Tilander Golf Design is planning a new golf course in the St. Petersburg vicinity

Tilander Golf Design and Gorky Golf Club CJSC have come to an agreement regarding the design of an 18-hole golf course outside of St. Petersburg. The area for the course is located southwest of the city, approximately 40 kilometres from the highway that encircles the city centre. Travel time from the St. Petersburg airport will take about 45 minutes. Golf course is planned to be constructed by autumn 2013. At a later stage, up to 250 houses as well as a hotel will be built in the areas surrounding the golf course and practice areas.

Gorky Golf Club will be built in an area that was simply made for a golf course. The openness, 15 meters natural variations in elevation and the woodlands bordering the location make an impression even before construction has begun. The most elevated spot is reserved for the clubhouse, which will afford views overlooking almost the entire course.

From club house it is possible to see the whole site

The shaping and strategy plans for the course at Gorky Golf Club have strong ties going back to golf's roots. Expansive playing areas with short grass will make it easy to keep a ball in play. In order to score well, however, it will be necessary to read the course. Bunkers ranging in shape and size will stalk the player, at times in surprising places. Vigilance is required from the first tee shot, although true challenges will not be encountered until approaching the large and daringly shaped greens. There, talented handling of the ball will be a true credit to the player.

Gorky Golf course masterplan

Due to the vast scale in total distance at Gorky Golf Club, it will be possible to play four very different courses varying in total length by 1800 metres. Golfers that want a real challenge can play the course at over 6500 metres. This length makes hosting major tournaments a possibility. At its shortest, the course will play 4685 metres affording a pleasant experience for beginners and less-experienced players.

Golf is still a fairly unknown sport in St. Petersburg. In a city of almost 5 million people, there is only one golf course, where total hole count is a modest three. However, estimates of golfers in the St. Petersburg vicinity number several thousand, all of whom have had to be content with playing in Moscow or overseas, until now. In addition to Finland, Russian golfers tend to favour courses in the Baltic countries and Southern Europe.

The Gorky Golf Club near St. Petersburg will be Tilander Golf Design's fifth course outside of Finland. The other four are also situated in coastal areas near the Baltic Sea. Of these, three are located in Estonia: Estonian Golf & Country Club, whose Sea Course is ranked in the top 100 Continental European Courses by Golf World UK (November, 2009) and also includes the 9-hole Stone course; and the Saare Golf Course in Saaremaa. The fourth course is Sand Valley Golf & Country Club, located in Northern Poland.