Golf Course on Snæfellsnes

Garðavöllur undir Jökli stands out in many ways among Iceland’s varied golf courses. It has a short history but, by all accounts, a great future ahead of it.

In 1997, Þorkell Símonarson of Garðar brought in golf course architect Hannes Þorsteinsson to design the course. Mowers were imported, an old tractor was bought, and the course opened in August that same year, though people found it rather sparse to begin with.

That a golf course can be run here at all is thanks to the conditions in the old home field at Garðar. The field is made of yellow windblown sand that has built up over the centuries during violent southerly storms. The result is hardy, dry land that is easy to work with and causes few problems compared with many other places. It’s worth noting that the game of golf itself was born on just this kind of grassy sand dune in the British Isles a very long time ago. Golf enthusiasts call such courses “links”.

Before long, the local residents who most enjoyed playing golf decided to form a club. After some debate over the name, it became Golfklúbbur Staðarsveitar (Staðarsveit Golf Club), after the old name of the district, which is now part of Snæfellsbær. The club was founded in August 1998 at a meeting held at Langaholt guesthouse in Ytri Garðar, with eight founding members. In summer 2002, the club was admitted to the Golf Union of Iceland (GSÍ). That was a real milestone in the history of the course and for golf in Iceland generally.

The course also doubles as an educational trail. Every fairway has signs with information about the history and geology of what you see around you.

With us, you can always get a tee time. Golfers young and old can play at their own pace. There’s no stress in the countryside.