Going for Golf

Bokskogens

Head south-east towards the coastal city of Malmö and you reach the region’s golfing hotbed. Barseback, Falsterbo, Ljunghusen and PGA National are all close by, as is the superb Bokskogens. Venue for the Junior Solheim Cup and the European Team Boys Championship in recent years, Bokskogens is a club with a deserved reputation as one of the best in the region, having previously hosted a number of significant professional events.

The two courses on offer are very different, but the quality of both is predictably high. The New Course, which was built in the last 20 years, is best described as being a heathland-style layout. It’s not that long, but it’s tight and the putting surfaces are quite compact, requiring precision rather than power. The Old, meanwhile, is a more demanding parkland layout designed by Jan Sederholm and Tommy Nordstrom that is big all over: big fairways, big greens and big trouble in the form of water hazards and some pretty hairy rough. It was ranked 13 in Sweden by Golf Digest in 2010 and you wouldn’t bet against it going higher in the future. It’s a very pleasant experience to walk the large forest herein, although the rough is particularly punishing during the summer months. The greens are lively and occasionally tough to read, but the fairways are generous and it’s great fun to play.