Courses Within Half an Hour of Malmö Ropean Tour and Super-Courses Such As the PGA Alone
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I Skåne has one of Europe’s highest densities of golf courses. From the centre of Skåne, you are just a 50 minute drive away from around 70 courses. pick and choose from a variety of golf courses which will satisfy your mind and expectations depending on what mood you are in. Around Malmö, Helsingborg and Kristianstad, Eu- more than 25 courses within half an hour of Malmö ropean Tour and super-courses such as the PGA alone. Equally well-placed is Helsingborg. And National sit alongside friendly, tranquil golf clubs. we’re talking about clubs and courses at the top of This is the perfect holiday at almost unbeatable the list for any enthusiast. Courses which play host prices, thanks to the favourable exchange rate. to the European Tour, the Challenge tournament Over the course of a long weekend, you could eas- and Swedish competitions. Clubs which, in recent ily play at five of Sweden’s top courses or alternate years, have built ultra-modern courses alongside the between European Tour favourites and former roy- old classic, prestigious courses. al park courses, or combine authentic links courses Those situated along the west and south coasts with exciting beech forest and woodland courses, are usually open all year round. The green where every hole is like a lush green cathedral. You fee is normally around 450 SEK for a whole day. can stay at old mansions and eat gourmet food Many clubs have arrangements with hotels and can ...or at seaside resorts where beautiful beaches are offer golf packages with reduced green fees. The next door to the golf course quality of these golf courses is consistently high, ...or opt for a golf package combining the entertain- and it is as difficult to grade them as it is to pick ment of the city with the game just one or two dishes from a Swedish smorgasbord. or... Imagine what you could get up to if you had a It’s all down to personal preferences. Nevertheless, week to explore the region! here are some tips, taking Malmö, Helsingborg and From the centre of Skåne you can reach around Kristianstad as starting points. 70 golf courses in 50 minutes. You’ll find © MICHAEL DENKER PGA National of Sweden 1 THE MALMÖ AREA - links and resorts © MICHAEL DENKER Barsebäcks golfbana Malmö is considered to be one of the best golfing the wind, and beach grass which can force you to centres in Sweden. In fact, outside the British Isles, make difficult choices when it comes to which club this is one of the leading golfing centres in the whole to use. This course has often been ranked among the of northern Europe. Here you will find excellent top ten in Europe outside the British Isles by Golf communications, two airports, a large city with a World. Falsterbo used to host major tournaments charming old centre, a wealth of entertainment, a regularly, one of which saw the participation of the location close to the coast resorts and three of SwE- Prince of Wales in 1932. In more recent years, the den’s top 10 golf courses. PLM Open was also played here; the tournament Twenty minutes north of Malmö is Barsebäck, later changed its name to the Scandinavian Masters. classed as the best golf course in Sweden for many The course is even better now than during its hey- years. The course has been highly praised by the day, since all the greens and green areas have been Solheim Cup players, and certainly put the Eu- relaid and modernised. ropean Tour ladies and US perennial star Natalie Next door to Falsterbo Golf Club is Flommen Gulbis to the test when playing Annika Sörenstam Golf Club – more seaside than links, with water fea- on her home turf. The European Tour and Sol- turing at virtually every hole. It has been said that heim Cup course, the Masters Course, begins with a on paper the course resembles a map of the few holes in the shade of a pinewood forest, before Stockholm archipelago. Unlike the slightly exclusive opening up with a short hole straight out towards Falsterbo, Flommen is definitely a family course. the Öresund Sound, followed by three open coastal Somewhere in between the two is Ljunghusen Golf meadow holes right by the water’s edge, before re- Club, in the middle of Näset. The main challenge turning to the forest. Alongside the tour course is another 18- hole course of a similar standard. The course offers ac- commodation at Järavallens Conference & Country Club, which has villas, a restaurant, an indoor swim- ming pool, a table tennis room and other facilities. Those in search of an exclusive experience should carry on south