The Lofoten Islands are breathtakingly beautiful. Alpine mountains rise majestically from the ocean to a height of almost 1,000 metres, fringed by chalk-white beaches and separated by swathes of green. The sea is crystal clear and teeming with fish. Here you can try your hand at deep-sea fishing, scuba diving, kayaking or go on a whale safari. Amidst all this activity at Hov on Gims¸y is Lofoten Golf Links, as unassuming a 9-hole course as the pioneering spirit behind it. But its proximity to the ocean, the jagged mountains and ever-shifting Arctic light make this more than just a round of golf. Few, if any, golf courses offer such a combination of golf and magnificent scenery. Thomas Hagdeldt of Golf Digest Sweden (no.3, 2004) described it thus: The links are as remote as those at Ballyliffin and Royal Dornoch. They were built on land that at sometime in the distant past was created so that some golfer or other would finally realise its true purpose. Around the greens there are bunkers, rocks, seaweed and sea. More recently, Lofoten Golf Links was discovered by Jeff Klein of the New York Times who waxed lyrical about the course over three pages under the heading Golf in Norway, the Land of the Midnight Tee Time (NYT, 7 August 2005). For Klein had experienced playing golf under the Midnight Sun. From mid-May to early August you can play golf at Lofoten round-the-clock. Thats 144 holes in 24 hours if you can stay awake, that is!

Vestfold Golf Club was founded in 1958 and is one of the oldest 18-hole clubs in Norway. The present day championship course was fully modernised to US PGA standards in 2002 based on a design by the wily Jeremy Turner. This compact forest/parkland course is often reminiscent of a bit of England (probably due to the scattered mighty oaks, charming biotopes and George Beal, club pro for the past 25 years!). After the upgrade the course took on a whole new character with a fine combination of forest holes and mature parkland in a rhythmically undulating landscape, and as with most forest courses, vertical hazards abound. In 2003, Norsk Golf ranked Vestfold among the top three courses in Norway. The club hosted the Challenge Tour in 2004.

This 18-hole international standard course designed by Swedish architect Tommy Nordstrm is highly challenging and satisfies all expectations of a top class parkland/forest layout. The championship course is located on the venerable Semb estate (Semb was the main Viking seat in Vestfold though archaeological finds go back 5000 years), close to the attractive Borre lake and Horten, Norways very own silicon valley.

Borre has recently undergone a full upgrade, adding a new back nine to the best of the old course leaving a worthy par 36 9-hole facility as added value. The new ninth ends at a refreshment hut (self-service weekdays, grilled sausages at weekends) where there is a highly civilised compulsory 10-minute break! Hole 10 strikes off into an undulating forestscape with natural water obstacles, serious bunkers and deep ravines. Sloppy fairway drives are seldom rewarded at Borre.

Europes toughest course? Its called Meland, its in Norway and it only measures 6541 yards! Thus teed off an article in The World of Golf that turned heads in, well, the world of golf. The author continued: If recent majors have taught us anything it is that in the eyes of The Masters Committee, the USGA, the R&A and the PGA of America, longer rough and harder greens equal increased difficulty. Flying in the face of this thinking is Meland golf club, a championship course just outside Bergen in Norway. Opened in 1999, the layout was recently assessed and given a new stroke rating of 151 from its back tees. No other European course can compete with this (the highest possible rating is 155) and thus Melands par-73 course has been crowned Europes hardest test. The challenge lies in the mental aspects of the game, explains head pro Anders Liesen. The playing area is fairly generous but nearly every hole runs through a corridor of trees and creates problems in the mind. Eurogolfer added in 2004: Truly one of the most challenging and best golf experiences in Europe. Highly recommended! So theres nothing more to say. Its simply a matter of slapping 50
euros on the table and treating yourself to the most challenging test in Europe!