Norway – A Nordic Golf Adventure

by Maryann Middleton

On the 1st tee at Ullna Golf Club, Sweden

Norway and golf. A trip made in heaven.

Our route through four countries

We've just celebrated 50 years of marriage, and what better way to mark it than a golf trip together? Fifty years of being each other's playing partner, caddie and harshest critic, so the Arctic Circle seemed like the right place to celebrate.

This was the 2026 Nordic Golf Adventure with PaR nz Golfing Holidays: 18 days in July and August through Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, with ten rounds of golf, a ferry across the Baltic and more scenery than my camera could cope with.

Copenhagen, Denmark (Days 1–3)

We arrived in Copenhagen and checked into the Villa Copenhagen, a grand modern hotel with a glass-domed lounge that set the tone for the whole trip. The Danish pastries at breakfast are to die for.

In front of Rosenborg Castle

Our first round of golf was at The Scandinavian – New Course, just north of Copenhagen. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jnr, it was a beautiful but challenging course, with plenty of bunkers and water hazards. I managed to lose only four golf balls – not a bad effort, considering!

Day two took us to The Scandinavian – Old Course, where my golf ball casualties were much the same! It certainly wasn't the gentlest introduction to our golfing holiday, but it was a great way to shake off the jet lag and hopefully find our swings.

Oslo, Norway (Days 4–6)

Then on to Oslo, where we stayed at the Grand Hotel Oslo, just a par 4 from the Royal Palace!

Our third round was at Oslo Golf Club, a very private, members-only golf club. What a privilege to play there! The clubhouse is full of antiques and precious memorabilia.

Our fourth round was at Miklagard. The greens are extremely fast and surrounded by deep bunkers. You need nerves of steel to do well on this course!

Lofoten Links, Norway – the highlight (Days 7–9)

Lofoten Links is inside the Arctic Circle, on an archipelago off the west coast of Norway. Getting there requires a flight from Oslo to Narvik and from there a three-hour road trip. The scenery along the way is spectacular – fjords, mountains, lakes, villages, waterfalls and stunning skies.

The course sits on the island of Gimsøya, along the rugged coastline. It is the most challenging golf I have ever played. The sea is your water hazard and the white sandy beaches are your bunkers.

On the 2nd hole, you tee off from an elevated tee. There is no fairway! The hole is 140 metres away, across an isthmus with rocks left and right. We played this course twice and both times my drive landed in the rocks on the right. A dropped ball on the beach, followed by a wedge shot up to the elevated green. By this time my handicap was off the charts!

Summer wildflowers and a seaside cottage, Lofoten

Golf can be played 24 hours a day during June and July, under the midnight sun. Although it was already August, some of our group teed off for 9 holes at 8.20pm and had plenty of light to see their balls skidding into the water! It was cool, with temperatures never getting above 14°C. The course is ranked number one in Norway.

We played two rounds here. Our accommodation was in three-bedroom cottages, each bedroom with its own ensuite. They also had washing facilities, which was a win after a week of washing undies in the basin and hanging them in the shower every night!

Reindeer hot dog, anyone? Henningsvær

On the second day we also visited Henningsvær, a fishing village of red and yellow houses built on little islands, with boats in the harbour and mountains behind. We shopped, wondered who on earth would eat reindeer hot dogs – that's like eating Rudolph! – and had the most delicious fish soup.

Stockholm, Sweden (Days 10–13)

From the Arctic we headed to Stockholm, which involved a road trip back to Narvik, a flight to Oslo and finally another flight to Stockholm.

We had a day of sightseeing, including the Royal Palace and the ABBA Museum, which has been updated since we were last there 15 years ago. Nobody ever gets tired of ABBA! We all sang along to their songs, now digitally reworked with avatar movie clips.

The gates of Bro Hof Slott, with the castle clubhouse beyond

Our first round of golf in Sweden was at Ullna Golf Club. An amazing course, the brainchild of a Swedish ice hockey legend.

Then on to Bro Hof Slott, ranked number one in Sweden. The clubhouse is a grand old castle-style building that oozes class. The course is magnificent.

Across the Baltic to Helsinki (Days 14–18)

Next we boarded an overnight ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki. This is a ferry line that looks more like a cruise liner. Cabin space is very tight, and the shower room allows you to ablute, but without room to turn around! There is a time change between Sweden and Finland, which is a bit disconcerting.

Breakfast is a free-for-all buffet. A bit of a scrum! But approaching Helsinki through the islands is breathtaking.

We checked into the Hotel Kämp, which is truly magnificent.

In Finland we played Vuosaari Golf and Kytäjä Golf, both of which are a drive out of the city.

All smiles on the water

Then it was over. The golf, that is. The next part of the journey is a story for another time.

We bid our fellow travellers farewell and bon voyage as they headed back to the east coast of Australia and New Zealand. They each had wonderful stories to take home.

Who We Travelled With

The tour was run by PaR nz Golfing Holidays, based in Tauranga, New Zealand. Our hosts were two fabulously well-organised ladies, Denise and Kim. Everything from the tee times to the transfers just happened, leaving us free to enjoy the golf and the company.

This was the third golf tour we have done with PaR nz. The first was to the British Open in 2017, and the second was to Canada in 2024.

The groups are limited in size, as the private golf courses only allow a certain number of tee times. So we were very privileged to be part of this tour. Most of the group are usually from New Zealand, with the rest from the east coast of Australia. Denise and Kim travel with each group, and it is always great fun.

If this has you tempted, PaR nz is running another Nordic programme in July 2027, again taking in Copenhagen, Lofoten Links, Oslo, Stockholm and Finland. Bookings have just opened, so get in quick!

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