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Round winners – December (Round #186)

Congratulations to the winners of round December 2025: AJHB fromGreater London won his second Gold, Király from Skåne made an amazing sprint in the last week of the round and took home another Silver and nicos added one more Bronze to his medal row. Well done mates!

Upcoming events

If you are organising an open event, don't forget to write to insider@turfgame.com a couple of months in advance to get the information about your event into the newsletter :)

SCOnanza 5-7^th of June, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Dangermous and his fellow Scottish turfers are looking forward to welcoming Turfers from Scotland and beyond for SCOnanza in Glasgow, 5-7 June 2026. Expect some novel events and lively venues across the city. Put it in your diary now! Details to follow next year.

Bonanza 2026 – September 5^th in Gothenburg Sweden

Just a reminder to book a long weekend in Gothenburg in September 2026. Information about the Bonanza can be found HERE (in Swedish) and HERE (in English).

Turf Skåne's Advent Calender was a great success and you can read about all the winners HERE (only in Swedish). Prizes have to be collected in person or at the Bonanza in Gothenburg this year in September. I hope everyone who took part had a great time :)

A Zone Worthy of a Detour – by ojarnstr

The lake in the middle of the Archipelago Sea in Finland. On the small island of Björkö you can visit two zones worthy of a detour, Björkö and Saaristomeri. Where only a few meters separate the salty sea water and the lake of Björkö, that was cut off from the sea due to land uplift in the 18th century.

There is a nature trail that goes around the lake that is just over two kilometers long. The brisk walker can walk the nature trail in about an hour, but for a more thorough exploration of nature, it is worth reserving a little more time than that. There is much to see along the trail and beautiful landscapes to admire.

A hundred years ago, there were three farms and about fifteen people living on Björkö. Now it has been about twenty years since the last permanent residents left the island. But in the summer it can even get crowded, the natural harbor in Byviken is one of the most popular in the Archipelago.

Thank you ojarnstr for your contribution! If you have your own special zone you'd like to tell the Turf World about, send a paragraph or two about it to insider@turfgame.com and let the Turf community learn more about it!

Drassen, one of the persons behind Turf, has put together a few words to summarize the Turf Year 2025:

A new TURF year!
Yet another year has passed where loads of zones have changed owners, new places have been discovered, and addiction to being outdoors has flourished.

A first this year was when the organized and lovely Scots arranged the first ever Bonanza abroad. A whole weekend was arranged where events and gatherings took place in Edinburgh. Don´t miss out on future events in Scotland!

Development-wise we restarted development on iPhone with the help of a new great part time developer. It was a steep hill to take on at first, but now it is easier to take on future quests in the iOs jungle. On Android we added new assist features this year and some other minor things.

We are currently working on an update that resolves the "armpit" bug that has been around for too long. It was never intended to be a part of the game and it is about time we try to fix it.

We hope 2026 will bring you lots of time to get outside, compete, and meet new people in our wonderful community.
Happy new year!

//Drassen

Editor's Opinion

During the December round, armpitting was put in the spotlight again. A post in Turf Stockholms Facebook group kicked off the discussion and several Zone issues later (none was acted on, since the issue here isn't with certain zone because you can armpit ANY zone), another issue was submitted, addressing the root problem of armpitting, read it HERE.

There are currently two ways to armpit: the Classical Armpit (CA), where you block the phone's GPS signal with a body part (most commonly used is the turfer's armpit hence the name). This variant has been around almost since the beginning of Turf and is due to a bug in the programming of the Turf app (as Drassen wrote in his New Year's message). It has been mainly an Android ”feature” since it's been extremely difficult to block the GPS signal in iPhones.

Lately, due to changes in the set-up of Android phones, a Technical Armpit variant (TA) has surged. It is based on a specific location setting (only allowing the Turf app access to the phone's location data if the Turf app is actively used) and requires nothing but putting the Turf app in the background by for example opening another app once you've started taking the zone. This requires nothing but quick fingers.

