Arctic Open Golf Tournament at Akureyri Golf Club

Iceland’s Arctic Open Golf Tournament is held yearly at Akureyri Golf Club which is the furthest northern golf course in the world located on 65 49′ north of the Equator. The Arctic Open is a 36 hole golf tournament played under the Stableford point system. The Stableford point system is a system where golfers acquire points by scores that are available at each individual hole. The USGA has a more detailed set of the rules for the Stableford point system which is also used in other USGA tournaments. The Arctic Open Golf Tournament was first held in 1986 to take advantage of the midnight sun.

Arctic Open Golf Tournament

The Arctic Open Golf Tournament is played over two nights during Summer solstice (most typically at the end of June) so golfers can enjoy the midnight sun that is unique to Iceland. There is no concern for there to have the day’s golf canceled due to lack of light. This gives golfers an ability to never have to worry about an incoming darkness. The Arctic Open Golf Tournament is available to a wide amount of players including a separate competition for ladies and seniors. Both professional and armature golfers can take part in the Arctic Open Golf Tournament. A unique part of The Open is the team tournament that is run along the rest of the Open. Players are randomly placed into groups of 4 and prices are awarded to the three lowest scores in every group. Entry fee for the tournament is $450 American dollars and includes a gift bag to all that enter, the opening reception and the awards dinner.

More adventurous golfers can participate in Arctic Open Golf Tournament held in winter. It’s played on the snow with black golf balls.

Akureyri Golf Club

Akureyri Golf Club has 500 local members many of whom participate in the Arctic Open Golf Tournament year in and year out. Up to 120 international players participate in The Arctic Open which gives the tournament an international appeal. These international players have come from all corners of the global. The Akureyri Golf Club opened in 1935 making it the second oldest golf club in Iceland and throughout the years the course as become a challenging 18-hole course that has championship appeal. The course is over 6,400 yards at length currently giving it good distance. No other course in the world has the views of nature as does the Akureyri Golf Club.

Akureyri Golf Club has been recently redone by golf engineer Edwin Rowland. One of the main goals was to allow a greater variety of hole locations. Edwin also improved drainage on the golf course so the Arctic Open will have less concern if rain enters the occasion during the tournament. Golfers will be able to take a break and the course will be ready to go quicker than ever. Service paths for traffic have also been improved. As the Arctic Open Golf Tournament is getting more popular this will now help with the congestion from the increased fan support they are receiving. Akureyri Golf Club has been one of the leaders in golf in the country of Iceland and the Arctic Open is a wonderful example of this.

Akureyri - The Capital of the North Iceland with a Rainbow

Akureyri Golf Club Address

Akureyri Golf Club
PO Box 317
Jaðri 602
Akureyri
Iceland

Tel: +354 (462) 2974
Fax: +354 (461) 1755

Email: gagolf@gagolf.is

How to Get to Akureyri Golf Club

Akureyri Golf Club and its golf course Jadarsvollur are located on the north coast of Iceland, at the southern end of Eyja Fjord, only 1 km from Akureyri – the fourth largest town in Iceland. To get to Akureyri from Reykjavík, you can either jump on a plane, or rent a car and drive 350 km across Iceland’s spectacular landscape.

Direct flights from Reykjavik to Akureyri are provided by Air Iceland with several departures a day. The cost of a return ticket starts at the neighborhood of 10,000 ISK (Iceland Kronur) which translates to roughly $88 US (February 2009 exchange rate). The flight takes 45 minutes.

You can see the location of Akureyri Golf Club on the map below:

Map of Iceland - Location of Reykjavik and Akureyri

…or use this navigable map from Google Earth:

Useful Links

Arctic Open Golf Tournament Website: www.arcticopen.is
Akureyri Golf Club Website: www.gagolf.is (in Icelandic)
Air Iceland Website: www.airiceland.is

Akureyri Golf Club and the Arctic Open allow Iceland to show off how it is one of greatest places in the world for a golf vacation. There are a variety of tours that host Iceland golf packages that use the Arctic Open as their center piece.

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