Norway Bound, Part 3
Monday, August 3rd, 2009At about 9:30 p.m., Chris Ottaunick and I made our way to Tromso Golf Club. Driving over the bridge from town, following the directions given, we made a few wrong turns but quickly recovered. We pulled into the parking lot, and there was one lone man leaving. He quickly instructed me to change from shorts into long pants due to mosquitoes. Actually, they were only bad on a few holes, and luckily, Chris brought some OFF mosquito repellent.I had played midnight sun golf in Finland, and the mosquitoes there, known as the Finnish Air Force, are killers! We had to run between shots on the last few holes, but nothing stopped them.With the Pro Shop closed, we were on the honor system for golf fees. The only problem — we did not have the pull cart handles, so in true American “can do” fashion, I made a makeshift handle from a stick. Although I had to readjust the stick from time to time, it did make a difference.Playing the course and teeing off at 10:30 p.m. was quite a feat! There was not a soul around and the silence of the natural setting, with woods and high mountains, completed our foursome.Growing grass there is a challenge, and it often needs a great deal of reseeding and expense. The enemy is the winter ice. The best winter condition is several feet of snow, which actually protects the greens from the harsh winters.When we finished playing, about 3:30 a.m., (we were playing slowly so I could take notes for an upcoming Gtee, and Chris was snap-happy with his camera), we returned to the car. A foursome had come off before us, and we chatted and had a beer (they were staying at the course, which has four bunk-style rooms for overnight guests).We returned to town and took a four-hour snooze. We played golf again that day with Ivar Schroen, the director and general manager of the Tromso Golf Club.–Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEOGlobal Traveler has joined the world of social marketing. For breaking news, special offers and much more, fan us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @Gtmag!










