Testing Pärnu Bay Golf Links – The Best Course in Estonia
Translated by AI
Pärnu Bay Golf Links is the newest course in Estonia, completed in 2015. As the name suggests, it lies just outside Pärnu, Estonia’s summer capital.
Pärnu Bay Golf Links is an ambitious project that has been on and off for the past ten years. The architect is the Finnish course designer Lassi Pekka Tilander, and the money comes from the Swedish felt magnate Peter Hunt.
Money no object
From the very start you get the impression that money was not a limiting factor when Pärnu Bay Golf Links was built. Even though the clubhouse wasn’t quite finished when we visited, it was obvious that the ambitions are high. And when you step out onto the course, that feeling grows even stronger.
The whole course is built on sand. The terrain by the Gulf of Riga is fairly flat, and the fairways mostly follow that natural flatness with only small undulations. The greens, on the other hand, have been shaped much more aggressively, with lots of contour and often several tiers. In most cases they are also well guarded by links-style sand bunkers with overhanging grass, “beards.”
To be completely accurate, there are actually no bunkers at all on the course, since all the sandy areas are so-called waste areas. That means you are allowed to ground your club and take practice swings in the “bunkers.” Strictly speaking you don’t have to rake after yourself either, but common courtesy of course says you should.
Easy to reconfigure for wind and weather
Another feature of the course is that there is just one cut on the fairways. There is no second cut between the fairway and the rough. Many holes have fairways with long waste areas on one side and rough on the other. The rough is a lot like what you find on links courses, so it’s usually no problem finding your ball.
Since all the fairways have just one cut, the greenkeeper is free to place the tees wherever suits the day best. With that freedom he can set up the course for the weather or for whoever is playing that day. If it’s very windy, for example, he can move the tees forward and keep the pace of play up despite the tough conditions. A nice touch.
The course runs back and forth along the edge of the forest, with a good mix of par 3, 4 and 5 holes. Many holes look easy from the tee, but strategically placed “bunkers” and big sandy areas sharply limit your options if you want to attack the course. Strategic play usually matters more than hitting it as far as possible, and in that way Pärnu Bay Golf Links is very much like a true links.
The course finishes with a few holes along the shore of the Gulf of Riga. The 14th, a par 3, takes you down to the coast, and holes 15 to 18 then run parallel to the shoreline, with tall pine forest on the other side of the fairway. This part of the course faces south, so the closing holes get sun all day, often followed by beautiful sunsets. They are definitely the most beautiful holes and among the best on the whole course.
A clubhouse with a view
The clubhouse sits just above the 18th green, with a panoramic view of the Gulf of Riga. Downstairs you’ll find the pro shop and locker rooms, and upstairs the restaurant and bar. The whole upper floor is also surrounded by a terrace, so you can find a spot in the sun all day.
Because Pärnu Bay Golf Links is built on sand, it will be able to stay open for much of the year, longer than most courses at this latitude. We saw proof of the sand for ourselves when we played straight after a real downpour and found that the course dried out in no time.
We can’t wait to play this course again. Highly recommended.
All articles from the Estonia trip
This article by Bo Sjosten was originally published in Swedish on our sister site Golfjournalen.se. It has been translated by AI.
