Linna

Overview: Linna Golf is an 18-hole championship course in Harviala, Finland, set within the historic Vanajanlinna estate. Tim Lobb designed the course to sit naturally in a landscape of woodland and open ground, with the golf framed by the atmosphere of the old manor property. The course combines a substantial championship scale with a quiet forest setting, making placement, trajectory and control more important than simply chasing distance. Its parkland character is closely tied to the land around the castle.

History: Linna Golf Oy was founded in 2002, and construction began in March 2003 with Lobb working through European Golf Design. The first players were welcomed in June 2005, followed by the full-size course opening on 1 August 2005. The site covers more than 100 hectares, and the new course was conceived as part of Vanajanlinna's revival as a hotel, event and golf destination within a manor setting with roots reaching back centuries.

Did You Know? Hole 15 began with a worldwide design competition organised by European Golf Design and Golf World. About 1,000 entries were submitted, and the winning proposal came from South African architecture student David Sampson. His hole was built as submitted, and the course later became an early step in Sampson's own career as a golf-course architect. Linna has also hosted European amateur and senior championship events.