The Helsinki Golf Club, established in 1932, is Finland’s oldest course and the long-time host of the Finnair Masters on the Women’s European Tour.
Located just three miles from central Helsinki in Tali Manor Park—known locally simply as “Tali”—the club has staged more championships than any other in the country, including the annual Finnish Amateur Championship. For several years it has also welcomed the Ladies European Tour. The course is classic parkland, relatively flat, and measures 6,374 yards from the back tees. Greens are medium-sized with subtle slopes that demand precise reads and careful distance control. Accurate tee shots and well-judged approach shots are essential; few holes offer easy forgiveness, and tournament play often reveals how much tougher the course plays than it appears.
On a recent visit I arrived alone and joined three local players—Markku, Reino and Teemu—who kindly invited this traveling American into their four-ball.
Hole 2 (413 yards, par 4)
Hole 2 requires a near-perfect drive to find the narrow approach to the green. Missing right forces you through an elevated, wooded section that must be cleared to reach the putting surface. Markku opened with an out-of-bounds drive to the left, then vented at his partners in Finnish. When I offered to let him hit again, he joked that I understood his language. The others had been talking during his backswing, and he blamed the distraction—an exchange that needs no translation.
I ignored the group’s input and drove right, luckily threading the wooded area. From there I chipped to the slightly raised green, which is guarded by bunkers left and right and often collects errant shots.
Hole 4 (530 yards, par 5)
Ranked the toughest on the course, this long hole also features a narrow chute to navigate on your second shot. Markku advised a center-right tee placement; I pushed slightly right, leaving a challenging angle for my second. After muscling a mid-iron into play, I hit a well-struck 4-iron to the green. The others battled the tight fairway; Reino found the trees, and I miraculously located his ball. My approach left a 15-foot birdie putt, which I made, much to the amusement of my new friends.
Hole 5 (393 yards, par 4)
From the tee you can see three bunkers lined up along the right side as the hole bends slightly left and climbs. Those traps are ready to catch drives, so most of us favored the left side. Teemu found the first bunker, Markku settled in the high rough between traps, and my drive kicked onto the fairway near the second bunker. I hit an iron into the elevated green, chipped on, and two-putted for a five while the others struggled.
Hole 9 (165 yards, par 3)
This serene short hole is straightforward when played to the center of the green. A front bunker and another left of the green catch anything short. Our foursome played it poorly—my tee shot sailed left into a flowerbed 30 yards short, Markku lost his ball in the water, and Reino landed in the front bunker. Only Teemu found the green and saved par; the rest of us carded higher scores.
Hole 10 (323 yards, par 4)
The dogleg left of Hole 10 doesn’t allow much cutting of the corner; dense trees will swallow aggressive lines. My drive left me with roughly 150 yards to the green. Two bunkers guard the approach for those who slice off the tee, but my mid-iron found the back of the green and avoided the forward bunker on the right.
Hole 11 (335 yards, par 4)
Hole 11 is a tricky dogleg where we all had our moments. Markku and I pushed our drives too far right and off the fairway but still had shots to reach the green. Teemu attempted to cut the corner, collided with several trees, and bounced back into play. His next shot disappeared into the woods where, amusingly, an elderly woman was walking her dog—fortunately the dog was fine and enjoying the commotion. The green sits tucked to the right with a small bunker left; I tapped in for par.
Hole 12 (509 yards, par 5)
I barely saw the fairway on this long hole, yet still found myself putting for par at the end. Ranked the second most difficult on the course, the hole offers plenty of driving room but punishes errant shots. I pushed my drive left into trees, then recovered with a solid 3-wood that left me about 100 yards out. A sand wedge found the green in four, leaving a ten-foot birdie try I narrowly missed, carding a six—respectable for a challenging par 5.
Hole 13 (224 yards, par 3)
Hole 13 proved disastrous for me. After a shank into the wooded brambles I had to re-tee. My next attempt left me with a difficult chip that led to successive visits to the bunkers. While the hole is straightforward when you can hit a solid 220-yard shot, it became my nemesis that day.
Helsinki Golf Club delivers classic parkland golf with a variety of strategically demanding holes. Accurate drives, precise approaches and savvy short-game play are rewarded, and each hole presents its own character rather than a single weak link.
Helsinki Golf Club
Talin Kartano
00350 Helsinki, Finland
tel 358 9 2252 3710