Summer golf in Finland doesn’t stop at 10 pm like in most places.
Instead, Finland’s long summer days allow golfers to continue playing well into the evening. Daylight remains constant even after midnight during the peak golf season, and in the far north, continuing around the clock.
Remarkably, courses like Santa Claus Golf in Roaniemi and Levi Golf Club are fully operational for 24-hour play during June and July. Both layouts are located in the Arctic Circle and far north, where the sun doesn’t actually set at all from late May to the end of August.
It’s not too dissimilar a story the further south you go. Although the sun technically does set, it never actually gets dark during midsummer, with this being most pronounced in June and July.
“We’re about to head out on the back nine at Linna Golf Club, it’s 10 pm, and it’s still unbelievably light,” said Mike Robertson on NCG Top 100s 48 hours in Finland YouTube video.
“It’s kind of trippy. It still feels like it’s about four or five in the afternoon, and it’s 10 o’clock, and we’re halfway through our round.”
The late-evening conditions are a result of Finland’s position in northern Europe and the exceptionally long days experienced during the summer.
“So we’re pushing midnight to get round, but that is a unique selling point of Finland,” Robertson added.
“Where else can you do that?
“Although, I’ve kind of worked out a bit of a problem with the midnight golf thing, if you’re absolute golf sickos like us, and that’s you are back up in a few hours to play golf again.”
Why Finland works for golf
“This is awesome (playing golf at night),” Tom Bullough added during NCG’s 48 hours in Finland. “Just a really cool experience. Would definitely recommend it and would definitely do it again.”
Finland hasaround 150 golf courses, offering a mixture of parkland, woodland, resort and coastal golf. Many courses make use of the country’s natural landscape, with pine and birch forests, lakes, rocky outcrops and undulating terrain being a constant at many of these venues.
Linna Golf Club is perhaps the most notable, as it is often regarded as the standout course.
During summer, conditions are typically warm, allowing golfers to play early in the morning or return to the course late in the evening when it’s a little cooler.
“I think Finland is perfect as a golf destination,” said Bullough.
“People go out early in the morning or late in the evening, and the temperatures are still quite nice.”
WATCH OUR 48 HOURS IN FINLAND YOUTUBE VIDEO
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