Personally I think any GPS manipulation is cheating, no matter if it's GPS spoofing from your home computer, blocking the GPS signal by blocking it by a body part (CA) or blocking the Turf app from accessing the phone's location (TA). I have tried armpitting myself, both variants, but I just don't see the fun in it. For me, Turf is an Outdoor activity, not something you should spend hours doing on public transport or in your car. If you want a game where the main activity is to fiddle on your phone, I'd recommend PokémonGo or similar games.

In December a letter addressing armpitting was sent to Turf Insider, bringing up the fuzzy rules that came in 2017/2018. The first variant of TA was solved by a programming update at this time. The wordings about ”The phone must be in the zone when take over begins” was a compromise since the programming bug permitting CA was hard to address and abuse already gets too many reports about armpitting being against the rules. As long as there is no programming fix to armpitting, it is a loophole in the rules. It does not make it right, in my opinion and it was not meant as a part of the game either (see Drassen's words above).

TA not only shortens the take time significantly, it also masks where the turfer is heading, a problem identified during an open Event in 2023. After discussion in Crew at the time, it was decided that it was up to each Event organiser to decide if this strategy was ok or not in their Event. Most have decided to state it is NOT ok, since it gives a huge advantage to any player using TA. Also during normal game play, you will save time by using TA and the built-in function of "take time" (the time it takes to take over zone) disappears completely from the game. Use of TA is behind the Fastest Ferret (10 zones in the shortest time – see Warded).

TA ruins the game in so many ways, but above all, it takes away the very spirit of "Outdoor Addiction". That someone armpits a zone now and then during their commute can be annoying, but has not had any great impact on the game play. But now that several turfers especially in the Stockholm area have made TA their main strategy to get points and are spending more and more time on public transport just to take over zones in this fashion, has become a scourge that negatively affects the game and the other players. Players who lose zones lose points (pph), which means that many others are affected by this (in my opinion, undesirable and unsportsmanlike Turf behavior)

The few who play unsportsmanlike are clearly noticeable, armpitting are not just noise any longer. If you know what to look for it is very obvious if someone is TA a multitude of zones, and they ruin leaderboards, statistics, who wins Gold, Silver and Bronze, R and C medals. The tagline "Outdoor addiction" no longer applies because turfers can get high scores sitting in the warmth of commuter trains and buses. Some turfers take between 25-90% of their zones/points by TA on trains/buses. If your total score one round is several hundred thousand points, this is a significant part of your points.

This is especially unsportsmanlike during the colder months where the weather conditions can limit turfing significantly. I am looking forward to the new version of the Turf app where, hopefully, armpitting in any form will no longer be possible. I also wish it was decided that you can't take part in any of the more competitive aspects of Turf, if you do not use the latest version of the app.

Turf Picture of the Month

Turf Picture of the Month in December is CouldBeAFlood sent in by Wintergreen. Six contributions this month :)

If you have a Zone picture you want featured as Turf Picture of the Month, send it to insider@turfgame.com Please include your Turf nick for recognition!

Turfa lugnt/Safe turfing!

//Munin

...if you want to contribute to future Turf Insiders, send your story to insider@turfgame.com :) C'mon and share your big and small stories with the Turf world.

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Round winners – November (Round #185)

Congratulations to the winners of round November 2025: AJHB fromGreater London won his first Gold and became the 9th turfers to take over 2 million points in one round, GOZU from Södermanland took home the Silver in a tight race with nicos from Berlin who completed the shiny medals with a Bronze. Well done mates!

Upcoming events

If you are organising an open event, don't forget to write to insider@turfgame.com a couple of months in advance to get the information about your event into the newsletter :)

SCOnanza 5-7^th of June, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Dangermous and his fellow Scottish turfers are looking forward to welcome Turfers from Scotland and beyond for SCOnanza in Glasgow, 5-7 June 2026. Expect some novel events and lively venues across the city. Jot it down in your Calendar now! Details to follow next year.

