Ålands Golfklubb

Otroligt fin miljö! Jättebra anläggning med restaurang, bastu mm. Jättetrevlig personal och fin atmosfär på klubben! Slottsbanan är magisk! Kungsbanan är helt annan karaktär och inte lika bra heller fin, men också värd spela!

Slottsbanan is fantastic

The redesign of the Castle Course is far beyond expectations. Its project team took a risk in closing for two years, pushing holes to the sea’s edge, and they've created a Continental Europe Top 100 entry. Architect Philip Christian Spogård succeeded in his desire that the sea should be visible from every hole, and the vistas are breathtaking. But the Castle Course, or Slottsbanen, is more than a pretty picture. The variety of holes combined with the excellent conditioning of its fairways and greens makes it a must-visit. At the golf club, the welcome is warm, and the atmosphere is vibrant. Men, women, boys, and girls enjoyed the terrific practice facilities before adjourning to the Castle, Kings, or nine-hole par-three course. I was lucky to play with club director Björn Wennström, who talked me through the changes to the course as we played its 18 holes. The opening five holes offer a lead-in to the drama of the seaside stretch, but are by no means weak. The action ratchets up on the short, bending par-four sixth, with the sea as its backdrop. Big hitters may cut the corner but will risk bunkers down the left-hand side. Playing the ball into the green from the right should yield rewards. The ninth and tenth are picturesque waterside holes and, on this glorious summer day, boats cruised past as we attempted to keep our balls on solid ground. The former is a beautiful par-three which can be slid in from a bank to the left of the target. However, that does not complete the job because the green has a very challenging swirl from left to right. The tenth is a stunning short par-four which longer hitters may attack from the tee, but even the slightest fade could find the sea. The five par-threes are exceptional. With the castle looking down on us, the 15th nearly yielded a lifetime memory. It is just a downhill clip, but three bunkers are fiendishly placed to the left and one to the right. My birdie putt from seven feet curled in from the right but took one revolution too many, and so, after dreaming of an ace, I had to settle for par. The changes to the Castle Course have brought a wow factor to Ålands Golfklubb, but the team now thirsts for more. Don’t be surprised if there are a few tweaks and significant improvements to its King’s Course in years to come.

When golfers are east of Stockholm, they can also try the little-known Åland archipelago, an autonomous province of Finland where Swedish is spoken and paid for in euros. Of the 6,757 islands and reefs,60 are inhabited. The three-hour ferry ride when the boat is taller than all the islands it passes is really worth it. There are three eighteeners on Åland. Eckerö GC and our destination Åland GC. The latter even has two courses. Kungsbanan which translates to Kings is the shorter one with a length of only 5,600 metres. The first nine undulates gently inside pine forests from which rocks protrude. The profile changes briefly after a drift into the valley on the tenth hole, where a passage around two lakes follows.

The second eighteen Slottbanan (translated as castle course) has a flat start. From the first hole we notice a higher quality of greens and distinctly shaped bunkers. The course underwent a major renovation a few years ago, when a large lake was significantly involved in the game. Holes 9 to 12 and 15 to 17 are played right along the water and form the most interesting part of the course. Hole 9 in particular, a par 3, and the subsequent tenth, a short par 4 snaking along the lake, will impress. It has even been ranked among the top 100 holes in Europe by British Golfworld. So is the whole course.

Both Kungsbanan and Slottsbanan are valued high regarding course rankings in Finland. They really are worth visiting in summertime. I personally liked Slottbanan. Look at www.visitaland.com -pages to have more information about greenfees and golfpackages there