Rock Golf
A New Build with World-Class Ambition
Located 25 miles west of Helsinki in Siuntio, Rock Golf is one of Finland’s rare new-build golf developments, designed to redefine the short-course experience. Designed by internationally renowned architect Lassi Pekka Tilander, the nine-hole par-3 course was conceived as a faster, more sociable and visually striking alternative to traditional championship layouts.
Set within an enchanting natural landscape of ancient pine trees, steep rocky cliffs and water features, the course has been built entirely on pristine sand, with 300mm profiles for greens, 200mm for fairways and 100mm for fescue. White bunker sand produced from Finnish quartz completes the striking aesthetic.
Commissioned by Course Owner Kari Karvinen in 2022, earthworks began that autumn, construction followed in January 2023 and the course was opened in June 2025.
Designing for Precision from Day One
From the outset, the ambition was clear: to deliver championship-level playing conditions through best-in-class technology. New build courses are uncommon in Finland’s short playing season, which runs from May to October, placing even greater emphasis on reliability, responsiveness and efficiency.
Irrigation planning was led by TMI Kimmo Laihonen, ensuring that water management was fully integrated into the course design. With greens, tees and fairways constructed entirely on sand, consistent moisture control and precision irrigation were critical to long-term performance.
The result is a system engineered to support elite turf conditions while remaining intuitive and efficient for day-to-day operation.
A System Designed for Control and Consistency
To guarantee championship conditions, Rock Golf is equipped with a world-class Rain Bird® IC System™ with CirrusPRO™ Central Control and Pump Manager 2, simplifying pump control, monitoring and data reporting across the site.
A Spectrum® WatchDog® Weather Station provides real-time data, enabling automatic irrigation based on daily ET values, temperature and rainfall. Rain Bird dripline has been installed in bunkers, while 370 Rain Bird® 752 Series Valve-in-Head IC rotors deliver precise, uniform coverage across greens, tees and fairways.
This fully integrated approach ensures fast response times, diagnostic visibility and consistent turf performance throughout the playing season.
Confidence, Control and Proven Performance
For Head Greenkeeper Juho Sillantaka, the choice of Rain Bird was a natural one.
“I’ve worked in the industry for over 20 years and have always worked with Rain Bird. The app-based system is simple, and CirrusPRO™ diagnostics are very easy to use and save time, using ET rates, temperatures and rainfall data. With GPS, you can be right next to a sprinkler so there’s never any guess work. With wall-to-wall Rain Bird 752 sprinklers making changes to nozzles is easy and fast. In terms of back up, GSP are very helpful and respond quickly and as the Rain Bird distributor Schetelig Oy is also only an hour’s drive away with plenty of stock, if we need anything, it’s available next day.”
With Rain Bird technology underpinning course operations, Rock Golf is positioned to deliver on its bold promise — championship conditions, precision control and a world-class par-3 experience from its very first season.
All course photography is copyright Jacob Sjöman
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