We played Golf in Finland!

We played Golf in Finland!

[Music] We golfers are curious people. Well, golf differs quite hugely in Finland. Courses are unbelievable. Look, look at this. Oh, this is very pretty. Through watching the pros play around the world. Us golfers naturally develop a bit of wonderlust. After all, curiosity is what makes us human. Golf in Finland gives it a bit of a different vibe. Full of weird and funky things. Have my shirt list in a YouTube golf video. Everything about this country is just awful. However, that wonderlust almost never takes golfers to the Nordics and even fewer to Finland. Who better to explore this weird and funky country than the weirdest people on YouTube? All right, headed to Finland for the first time. Who better to unwrap the golf culture of this reindeer riding NATO member than Luke Quan, Taco Golf, and Sam Hyung. Kind of want to see some mountains, some good golf. It’s definitely going to have some nonsense cuz obviously taco and Sam are involved which is a good thing. You may have some quirky preconceptions for Finland. Like it’s a cold and dark place. It’s full of trolls and gnomes and Finnish people are stoic Vikings that never smile in public. Well, these things might be semi-rue, but they also say that Finland is the happiest country in the world. Despite the darkness and crazy amount of swamps, Finland hides some of the most scenic golf experiences in Europe. something the boys seem all too excited to experience. Uh, there’s no mountains. Why are there no mountains? One of the first things I saw here was Taco Bell. I was not expecting to see that. I’m a little disappointed. I’m not going to lie. I wanted to see mountains, but hopefully the golf courses look sick. I think they will. Let’s just get to the golf course. I’m sick of being here. This is so negative. [Music] As tiny as Finland is, it has 200 golf courses and about 160,000 registered players. That means the courses get a lot of use and new courses are welcomed with joy. One of the newest courses in Finland is Rock Golf. It’s a Grand Path 3 course that strives for being the best one in the world. Naturally, we needed to visit the place for our first touching point to golf in Finland. Like the What are you filming? In Finland, the golf season is quite short. It’s only 6 months. But when the season is on, there’s a lot of light, so we can play for 24/7. [Music] And what we do in Finland is we walk them in. This place is actually cool. It’s actually cool. I’m not just saying that. It’s actually Look, look at this. That part three coming up with the rocks and the pond and the grass and the bunk. Oh, that’s every course. We have a short season here. Uh but really long hours. You can play almost throughout the day. Even in southern Finland, summertime is only, you know, the golf courses are in really, really good condition only for a few months a year. Rock Golf’s ambitious goal of becoming the best Par 3 course in the world can be seen in the course design and in the little details. There are handmade stone walls and white sand bunkers lined with water. The course is designed to accentuate the southern Finnish landscape and nature. There are ancient pine trees, moss, and heathers living in harmony with the coarse elements. There are also rocks. A lot of rocks. But is the experience as special as one might think? All right, I just played my first time in Finland. Full nine holes. It does give a little bit more familiar vibes cuz there’s just pine trees and just kind of the golf course just itself. It just kind of plays generally the same, but there it’s cool cuz there’s like rock formations like around the greens and fairways and stuff. So, don’t don’t hit those. I want to say that this course is different and like has its own like Finnish feel to it, but like golf course is a golf course. I’ I’ve actually played quite a bit of golf in Finland so far and genuinely love it. This course here to me is kind of the best of both worlds where you get this gorgeous nature, but it’s in such perfect shape. Oh, that’s him. What? That is in the hole. No, no, no. It is in the hole. It is. I filmed it. You’re just making him run. Really? Well, you actually made it. Is it in? Yeah. The golf in Finland’s better than this. We’re unwrapping a black licorice from Rock Golf. And apparently salty black licorice is a thing in Finland. What do you guys just What do you guys do to yourself? How do you open this? You’re joking. It’s that salty. You’re joking. Can you help me? Bro, that’s so salty. Like stings your tongue. Like there’s like a stinging sensation on my tongue when I, you know. Oh my gosh. How the do you have this? Rock off. Come play it. Very cool. P three course. And I was forced to say that. [Music] Like it definitely doesn’t look like Korea. Doesn’t look like Thailand. Doesn’t look like London. Doesn’t look like Huh. Definitely doesn’t look like America. A lot of history behind this uh country. Really trying to soak it all in. I mean, I get a little bit of Paris. Paris is just like everything is bigger and older. Germany Germany’s a good one. Never been. You know what Helsinki actually reminds me of? It reminds me of Jason Bourne. Like born supremacy. Car chases. Always look like they’re in a city like this. And they had like horses go like but like horses would roll their ankles here. Fun facts of Finland. Fins are the coffee world champions. Drinking the most coffee in the world, about 12 kg, 26 pounds per person per year. Silence is golden. Fins are famously