Hirvensalon Golf

Hirvensalon Golf is a relaxed, low-cost course on the island of Hirvensalo, about a 10-minute drive from the centre of Turku. It calls itself a jokamieskenttä, an 'everyone's course': anyone can come and play, there is no tee-time system, and prices are kept low so that city residents can take up the game easily.

The course has six fairways played as 18 holes to a par of 63. It mixes par 3s and par 4s from 100 to 250 metres, so it suits beginners and also sharpens the iron play and short game of experienced golfers. The varied greens are the main defence, along with a water hazard that runs across the whole course.

The Northcrypto Range sits beside the course and is open to anyone during opening hours. You buy balls from the machine with a card, MobilePay or the GolfNext app, and they are 25% cheaper early in the morning. The golf company also runs lessons, corporate events and competitions, and sells equipment. Between rounds, the little clubhouse terrace café serves coffee and cold drinks. Dogs are welcome on the course as long as owners clean up after them.

The course was built on the historic Lauttaranta area of Hirvensalo, behind the local ski slope and next to Syvälahti school. In 2004 Hirvensalon Golf leased a 10-hectare plot from the City of Turku, and play began in 2007 when the course and range were completed. A café has run in the small clubhouse since 2013. From the 2020 season the Finnish Golf Union approved the course for handicap play, turning a practice-friendly local course into one where official scores count.