Santa’s Snow Golf Tournament on March 18, 19

Santa’s Snow Golf Tournament, known earlier as the Arctic Snow Golf Tournament, will be held on March 18 and 19 in Rovaniemi.

Arctic Golf Finland, the club which has been holding the tournament on the icy Kemijoki River since 1986, decided to rename the event as Santa Claus Golf from this year, the organisers said.

“During the tournament, we will launch the new name of our golf club. As we are located in the official hometown of Santa Claus, Rovaniemi, we will change the name of our club from Arctic Golf to Santa Claus Golf,” Arctic Golf Oy Managing Director Pia Lillberg said.

Lillberg said they are expecting at least 60 participants, while the maximum number of competitors can be 100 golfers. “We are also expecting golfers from abroad, all the way from USA, India and some European countries,” the club’s MD said, adding that all preparations for the event are underway.

She said they started building the golf course in January to harden the surface in time. “Thanks to good weather conditions [enough snow and minus degrees], we were able to open the golf course already on February 21.”

With the temperature well below zero and the landscape covered with pure white snow, the greens turn into whites and challenge the golfers in unexpected ways, club sources said.

Arctic Golf Finland was established in 1986. During the first years, golf was played solely on a winter golf course built with snow and ice on the frozen Kemijoki. Since then golfers have been enjoying the game at the Arctic Circle both on whites under the northern lights during the winter and on greens under the midnight sun in the summer.

Built at the feet of the Ounasvaara fell, the winding fairways on the forestry hillsides offer a relaxing golfing experience and beautiful views down to the valley of the rivers Kemijoki and Ounasjoki.

Winter golfers tread mostly the same paths as summer guests, playing the route of the grass course beneath. In the winter, however, the lakes and ponds of the course are used in a different way, as they are frozen and some of the whites are on the ponds and lakes.

With the temperature well below zero and the landscape covered with pure white snow, the golfers need to equip accordingly. In the white fairways sleds take the place of trolleys, bright orange balls the place of white ones, and shorts and t-shirts change into warm winter clothes and warming mittens.

To help Santa with his mission of delivering happiness around the world, Santa Claus Golf also has launched an advocacy programme. All the friends of Santa Claus and golf can become affiliate members of Santa Claus Golf and help Santa Claus in his mission. The affiliate members will get a surprise from Santa.