comfortable with silence. A long pause in conversation is not awkward. It’s normal. Same goes to personal space. Fins want to have lots of it. But when they experience something that unites themselves, things get reversed. This this fountain is a famous place for whenever Finland wins the ice hockey world championship. Everyone comes here to party and swim in the fountain. There is like tens of thousands of people just in these squares like celebrating. [Applause] People in Finland love the outdoors, especially during their short and sweet summer. Oh, brain freeze. With limited time to enjoy the warmth, Fins go hard on nature, especially in northern Finland, where for a time the summer sun doesn’t set at all. Finnish people in general uh like to be outdoors when it’s a it’s a opportunity during the summers, walk the round of golf, take it as a sport. Finland is everywhere in your daily life. You might just not know it yet. Here’s a list of that Finland has contributed to the world. Nokia phones, angry birds, heart rate monitors, text messaging, a very handsome president, 5G, Santa Claus, the Molotov cocktail, and sauna. A weird country, but I love it. That is a sauna hat. Look, so you would wear that into a sauna. Like you could be there for longer if you are wearing that hat. Look at the way the Takoma crew look. They can’t not like Finnish boys, right? I don’t understand. Why did English make a new word for Finland? You guys have a word for Finland? It’s Swami. Yeah, exactly. Why don’t we call it Swami? Yeah. Like Korea is called Hung. Yeah. Why do we call it Korea? Where did Korea come from? Yeah. Where did Finland come from? Right. It makes I don’t understand that. Like China is not China. It’s Juna. Yeah. Are we going on the ferris wheel? Nah, it’s not even that scary. I’m too cool for that. Oh. Oh, no. You guys are scaring me more than actual this. What is that? Is that a church? If a culture’s staple cuisine says a lot about its people, Fins could be easily defined as hearty. The food’s not great. Food? Yeah. It’s not great. We had a burger. That’s his fault. Finland makes the worst burgers, that’s for sure. Rich game meats like reindeer and elk, fish, rye bread, and root vegetables make up a good chunk of Finland cuisine. Sounds a little meat and potatoes, but Finn care tremendously about the freshness of ingredients. Equally, a flavor that could make Bourdain blush. And Ramsay yell at a child. I’m going to go ballistic. Get a grip. What’s moose? Carolan stew. Slow braise beef pork and lamb. This is a spamman asparagus. me, you guys. The first marmalade out of Finland. This is called in Finnish. You like it? It’s okay. Yeah. Okay. You like it, bro? I like it. Thank you. And the Finnish language is basically impossible to learn. I’m not doing that. It sounds Japanese when you say it. Finnish is very different from most European languages. Words can get extremely long due to grammar rules like [Music] yeah try to pronounce that. What is this? There’s a sentence. Next stop exploring Finnish golf is the Hella Golf Course. A championship level venue fulfilling international quality standards. Hala is the epitome of Finnish golf. You’re going to roll the RSA. I can’t do that. Salah yardage marker and Hasala Golf Club because they want to make everything nature natural. I like that. Live clean and you’ll be good. The nature and working in a sustainable way. I think we’re in Finland and in Nordics kind of ahead on that game. I really want want to integrate the nature into the Gulf and kind of just highlight that. Tall pines, rocky terrain, elevation changes, punishing water hazard placements and tight fairways. It’s a perfect example of golf architecture, balancing and playoff of natural features. Nature is baked into the very soul of Hisala and Finnish golf in general. Starting from the locations and flora of the courses to the designs themselves. Golf and Finnish people get along like carrots and peas. It’s a healthy walk with a small group, plenty of personal space, and limited talking. When we say walk, we mean they really walk. Golf carts are not really a thing in Finland. You go golfing, you walk. Greetings. Well, at least most of the time I feel like we’re in Colorado. I played a course called Colorado Golf Club. The first two holes remind me exactly like it. Finnish golf reminds me of golf in the Northwest in the United States. Like in in Washington, the trees maybe are a little taller, but kind of the rest of the feel is very very similar. Here’s Golf. One of the most beautiful golf course in whole Finland. Like the all the nature here is preserved in a way. Like all the nature looks really finished. It’s like really like traditional Finnish nature and then there is just golf course like inside of it. Wow. Sammy is Sammy back. Oh, I think it hasn’t. What a sound. What are you doing there, buddy? That mo was mowing the tree, bro. I’ve never seen it on a golf course. That’s interesting. You know what that’s doing? That’s taking people’s jobs and I don’t like that. As a tiny country and compared to bigger parts of the world with only a handful of golfers, Finn tend to fall into the higher handicap category. A nation of hackers, Finnish people take golf seriously. Many of the Finnish courses are very challenging and it seems like Hala is no exception. It’s amazing. This course is very hardala. Yeah. Herella golf. Man, this is one of the most difficult courses I’ve played in Finland. I just suck. I’m not going to blame the course. I just suck. I’m not good