Most golf courses have their quirks, but few are as unusual as Green Zone Golf Course, found near the Arctic Circle. This impressive 18-hole (par 72) layout actually straddles the border between Finland and Sweden, meaning that during a single round, players can tee off in one country and putt out in another, all while hopping across two different time zones.
Located in the twin border towns of Tornio (Finland) and Haparanda (Sweden), the Green Zone is bisected by the Torne River – the natural line that separates the two nations. Depending on the hole, golfers can find themselves hitting from Finnish soil into a Swedish fairway, or vice versa. Exactly half of the holes lie in Sweden, the other nine in Finland. The border is marked, but otherwise play carries on seamlessly across international ground. The time zone twist makes the course even more extraordinary. Finland runs one hour ahead of Sweden, so a well-struck drive across the river can technically travel back in time.
When you tee off in Sweden, you have the opportunity to do the most memorable and longest “Hole in One” in the world, and, if the flag pin is positioned in its trickiest place, your ball will reach the putting green in Finland – one hour and three seconds later.
Opened in the early 2000s, the Green Zone Golf Course, also known as The Torino Golf Club, has flags on its greens bearing both nations’ colours and the club has hosted cross-border tournaments.
Due to the golf club’s unique location, it is possible to play golf at any time of the day or night in full sunshine during the summer, thanks to the midnight sun, which means the sun does not set for months. You could also play on this beautiful course during the winter, but it will be hidden under mountains of snow. The Golf Club also holds its “Midnight Sun 90-hole” Golf Event, boasting several days and nights of non-stop golf each year in late June and July.
There are a number of strange and unique golf courses dotted across the globe, including Uummannaq in Greenland, played on a glacier, Merapi Golf Course in Indonesia, located at the base of an active volcano and Nullarbor Links, the world’s longest course.
While a typical golf course has an average distance of 750 to 900 feet between holes, Nullarbor Links increases this distance to a whopping 41 miles. This 18-hole (par 72) course stretches for 848 miles along the Eyre Highway by the south coast of Australia, passing through two states: South Australia and Western Australia.
The largest gap between holes is 120 miles and temperatures often reach over 50C, with golfers also having to content with local fauna such as emus, kangaroos, wedge-tailed eagles, wombat holes and three deadly venomous snakes.