Finnish club with huge junior programme plans expansion to support growth olf Pirkkala , one of
GOLF COURSES
Innovative , inclusive design planned for new nine holes at Pirkkala club
Finnish club with huge junior programme plans expansion to support growth olf Pirkkala , one of
G the most successful and dynamic golf clubs in Finland , is to extend its facilities from eighteen to 27 holes , and has hired a team led by Tim Lobb of Lobb + Partners to design the new course . Lobb has assembled a team for the project comprising Minnesota-based golf course architect Kari Haug , plus already appointed Kai Hulkkonen and Jim Ferguson of development and project management consultancy Turnkey Golf .
Pirkkala is located some ten miles south-west of Tampere , Finland ’ s second city . The club was founded in 2007 , and is wildly successful , with a huge membership ; most notably , it has Finland ’ s largest junior golf programme , with 500 junior members , of whom 200 are involved in organised coaching . Consequently the club ’ s existing eighteen hole course had become insufficient ; it needed to grow .
Kai Hulkkonen has been working with Pirkkala , investigating growth opportunities for some time . With his help , and with the participation of the local municipality , the club has acquired some 30 hectares ( 75 acres ) of new land bordering the existing property . During the design competition for the appointment , Tim Lobb was mindful of the club ’ s nature , with large female and junior memberships , and saw the opportunity to collaborate on the job with Kari Haug , who specialises in designing courses with the maximum amount of playability for golfers of all abilities .
26 GroundskeepingJournal . co . uk | March / April 2024