enough for this place. It’s so pretty. Like, you want to play so well at this course, but it’s it’s intimidating. The golf courses are a bit challenging here. I I would love to see the golf golf to be more fun. In Finland, I really really see it daily that people are suffering cuz cuz Finnish people are not that long hitters. So, I would love to see somebody step up and and build a kind of different kind of golf course that that really gives you a chance to enjoy the game the way it’s it’s designed. Oh, thank you. Shot, boys. I don’t know the true story behind Finland, but it’s just magnificent. That’s how you do it. New Zealand is great, but the courses are unbelievable here. Love Finland. I love Finland. Finland to the moon. And the shuttle has cleared the tower. You ever feel so sleepy you get a little sick from the sleepiness? Is it even 7 yet? Oh, it’s 6:30 a.m. I think we are going to a place that starts with an M. Mhor Marina. Apparently, it’s an island that’s in between Sweden and here, but like just south like in the water. Like obviously an island [Laughter] out of my face. Both of mine aren’t going to fit. No. Yes. Wow. Flight was like a nap. It was only 30 minutes, so that was quite nice. Had a good sleep there. Just got off the plane. Looks quite pleasant out here. Is an archipelago of about 6,700 islands in the Baltic Sea. Situated between Finland and Sweden, one of the most unique golfing experiences in the Nordic countries can be found in this autonomous region in Finland. Fresh. Oh, no mountains still. I feel like we’ve been click baited by a whole country. The land of lakes and islands, Finland still maintains its physical roots to its medieval history in the form of churches, buildings, and castles. O, doesn’t this reminds you of golf in New Zealand? Like just like the feel of this place like kind of reminds me of New Zealand. When you combine an island, a medieval castle, and the best sport in the world, you get golf. The scenery and and the setting is what makes this place special. You can always see the water from every hole on on the slots Barnon course where we are right now. Slots Barnon. Slots Barn. Oh, this is actually very pretty. Almost looks like a painting. The flagship for golf in the Oland Islands. Olan Golf was founded in 1983. It’s considered one of Finland’s best golf destinations. Golfers play right by the sea with views of historic Castell home castle and tranquil island landscapes. Get up. Wow. Yeah, that’s that was actually nice. A DJI on a GoPro suction cup. Oland has three golf courses despite its small population around 30,000 people. That’s one of the highest per capita golf densities in Europe. Even still, golf is one of the most popular sports among Orlanders alongside football and competitive sailing. Oh, that’s we have about 1,000 members here at the the club. As a tourist attraction, we bring a lot of uh players from both Sweden, Finland, and and from international places as well. Golf is a fairly fairly young sport still in Finland. I think we’ve only had golf courses or more golf courses for maybe 30, 40 years now only. We need more and more people in Finland to start pick up the clubs and start playing. Hopefully, Takomao is the answer to that. Making golf more achievable for more people. Like and subscribe Takoma Golf. As we established, Fins really value their personal space. They are also a little shy. But both of these cultural quirks are smashed when going in a sauna. Nothing gets Finn’s bonding like sweating nude with strangers, friends, co-workers, you name it. I’ve been on I’ve been in SAS. That one seemed very hot. I have to like emotionally get myself ready. I will not get in that though. That’s crazy talk. You guys go in that and then go in that and then go back in and go. You’re insane. Really? I’ll stay a It’s okay. Finland is the land of more sauners than houses. Yes, that’s a fact. Aside from public and private sauners, Finland has sauna feries, sauna buses, sauna gondelas, and even a sauna inside a Burger King in Helsinki. Oh, you feel that? Oh my goodness. So, is this Thailand? Am I red? I just want to let the camera know that I drove two cow in enough of water to the stone and the boys ran out. We’re in a frying pan. Sauna connect people in a very special way much the same way that golf does. A country full of difficult courses. People that like their space unless they are sweating in a wooden box. And in a part of the world where at the right time you can golf 24/7s. Finland is a special place on almost no one’s bucket list golf trip. A true hidden gem of the golfing world. Wherever you go in in the globe, there’s always golfers. Same game played all all around the globe. And you really notice how small the world actually is and how it connects. And as the sun sets through the pines and the top flights enter the pristine waters, the boys pack their bags for the next leg of their Nordic journey. This is for New Zealand.

What is golf like in Finland — The homeland of Takomo? In our new series, Exploring the Nordics, we’ll take you to some of the most exciting golf destinations across the Nordic countries and dive deep into the local culture.

Join @LukeKwonGolf @tacogolf and @SamHeungMin as they embark on an adventure full of laughs, surprises, and plenty of “WTF” moments!

📍 Rock Golf
📍 Hirsala Golf
📍 Ålands Golfklubb, Slottsbanan

Get your clubs at ➡️ https://takomogolf.com

#golf #takomogolf

00:00 INTRO
01:40 ROCK GOLF
04:51 HELSINKI
09:25 HIRSALA GOLF
14:10 ÅLAND GOLF
16:38 SAUNA BOAT