Lofoten Links: Where Golf Meets the Arctic Circle (And Your Bucket List Gets Serious)

There's a golf course in Norway that sits at 68 degrees north. To put that in perspective, you're closer to the North Pole than you are to Copenhagen. The place is called Lofoten Links and is located on a windswept island called Gimsøy in the Lofoten archipelago. This is where the Norwegian Sea crashes against ancient rock and the concept of "normal golf hours" becomes completely meaningless.

The course started as a six-hole layout back in 1998 on local farmland. Someone had a vision that seemed borderline crazy at the time. That someone was Lofoten Links' visionary founder Frode Hov's father's friend. And Frode Hov took this incredible idea and ran with it to help create this unbelievable course in his father's memory. Fast forward to July 2015 and architect Jeremy Turner helped bring the vision to life even more with a full 18-hole seaside links that has since climbed to number 66 on GOLF Magazine's Top 100 Courses in the World. It also ranks 24th on Golf Digest's World's 100 Greatest Courses list. Not bad for a place that closes down half the year because winter up here doesn't mess around.

Here's where Lofoten Links separates itself from every other bucket list course you've been dreaming about. From mid-May through late July, the sun doesn't set. It just circles the horizon like it forgot how to go home. The course stays open 24 hours a day during June and July. You can tee off at midnight if you want. The light is golden and strange and you'll be playing golf while your friends back home are sleeping.

This isn't a gimmick. It's geography doing something remarkable and the course takes full advantage. Imagine standing on the second tee at 11 PM with the sun still painting the ocean in shades of copper and rose. That's the signature hole everyone photographs. It's a short par 3 that plays toward the sea with the green framed by rock and surf. The visual is so dramatic that it almost doesn't seem real.

If you can't make it during the midnight sun window, there's another option that might be even more magical, especially if you're planning a winter escape. From mid-August through mid-October, you can play golf during the day and then watch the Northern Lights dance across the sky at night. The lodges face north specifically for this reason. You're staying right on property with the ocean in front of you, and when the aurora decides to show up, you've got front row seats to nature's most spectacular light show.

The golf season runs from May to mid-October. By late October frost starts creeping in during the day and the course closes until spring. This seasonal rhythm is part of what makes Lofoten Links feel so special. You can't just show up whenever you want. You have to plan around nature's schedule.

This is a links course, but not in the Scottish dunes sense. The terrain is more rugged Norwegian coastline with rock outcroppings, beaches and the sea as a constant presence. The wind is real and it matters. Club selection becomes a conversation between you and the elements. The course plays around 6,664 yards from the back tees at par 71, but those numbers don't tell you much. What matters is how the routing brings you to the water's edge again and again.

Reviews from people who've played it talk about the psychological pressure of those coastal greens. The landing areas are often more generous than they look, but your brain is screaming at you about the rocks and surf waiting if you miss. It's the kind of golf that makes you think and feel in equal measure.

In September 2024, Lofoten Links joined the Cabot Collection. If you know destination golf, you know that name. Cabot runs some of the most respected golf resorts in the world and their investment here signals that Lofoten Links is about to level up in terms of infrastructure and lodging. The bones are already there, but expect this place to become even more polished while (hopefully) keeping its remote wild character intact.

The resort offers on-site lodges that face the sea. You can book a room with a private bath in a shared lodge, or rent an entire lodge for your group (which usually sleeps up to six). Everything is clustered within less than a mile, so you're never far from the clubhouse or the first tee. This matters when you're this remote.

The featured restaurant is called Låven and it's set in a restored 1950s barn. Big north-facing windows give you ocean views and the menu focuses on local ingredients. During midnight sun season, you're eating dinner while the light stays golden. During aurora season, you might see green curtains rippling across the sky between courses. It's the kind of moment that makes you grateful you made the journey.

Lofoten Links is remote by design. You'll fly into either Evenes/Harstad-Narvik or Svolvær and rent a car. Public transport is limited and honestly, you want the car anyway because the drive through the Lofoten Islands is stunning. This isn't a place you accidentally stumble upon. Getting here requires intention and that's part of what makes it meaningful.

This course rewards golfers who love weather and wind as much as they love a perfect lie. If you want target golf with no variables, this isn't your spot. But if you want a once-in-a-lifetime landscape round where the elements are part of the story, then Lofoten Links should be at the top of your list. Or maybe wrapped up as the ultimate gift to yourself for next season.

The long summer days mean you can play multiple rounds or replay your favorite holes. The remote location means you're trading convenience for uniqueness. And the seasonal windows mean you're working with nature's calendar instead of your own.

Whether you're chasing the midnight sun in June or hoping for Northern Lights in September, Lofoten Links offers something no other top-ranked course can match. It's golf at the edge of the world and it's worth every mile it takes to get there.