Page 56 - Off The Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 2 of 2)

224

ACTIVITIES FORGET ST. ANDREWS?

THE BUILD-UP As the self-proclaimed “home
AND Reykjavík Golf of golf,” St. Andrews has welcomed golfers for
more than six centuries. Though commonly
referred to as a single course, St. Andrews is
actually seven separate courses, each open to
SPORTS Club, Iceland the public. You can follow in the footsteps of
golfing legends, from Old Tom Morris and
Bobby Jones, to Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

THE LETDOWN To walk the fairways of the
vs St. Andrews, Scotland Old Course at St. Andrews, golfers must enter a
ballot for a chance to tee off the following day.
Demand is high, with over 42,000 rounds
played each year, so a prayer to the site’s
Frustrated by the lottery for the Old Course’s balloted tickets at St Andrews? Swap bracken, religious relics by the West Bay are common
ferns, and heather for the glacial home of Reykjavík’s prestigious Icelandic PGA Open as a last-ditch attempt in prompting a tee time.
GOING ANYWAY? Hand in a ballot card or
call the ballot line by 2pm. Highly coveted tee
The country’s awe-inspiring terrain features some times are hugely oversubscribed with inevitable
NEED TO KNOW
of Mother Nature’s greatest triumphs, from disappointment for most. The good news is the
LOCATION The Reykjavík Golf tremendous ice caps and mammoth spouting New Course is usually offered as a consolation
Club is based in Reykjavík, the (SFFOMBOE
4FB prize. The greens are much smaller than the
capital of Iceland, in the North geysers to gnarled lava chasms and cascading
Atlantic Ocean close to the waterfalls. Just half an hour from the fairways, Old but there are still plenty of deep sod
)VTBWJL
Arctic Circle bunkers to provide a decent test of golf.
"LVSFZSJ glacial lagoons and gin-clear sparkling pools beg
LEVEL High and low
handicappers *$&- "/% exploration with deep-dives into an exhilarating
DAYTIME 3&:,+"7¶, underwater world. Summer golfers can enjoy
TEMPERATURES ,FnBWÓL 24-hour daylight from mid-June to mid-July each
Jan: 32°F (0°C); Apr: 37°F (3°C);
Jul: 54°F (12°C); Oct: 41°F (5°C) /PSUI "UMBOUJD 0DFBO year, when Iceland’s midsummer “White Nights”
encourage playing all night.
The 45-year-old Grafarholt layout is recognized
St. Andrews in Scotland may have been as the nation’s premier championship venue. As
synonymous with golf since the 15th century, but the host of European and Nordic tournaments,
it might come as a surprise to learn that Iceland Grafarholt is arguably the toughest test of golf in
has twice as many golf courses per capita as Iceland, with lava-hemmed fairways suited to big- ABOVE Golfers and spectators at the Royal and Ancient Golf
Scotland – the so-called “home of golf.” Fifteen hitters. However, the par-71, 6,590-yard (6,026-m) Club of St. Andrews, Scotland
18-hole courses are open to visiting players, 18-hole course has more than rounded curves
together with almost 50 nine-hole facilities – to contend with, as its stunning mist-shrouded
that’s a staggering 700-plus holes and counting. panoramas over Reykjavík can prove to be a
What’s more, unlike at St. Andrews, golf can be serious distraction.
played round-the-clock in the summer months. Since it opened in 1997, the 18-hole Korpa has PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Established in 1934, the RGC is the oldest satisfied the golf-hungry with two distinct nines
Getting There and Around Where to Stay
and largest golf club in Iceland. It boasts two hugging the Atlantic coastline overlooking the
Keflavik International Airport As an alternative to the city’s
exceptional 18-hole courses, Grafarholt and Korpa, Esja Mountain’s peaks. On the back nine, the par-4 (Leifur Eiríksson International) bland, mainstream chain
in an otherworldly landscape of volcanic crags, 12th and par-5 15th along the Korpa river’s banks lies on the Reykjanes Peninsula hotels, book a room at the
glaciers, gushing ravines, and rugged mountains. require concentration. Designed by Iceland’s about a 40-minute drive ultra-stylish 101 Hotel, where
premier golf-course architect, Hannes Thorsteinsson, southwest of Iceland’s capital 30 rooms and suites boast
Reykjavík. Taxis and airport bus quirky one-off designs with a
the par-72 course stretches for 6,600 yards (6,035 m),
shuttles, known as Flybus, contemporary twist (Hverfisgata
with innocuous looking holes inflicting the maximum connect the city center hotels 10; tel. +354 580 0101;
punishment on high handicappers. Acres of with the terminal building. www.101hotel.is).
diabolical molten rock provide the rough from hell, Where to Eat When to Go
though locals refer to this as vinur i hrauninu (a The art of preserving food is Iceland’s golf season runs
friend in the rocks) – as the phenomenon often endemic to Icelandic culture, so for five months a year, peaking
it’s no surprise that pickles and
sends wayward shots back into play when errant in summer when tee times are
cured and salted produce remain offered round-the-clock.
balls ricochet off the magma. at the heart of local cuisine.
The golf courses in Iceland peak in condition in Classic dishes center on lamb, Budget per Day for Two
mid-July to the end of August. Though the RGC’s chicken, veal, and game. Allow US$280 to include
accommodations, food, and
courses attract many visitors, it would be a shame However, fish is the mainstay green fees of US$40–55.
in Reykjavík, such as at the
to miss out on some of the country’s other courses,
Seafood Cellar (www. Website
some set in spectacular locations. You can even sjavarkjallarinn.is). www.goiceland.org
ABOVE Women on a putting green in Laugardalur, Reykjavík play a round by Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier.

US224-225_SPO_GolfInIceland.indd224 224 3/18/09 4:00:03 PM6/5/09 15:38:17
224-225_spo_GolfInIceland.indd 224