Hall-of-Fame Golfer Annika Sorenstam has contracted to build a golf course in Europe. The Annika Course will be part of the Estonia Golf and Country Club located 20 minutes outside of Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia.

Sorenstam is working with European Golf Design, the golf course design company of the European Tour and IMG. The plan calls for ground breaking in 2016 with a target completion date in 2019 to align with the completion of a 50-room hotel on the property.

“It’s exciting to be designing my first golf course in Europe, especially one that is close to home,” says Annika, a native of Sweden and 10-time major champion. “The golf industry has been talking a lot about the need to develop golf facilities that are more flexible and family friendly, and Estonian Golf & Country Club is actually making it happen.
 
“My objective is to create a course that good golfers will find strategic, competitive and visually appealing, while the design will utilize a variety of forward tees to make it equally enjoyable and engaging for newer golfers and young players. Ultimately, the layout will offer great versatility, from tournament play to resort golf, giving all golfers, no matter how far they hit the ball, a world-class experience.”  

Sorenstam has designed five golf courses worldwide and was chosen for this project based on her appreciation of targeting families and golf tourists from Scandinavia and other European countries.

The new 18-hole course will replace the club’s existing nine-hole Stone Course, and will complement its 18-hole Sea Course, host of European qualifying for the 2011 Omega Mission Hills World Cup. The Sea Course has been ranked among the Top 100 courses in Continental Europe by Golf World (U.K.).

Quotes for this article provided by Buffalo Brand Invigoration Group in a press release for Annika Course Design