Bonanza 2026 – September 5^th in Gothenburg Sweden

Just a reminder to book a long weekend in Gothenburg in September 2026. Information about the Bonanza can be found HERE (in Swedish) and HERE (in English).

Lusseturf 2025

LusseTurf 2025 was held in Sala and a total of 39 turfers took at least one zone. The Event took place over the new round start, but all that was observed was a short ”twitch” in the system according to one of the organisers who was keeping an eye out for potential problems when the new round started in the middle of the Event. As per usual, it was a well organised Event with plenty of lussebuns and gingerbread cookies shaoed as Turf avatars to munch on. Congrats to JoelOsteen (Gold), ripe (Silver) and romi (Bronze). See you next year!

Regarding Zone Issues

Turf Crew likes issues that help to improve zones. However, more and more zone issues are about reshaping the zone map to a particular turfer's liking, which might not even be in the other locals best interest. Turf Crew has a great variety of zone makers, and all try their best to make good zones, often based on suggestions in the Turf app. And remember that just because a zone was created where you once upon a time suggested a zone, you might not have been the only one thinking that was a great place for a zone.

You never know what the reason behind the particular location of a zone might be, the zone maker might have seen something else close by or the possibility of more zones in that area in the future and therefore put the zone where it is. The zone quota that exists in Sweden and UK are meant to improve the daily Turf experience for as many turfers as possible in that area, and not necessarily for ”once in a life time” zones. As for any rule there are of course exceptions.

Zone changes should only be made if there is something obviously wrong with the zone, like the zone is impossible to reach (including consistent GPS problems due to high buildings), if the zone is dangerous to reach, if the zone is too small or if the zone name is misspelled (and not on purpose!) or an attribute is missing. But as a general rule, zones should not be moved to get a better flow or to better fulfil someone's dream zone layout.

Really old zones are often positioned on grass, due to the zone making rules at the time. This will cause the grass to turn into mud during spring/autumn and moving it to a nearby path will improve the turf experience. This is especially common outside of Sweden.

Zones are often named after something meant to be at the zone, or something you can see from the zone or something that popped into the zone makers head when he/she made the zone. Just remember that a zone does not have to be named exactly like the place is called in the Real World. Quirky zone names is an old Turf tradition, so let us keep our weird zone names!

A Zone Worthy of a Detour

Turf Insider is introducing a new section of the newsletter. Tell us about a special zone, that is a bit (or a lot!) out of the way, but definitely worth the extra miles.

This time mpmoke will tell you about the zone LagligtBus in region Västmanland,Sweden.

”In Spännarhyttan, the old mining community of Norberg in Västmanland, Sweden, you can find the remains of Europe's most modern blast furnace. It was only in operation from 1975 to 1981 before it was closed due to unprofitability.

The surrounding area has been partially cleared, but there are concrete foundations, scrap metal and walls left from the demolished buildings.
These remains are legally allowed to be painted with graffiti, and the wall is often called "Sweden's most expensive graffiti wall".

As with many other graffiti spots, the quality of the paintings is mixed, some tags and random sprays but also some gems.
Go there, take the Turf zone and don't forget the spray paint and mask! ”

So which zone were you happy to make a detour for? Write a few sentences about it and send to insider@turfgame.com

Turf Skåne has put together a Turf Advent Calender. It consists of 24 daily missions. It is possible to join late, if you missed it. The daily missions don't have to be done on the day they are revealed, but any time during December. More information HERE (only in Swedish).

Turf Picture of the Month

Turf Picture of the Month in November is OmahaBeach sent in by allinug. Again, only one contribution for Turf Picture of the Month was sent it, so very easy to pick :)

If you have a Zone picture you want featured as Turf Picture of the Month, send it toinsider@turfgame.com Please include your Turf nick for recognition!

Turfa lugnt/Safe turfing!

//Munin

...if you want to contribute to future Turf Insiders, send your story to insider@turfgame.com :) C'mon and share your big and small stories with the Turf world.