past Malmö to Falsterbonä- set, a tongue of land which points towards Den- mark. Three extremely interesting courses are laid out here. Falsterbo Golf Club, at the southern tip, is Sweden’s only 18-hole golf links. This is a true Scottish-style course, up against the sand dunes right next to the sea. The challenges here include © FALSTERBO GK Falsterbo golfbana 2 © MICHAEL DENKER PGA National of Sweden on this open course is the wind, but many of the 27 and training areas. Both courses, lakes and links, has holes are more moorland than seaside in character. been designed by Kyle Philips, the American course The soil is sandy, but with plenty of heathland too. architect who created the world-class Kingsbarns Golf Digest consistently ranks the course as one of Golf Club near St Andrews. The PGA National of the top five in Sweden. Sweden will host the European Tour Competition With a bit of planning you can try all three Nordea Masters in 2014 and 2015. courses in two days. And for those who would like On the outskirts of Malmö’s residential areas, to sample some traditional Skåne food and accom- there are ten or so more high-quality park courses modation, we recommend Skanörs with a friendly club atmosphere just a short taxi ride Gästis from which you can walk to two of the cours- from the hotels in the city centre. es. This is a classic inn – with a crossing for geese! Alternatively, the more modern Gässlingen Hotel also offers golf packages. Ten minutes outside Malmö lies Bokskogen Golf Club which, with its two 18-hole courses, marks a return to top-flight golf. The club hosted the Eu- ropean Tour before it moved to Barsebäck. The ladies’ tour still likes to visit the old course, a mod- ernised park course with classic characteristics. The new course has an entirely different layout. It’s hilly, open and has marked water-holes. Next to Bokskogen you will find the PGA Swe- den National Golf Resort with two 18-hole courses 3 YSTAD - city of detective stories and castle golf © YSTAD GK Ystad golfklubb 45 minutes from Malmö, on the south coast of over Skåne through a viceroy who was allowed Skåne, is the town of Ystad, home to charming to build a castle at Lake Häckeberga. Just like the streets of half-timbered houses and Inspector Wal- mighty power of Denmark, the first castle went up lander. In this idyllic environment Wallander has in smoke during the ensuing Swedish-Danish wars. solved many a murder case. Thankfully, Wallander But the location was ideal, and when the aristo- is the fictional character in Henning Mankell’s de- cratic Tham family took ownership of the grounds, tective stories, so the mysteries are solved in books they soon built a new castle on the same spot. The and on TV. present owner has converted the castle into a cosy The golf course is outside the town and is some- hotel with a gourmet restaurant and beautiful gar- thing of a hidden gem. It is laid out on sandy soil dens. The castle’s English country style is perfect next to one of southern Skåne’s most popular for golf trips – you’ll feel right at home in your plus beaches. The course is a wonderful mixture of open four knickerbockers, your checked jersey and your seaside and park. You may want to stay at the ro- peaked cap, just like a character out of a PG Wode- mantic 18th century Sekelgården built in the famil- house novel. Of course, it’s up to you whether you iar halftimbered style, or at the classic Continental, retire after dinner with a cognac or a whisky to one located in the old town centre of Ystad. of the leather armchairs in front of the open fire. True connoisseurs will be delighted to discover a Romeleåsen Golf Club is located about six kilo- 16th century castle between Ystad and Malmö. The metres from the castle. This is an 18-hole hilly park Danish King Kristian II celebrated his coronation course with a few water hazards and differs signifi- in Stockholm by having the cream of the Swedish cantly from the other south-coast courses. nobility beheaded and establishing his stronghold © YSTAD GK Ystad golfklubb 4 AROUND HELSINGBORG - Sweden´s biggest course to date Vasatorp, Rya and Söderåsen have made Helsing- The tennis mecca of Båstad, on the Bjäre Peninsula borg a modern, world-class golfing centre. Vasatorp north of Helsingborg, has British entrepreneurs and – with its three 18-hole championship-class courses the Nobel family to thank for having become a golf- is the biggest course in the country. The Ladies’ Eu- ing centre. In the 1920s, Ludvig Nobel, the nephew ropean Tour 2014 and 2015 will be played at Tour- of Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite and found- nament Course.