Golfer's Lament: When Iceland Lives Up to Its Name

One of my golf goals, as I've said before, is to play a round under the midnight sun... in Iceland.

The numerous courses and uniquely dramatic landscape are said to offer an exotic and varied experience for golfers of all levels... and a 10:00 PM tee time would only add to the awesomeness.

Okay, I realize a country called Iceland might sound a bit frosty for some, but the island nation in the North Sea is actually warmed by the Gulf Stream, so despite its high latitude... just outside the Arctic Circle... it normally boasts a temperate climate.

Sometimes however, things happen that defy normal. That was the case this morning in the northern town of Akureyri.


Earlier today, I received a brief message from Kjartan Ólafsson, an Icelandic friend who manages the global golf networking site GolfPlanet.net.  "This is northern Iceland this morning!" was the extent of the text, however it linked to a video taken earlier today at Akureyri Golf Club, and, well, Iceland was living up to the its chilly name. And then some.

The clip features Skapti Hallgrímsson a journalist with Icelandic daily Morgunblaðið interviewing Akureyri GC's head greenskeeper, Steindór Ragnarsson... in a full on snowstorm.  A copy of the day's paper is displayed, presumably as proof for future generations of this 2011 meteorological anomaly.
The less than stellar weather conditions are expected to continue throughout the weekend,  but the outlook will undoubtedly improve soon, as normalcy returns and temperatures rise, and just over a month from now... as its done for almost two decades... Akureyri GC will host The Arctic Open, an international event which attracts golfers from all over the world.

It sounds to me like a perfect time to head north... way north... for a singular golf adventure.

Special thanks to Kjartan Ólafsson, Golfplanet.net