Brief history of the club

The British journal Golf World voted Tylösand Europe’s 2nd Best course outside the UK in 2001. The North course have been nominated Sweden’s best course a number of times. We know that the course has been a favourite of many for a long time.

It didn't actually start at Tylösand. HGK was founded in 1930, and during the first few years golf was played on a temporary course that had been laid out on the Halland Regiment training grounds at Halmstad.

Many splendid old photos and documents exist from this time.The construction of an 18 hole course at Tylösand began in 1935. The architect was Rafael Sundblom. The course was approved by the Swedish Golf Association on May 25th 1938. The clubhouse, commissioned by the City of Halmstad, was also inaugurated in 1938. The architect here was Hakon Ahlberg. The club house has largely retained its original style in spite of several reconstructions and additions.

In 1963 the Swedish National Forest Enterprise gave the club permission to use an area for an additional nine holes north of the existing course. Nils Sköld was the architect.

The new course was inaugurated on May 13th, 1967. Together with the last nine holes of the old course this formed the new 18 hole course which we today call the North Course.

In 1975 work began on an additional nine holes, designed by the British golf course architect Frank Pennink. These nine holes were linked to the first holes of the old course, and this new 18 hole course became known as the South Course. Inauguration took place on May 12th 1979.

Through the years there have been continuous improvements and alterations as per the directions of golf course architects Frank Pennink and his successor Donald A. Steel.

Halmstad Golf Club is one of the oldest clubs in Sweden and one of the few with two first class 18 hole courses.

The North course is the most famous of the two. This is the course all visiting golfers want to play on. For some, the North course is the only course, but this isn't quite fair. Certainly the North course is number one, but the condition of both courses is equally good. Anyone would be proud to have the South course as his/her home course.

There is a great feeling of being alone and undisturbed on both courses. Everyone who comes here has that experience. The long wooded corridors effectively screen what goes on beyond your own hole. Not only is it peaceful and pleasant on the course, it smells good too. A combination of pine and the sea...

The common denominator for favourite courses among the professional players is the character of the course, and this is exactly what a good golf course designer can create.

Our golf course architects have included sloping fairways, ravines, brooks, long greens, plateau greens and capricious doglegs. We could have had all this and still not be ranked as one of Europe's best golf courses if we didn't keep the courses in top condition.

Our greenkeeper and staff are busy seven days a week keeping the courses in their best possible condition.

Halmstad Golfclub have hosted many large golftournaments and seen many worldclass players playing our two courses. Names like Bobby Locke, Vijay Singh, Jesper Parnevik, Carin Koch and Laura Davies and many, many others. In recent years large tournaments as Solheim Cup (2007) and European Amatuer (2011) have been played at the North Course.