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Round winners – October (Round #184)

Congratulations to the winners of round October 2025: Toffio fromNordrhein-Westfalen won his first Gold, Kiraly from Skåne added one more Silver to his medal row and Tempest from Stockholm rounded off his medal row with a Bronze. Well done mates!

Upcoming events

If you are organizing an open event, don't forget to write to insider@turfgame.com a couple of months in advance to get the information about your event into the newsletter :) If you are interested in organizing your own event, you can read about it HERE or on the Turf Wiki HERE. If you decide to organize an Event, write to events@turfgame.com and let the fun begin!

Lusseturf 2025 – Sala, Sweden Sunday the 7^th of December

LusseTurf 2025 is being held in Sala. Closest zones are SalaPark and Greenwich. The Event is an open By Foot event between 11-13. See you there!

Bonanza 2026 – September 5^th in Gothenburg Sweden

Just a reminder to book a long weekend in Gothenburg in September 2026. Information about the Bonanza can be found HERE (in Swedish) and HERE (in English).

The Ultimate Region Fight 2025

Correction: in the last Turf Insider it was stated that NW England won third place when in fact it was Region Skåne. Region NW England came 5^th in total.

The organizer behind the Spooky Halloween event in Hamburg has the following report to share:

”The Halloween event was a success. We had a total of 19 players, two of whom were from Gothenburg. mrcoolwhat and his mother Turfmamma joined us and were warmly welcomed.

As planned, it slowly got dark during the event. Really spooky. Afterwards, we all went out for a delicious meal at a steakhouse. All in all, a very successful event and evening. I've already been asked if it will be repeated next year. I would say... YES. - DXP2K” So there you go, maybe book a visit to Hamburg for Halloween 2026.

A Zone Worthy of a Detour

Turf Insider is introducing a new section of the newsletter. Tell us about a special zone, that is a bit (or a lot!) out of the way, but definitely worth the extra miles. This time I will tell you about the zone Urturfaren in region Uppsala.

”Urturfaren is a zone located next to the oldest known rune stone in Region Uppsala. The rune stone and zone is inside a horse paddock. Getting to the zone involved crawling under the electric fence to the paddock and then walking about 5 meters along a path. The easiest way to get to the zone is by car and it takes about 35 min to drive there from Uppsala, if you don't stop for other zones on the way.

The rune stone in the zone is named Krogstastenen and is from 550 AD. It is still standing in its original place. The runes on it are very difficult to interpret, and the only word people agree on is the word ”stone”. The rune stone has a picture of a skull like man figure and this figure has given rise to the zone name, Urturfaren (The Original Turfer). Without the zone to guide you, it can be hard to find it.”

So which zone were you happy to make a detour for? Write a few sentences about it and send to insider@turfgame.com

November is in my opinion the generally worst month of the year, at least in Sweden with darkness and rain being common. The very northern parts of Sweden might get snow and that brightens things up. However, where I live, in Uppsala, November is a month of mostly cold, dark, wet days. A useful app to use when out turfing in these conditions is the Touch Protector app, now with cool lock designs. When in use, it prevents rain drops from activating the touch functions of your phone. Quite handy during your daily turf session in an area you are familiar with, more difficult to use if you are turfing in an unknown area and need to zoom in and out frequently.

Turf Picture of the Month

Turf Picture of the Month in October is Leselampen sent in by Toffio. Remember to take the zone picture with the camera function in the Turf app. Without the zone name and Turf logo, your picture will not be considered for Turf Picture of the Month. If you haven't used the camera in the Turf app to take the zone picture with, write it up a bit as a "Zone worthy of a Detour" :)

If you have a Zone picture you want featured as Turf Picture of the Month, send it to insider@turfgame.com Please include your Turf nick for recognition!

Turfa lugnt/Safe turfing!

//Munin

...if you want to contribute to future Turf Insiders, send your story to insider@turfgame.com :) C'mon and share your big and small stories with the Turf world.

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