Finland restores a dedicated national paragolf training pathway
On 22 October 2026, the Finnish Golf Union (Suomen Golfliitto) named a three-player Paragolf Team Finland training group for the 2027 season. The decision marks a meaningful restart: according to the federation, it had not formally appointed such a paragolf group for roughly two years. The relaunch introduces a small, newly structured programme rather than a one-off squad announcement.
The selected players and their clubs are:
- Teo Helander — Archipelagia Golf Club;
- Ruben Lamberg — Suur-Helsingin Golf;
- Simo Kosunen — Tuusulan Golfklubi.
The selections were approved by the federation's board. Kosunen's home club also published its own confirmation on 22 October. These are places in a training group, not proof that the same three players have already been entered for any specific European championship; the federation has not announced a final event entry list.
A new coach and a European benchmark
Rosa Svahn, appointed national paragolf coach in September 2026, will lead the group. Federation paragolf coordinator Johanna Ahti described the European Golf Association (EGA) individual European championship as the principal competitive target of the first year. The stated ambition is to close the gap to leading international players, not to promise a medal or a particular finishing position.
Selection followed criteria made public in the spring, involving handicap thresholds, ranking positions and international EDGA classification. The classification component is especially consequential in adaptive golf: eligibility is tied to recognised competitive categories, and disability alone does not imply automatic eligibility for every category. The federation says it used the same basic requirements relevant to participation in its target championship.
A small core, but not a closed programme
Training activity is scheduled to begin in November 2026. With only three players in the initial group, coaches expect to offer more individual attention. The project nonetheless has a wider development objective: a spring training camp is also expected to invite ambitious players who are not members of the core group.
This is significant for clubs across Finland. A consistent national programme can provide a clearer bridge between club-level participation and preparation for higher-level international competition. It also gives players and coaches an identifiable structure around which to plan development. Those are potential benefits, rather than accomplishments already measured. The 22 October announcement does not specify a guaranteed athlete funding package, a complete camp calendar or confirmed European championship entrants.
What Finland may change for 2028
The Finnish Golf Union intends to review the format during its first year. For 2028, it may consider widening eligibility to athletes outside the present EDGA classification framework, including competitors from deaf sport or transplant sport. The federation also plans to consider adding a Paragolf Tour round-average measure to future selection criteria.
Neither proposal should be reported as an already implemented rule. For now, the verified development is the appointment of Helander, Lamberg and Kosunen, the September arrival of coach Svahn, and a November start to an updated training structure. It is a concrete institutional step for Finnish paragolf at a time when international participation and classification are evolving.
Sources: Finnish Golf Union announcement, 22 October 2026; Tuusulan Golfklubi confirmation, 22 October.
Image: illustrative archival photograph of adaptive golf using a paramobile device at a 2016 PGA HOPE event in South Carolina, USA. It does not depict the Finnish squad or a Finnish location.
