As I mentioned in my post yesterday, we had the privilege of traveling together with Finnish golf architect Lassi Pekka Tilander, the designer of the courses we visited in Estonia. Lassi is the nicest person, and we had several nice chats during the trip, as well as a nice round of golf together.

What is your background?

I studied at the University of Edinburgh and started my career in the marketing and PR business.

What got you into designing golf courses?

It was more or less an accident. A course was being designed and the owner and designer they had hired didn’t agree on how it should be done. The designer quit, and I was asked if I could step in and finish the project. I said yes, and the rest is history.

How many courses have you designed so far?

I have designed 18 courses so far, mostly in Finland, Estonia, and Poland. Actually, I have designed more than half the courses here in Estonia.

How many projects to you have going at the same time?

I usually have two or three design in the works most of the time.

What is your highest profile current project?

The most exciting project after Pärnu Bay is a new course outside St Petersburg, Gorki Golf Club.

And what comes after that?

Hard to tell, times are as you know tough for golf resorts right now. Only the future can tell…

After seeing Pärnu Bay Golf Links, I think the future looks bright for Lassi.