Sports have had a hugely positive impact on my life. I started my own sports journey at the age of three, and I’ve always been interested in stick-and-ball sports. Out of these, I’ve especially enjoyed sports where you handle equipment like a racket or astick—such as tennis, floorball, ice hockey, and golf.
I feel that coaches have played a major role in my journey—from getting started in sports, to staying committed, enjoying the process, and ultimately making success possible.
I feel that coaches have played a major role in my journey—from getting started in sports, to staying committed, enjoying the process, and ultimately making success possible.
In this edition of my Corner, I want to introduce the coaches at Katinkulta Golf. Our junior competitive golf groupis coached by Ville-Petteri Peittola, Pertti Oja, and Tuomas Tuovinen. A good coaching relationship creates positive experiences on both sides.
Ville-Petteri Peittola
Ville-Petteri has been coaching mesince lower secondary school academy camps. He is a relaxed and understandinggolf coach, and it’s easy to be yourself around him.He also has a fun golfbackground—when he was younger, he played competitive golf right-handed, butlater switched to what he calls “the side of real players,” meaningleft-handed.
Tuomas Tuovinen
Tuomas has many years of experienceboth playing and competing. His journey has taken him from starting golf at ayoung age all the way to the professional European Tour.As a coach, he has a strongunderstanding of the game and its different aspects. He also runs very interesting and challenging practice sessions.
Pertti Oja
Pertti works as a PGA professionalat Katinkulta and is also the Executive Director of Katinkulta Ry.He has been my coach since my tennis days. When Iwas younger, I played tennis and attended junior training sessions once a week.Pertti is great with people of all
I’ve been watching The Masters sinceI was a kid. It’s one of the most prestigious tournaments in golf. The Mastersbegins this weekend, and watching it has always been something I share with mydad. My interest in the tournament comes from him. It’s also a tradition thatsignals the start of my own golf season.
When the bright green fairways ofAugusta and the glowing red azaleas appear on the TV screen, and Antti Vaalassays his famous words:
“I’m Antti Vaalas, and welcome to The Masters. Wherever you are, a golf-filledweekend starts now.”
That’s how the broadcast always begins. tervetuloa seuraamaan The Masters- golfkilpailua. Missä ikinä olettekin, tästä alkaa golfin täyteinen viikonloppu.” Näillä sanoilla lähetys alkaa aina.
We’ve always had a tradition wheremy dad gives me a 20-euro note, and I go to the store to get our “tournamentsnacks.” This is something we’ve always done—and always will. When I wasyounger, I was especially excited about buying and eating the snacks. Backthen, the treats were the most important part. Nowadays, the uniqueness of thetournament has taken over.
One of my dreams is to experienceThe Masters live in Augusta—to witness the hunt for the Green Jacket in person.I’d love to see Amen Corner, formed by holes 11, 12, and 13. It’s probably themost legendary three-hole stretch in golf, where many Masters tournaments havebeen decided.
The Masters and the chase for theGreen Jacket remain the same—and so do we, sitting on the same couch year afteryear. This year, there’s also a Finnish player in the field, and I’ll becheering for Sami Välimäki. Still, I believe the Green Jacket will go to JonRahm.
I live in Kainuu, where snow coversthe ground for most of the year. Despite all the different sports available, Ichose golf. There are three golf courses in Kainuu, but it’s still quite rare for a young person here to say they playgolf.What makes golf so addictive is thefeeling you get from those small moments of success. Even if a round isn’t going well, one perfect shot—like making a long putt—can give you an incredible feeling and completely change your mindset for the rest of the round.
Golf is also a game you can neverfully “complete.” There is always something to improve. Your swing is constantly evolving, and success and failure go hand in hand. In Finland, winter training happens indoors—using simulators, indoor facilities, and home practice. Winter is actually the best time to focus on improving your technique, building physical strength, and maintaining your feel for the game without pressure. At our latitude, being a competitive golfer probably means you have to be a little bit crazy—or at least extremely passionate and committed. Winters here are long, cold, dark, and full of snow.
I train golf indoors for more than half of the year. The goal during winter is to maintain my feel for the game while developing my technique and physical performance. My training is splitbetween golf practice and physical training. Even though the winter season islong, my motivation to improve stays high. Training never feels like something I have to do—it feels like an opportunity to get better.
Monday: 2 h simulator + 1h gym
Tuesday: 1 h gym
Wednesday: 2 h simulator
Thursday: 1h gym + 2 h simulator
Friday Restday
Saturday: 1 h independent physical training + 1 h other sport (winter: tennis) + 1–2 h simulator
Sunday: 2 h simulator + short game practice (on tennis courts)
