The Par 3 ninth hole at Kytäjä Golf Photos by Cote Wolcik
When you think of Finland, what normally comes to mind? Sauna? Hockey? Coffee? What about golf?
Golf in Finland is becoming more popular, with strong potential for growth. You might wonder how an American turfgrass professional might end up being an assistant superintendent here, with no family or friends or knowledge of the language. And the bigger question, why would you want to work in Finland?
For me, the opportunity to manage a course, learn from some of the best turf growers, discover new techniques and tech in Europe and experience a high quality of life made the transition a no-brainer.
Finland is in Northern Europe, with Sweden to the west and Russia to the east. Hockey is the most popular sport here, but golf is on the rise. There are some amazing courses here, including my course, Kytäjä Golf, with features you can only really experience in Finland. Playing golf at midnight without any artificial light is possible, even in southern Finland. Finland is also home to Santa Claus Village. If you want to meet the big guy, take a trip up to Lapland, to the city of Rovaniemi. Rovaniemi also has a golf course, where you may even see Rudolph out on the course.
When it comes to golf course management, however, Finland can be a completely different game from what we’re used to in the U.S. Before coming to Finland, I was an assistant at Martis Camp Club in Truckee, Calif., where we had a crew of almost 40 for 18 holes. Here, we have a crew of 25 people for 36 holes, which is really a challenge.
Many courses in Finland use automated mowers. At Kytäjä, we have eight autonomous mowers, including three Husqvarna mowers, four Kress mowers and one Toro 5010-H with a TurfTroniq system mounted on it.
The first mow of the season at Kytäjä Golf.
Starting in the 2025 golf season, the Southeast course at Kytäjä will use autonomous mowers on all the fairways. However, with the added robotic labor, there’s a bigger need for electricity. We’re planning to use solar-powered charging stations, which avoids the need to use power cables. Between the autonomous mowers and our limited staff, we will be able to redirect our team to other projects. Without the staff at the end of the year to do a big-time aeration, less growing is required throughout the year. With less thatch buildup, there’s less need to pull cores. We make sure sand goes down weekly to help dilute the thatch layer.
In Finland, only a handful of fungicides are legal, and the ones that are legal remain restricted. There’s a good chance moving into the future that plant protectants will be even more restricted. We’re paying attention to those developments. For now, most fungicides can be applied only twice per year. Inputs need to be watched carefully when it comes to how much water and stress the plant is under. Mistiming applications can really derail the season, which is short to begin with.
With plant protectants being so limited, there is a higher tolerance for plant disease in Finland. No one wants any disease on the maintained turf, but laws must be followed, and that can lead to having breakouts here and there.
The grass side of moving across the globe is the easy part. Being a stranger in a new country can be a challenge, especially when you’re inheriting a crew. In my experience, Finns are not as talkative as North Americans. It takes effort and patience for the Finns to warm up to you, but once you are in, you are in. Language barriers also create some alienation, but there have been some great people here who welcomed me with open arms and have made my transition to Europe seamless.
One person who has been beyond helpful is Janne Lehto, a course manager and the president of the Finnish Greenkeepers Association. Under his leadership of the FGA, the future of turf management in Finland is exciting. Another is Antti Koskela, the superintendent at Kytäjä. Having him help guide me through the laws and regulations of the country has been invaluable. Having professionals who are so passionate and knowledgeable helps strengthen all the greenkeepers in Finland. The more highly educated turf managers we can attract here to Finland, the better the courses will be, and the profession will grow. The country is truly a hidden gem with some of the best turf managers in Europe.
Sunset in southern Finland.
Finland is known for being one of the happiest countries and having a high quality of life. Every full-time employee has about five weeks of paid holiday time to use during the year. This normally comes with four weeks in the summer and one in the winter. With all this time, many people do play golf. However, all golfers in Finland must receive their Green Golfer’s card before being allowed to play. This card essentially shows that the golfer knows the rules of the game and the etiquette surrounding it. It also comes with insurance, in case something (like a window or a car) is damaged while playing. Courses offer classes throughout the summer for golfers to qualify for their card.
Because of the course’s different season, we receive a week off in the summer and four in the winter. It can feel odd having a week off in the middle of the summer, but here the importance of work-life balance is stressed to all employees. The average number of hours worked per week is also lower in Finland. Many turf managers know the stress of summer can cause long hours on the course. While that still happens here from time to time, working too much overtime is against the law. All hours worked are reported to the authorities, and if someone is working too much, the company could be sued. Ensuring that there is time away from the job to keep the mind healthy is practiced in all industries here.
Finland, the land of hockey, saunas and coffee, is also a golf-loving country where golf course maintenance is becoming more specialized by the day. From the northern golf courses, with reindeer all around, to the lovely landscapes of the south, Finland boasts some of the best courses in continental Europe. Golf is on the rise here, and Finland is becoming a desired destination for the sport.