A different way of looking at golf trips

I moved to Sweden from the UK about 16 years ago, and somewhere along the way I fell back in love with golf. Not just the game itself, but everything around it — the places you end up, the people you meet, and the kind of courses you come across here that most people back home don’t really realise exist. That’s been one of the things that’s stuck with me. When I speak to friends in the UK, most of them have no idea how much good golf there is across the Nordic countries, or how varied it actually is. At the same time, when I’ve looked at booking trips myself, even when I’ve had a specific place in mind, it’s surprisingly hard to break out of the same patterns. A lot of the golf travel companies tend to steer you back towards a small number of established packages, rather than really opening things up and listening to what you actually want.

Why this exists

The thing that annoys me about golf trips is the lack of imagination in them. Not because people don’t want something different, but because it’s actually quite hard to know what else is out there, and even harder to turn that into something that works. There’s definitely more information around now than there used to be. You see more about smaller clubs, and there are YouTube channels and bits of content that highlight hidden gems, which helps. But even then, knowing about somewhere and actually planning a trip around it are two different things. Honestly, when was the last time you were on a golf travel site and a visit to one of the Nordic countries crossed your mind? This site is partly about trying to bridge that gap, and partly, if I’m honest, a good excuse for me to get out and play more golf across the region myself.

What I’m trying to do

Nordic Golf Guide is just a way of making that clearer. I’m not trying to list everything, and I’m not pretending to be the final word on it. Trust me, I haven’t played anywhere near as much golf across the Nordic countries as I’d like to yet, and there are probably many more golfers from these shores who have amazing local knowledge and would put me to shame. But I am working my way through them. This site is being built gradually, through playing, travelling, and figuring things out as I go, with the aim of giving people a better sense of what’s actually possible here, and how to approach it without it feeling like a big task.

If you’re thinking about it

If you’re someone who enjoys golf trips, but feels like travelling somewhere a bit different from the usual offerings, then hopefully this helps open that up a bit. More importantly, if you want a bit of help with it — where to go, how to plan it, what’s worth it — then don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. I’m always happy to chat, especially about golf. I’d like this to feel like a place that opens the door to new opportunities rather than making things more complicated. Also, if you want to follow from a distance, you can find me on Instagram. No, I’m not down with the kids and posting stories all the time or following the latest trends, but what I do try to do is share good ideas for Nordic golf adventures and show a bit of my own game — where I’m playing, how it’s going, and how many balls I’ve lost in the Scandinavian forest.

A bit about me

My name is Ian, and my body is approaching fifty years old. The mind still doesn’t agree with that assessment, but the memory firmly does. Depending on the time of the golf season, my handicap can vary between around nine and twelve, but regardless, I always feel like a bit of a fraud. When I see myself play, I am still amazed that I can shoot scores that give me that. I am a member at Bro-Bålsta Golf Club, just outside Stockholm. When I was at university, I wrote my MA thesis on golf at St Andrews, yet always maintained to my supervisor that my interest was purely academic. My aim now is to play as many courses as possible in the Nordics before I am called to the starter’s box in the sky, and to help as many other golfers as possible see the opportunities for amazing and memorable golf experiences in the region.

If any of this resonates, you can follow along on Instagram, or just send me a message at ian@nordicgolfguide.com.