Golf in Iceland: Reykjavik Courses, Midnight Sun & Where to Play

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Golf in Iceland: Reykjavik Courses, Midnight Sun & Where to Play

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Golf in Iceland is not about escaping to guaranteed sunshine. It is about playing somewhere you will remember: across lava landscapes, beside the North Atlantic, beneath mountains and, during the height of summer, late into the evening under the midnight sun.For golfers who have already played Spain, Portugal, Scotland or Ireland and want something genuinely different, Iceland deserves to be considered as a golf destination in its own right.

The attraction is not simply the golf courses. It is the combination. You can play through volcanic terrain, drive through extraordinary landscapes, visit geothermal areas, eat well in Reykjavik and use the exceptionally long summer days to fit far more into a trip than you might expect.

This guide is for golfers who prefer to organize their own journey: choose the courses, book tee times, select a hotel, rent a car when useful and combine golf with Iceland rather than buy a fixed golf package.

Why Travel to Iceland for Golf?

There are easier places to organize a golf holiday. That is partly the attraction.

Iceland does not need to compete with the Costa del Sol or Algarve by offering endless resort courses and guaranteed heat. Its strength is completely different. Here, the landscape becomes part of the round.

• Play through volcanic and lava terrain.
• Experience golf beside the North Atlantic.
• Play surrounded by mountains and open Nordic landscapes.
• Use exceptionally long summer days for unusually late tee times.
• Combine golf naturally with the Golden Circle, geothermal bathing and road trips.

Midnight Sun Golf: Iceland’s Signature Golf Experience

If one experience can persuade a golfer to travel to Iceland specifically for golf, it is the possibility of playing extraordinarily late during the Icelandic summer.

Around midsummer, daylight stretches almost through the entire night. Golfscape notes that during the peak summer period many Reykjavik courses can take advantage of round-the-clock daylight, creating the unusual possibility of genuine midnight golf.

Imagine starting a round at a time when golfers in southern Europe would normally be sitting down for dinner, yet continuing to play in natural light.

This also changes the rhythm of the entire trip. Sightseeing during the day does not necessarily mean giving up golf that evening.

For golfers specifically seeking the midnight-sun experience, June and July are the most interesting months.

Reykjavik: The Best Base for Your First Iceland Golf Trip

For most first-time golf visitors, Reykjavik is the logical base.

You have access to several courses in and around the metropolitan area while also enjoying Iceland’s strongest concentration of hotels, restaurants and city life. Reykjavik is also an excellent starting point for the Golden Circle, Reykjanes Peninsula and South Coast.

This combination works particularly well for couples where only one person is a serious golfer, or for groups who want something more varied than seven consecutive days inside a golf resort.

Golf Courses Around Reykjavik

Keilir Golf Club

Keilir is one of the courses that most clearly explains why golf in Iceland is different.

The setting combines volcanic lava terrain with coastal golf. The contrast between rugged lava formations and open views toward the sea creates a course that could hardly be mistaken for a conventional European resort layout.

If you want your first Iceland round to immediately feel Icelandic, Keilir belongs high on the list.

Brautarholt Golf Club

Brautarholt sits north of Reykjavik in a dramatic coastal environment.

This is golf where the setting matters. Sea views, cliffs and exposed terrain create the kind of round where you may remember the landscape as clearly as the score.

Oddur Golf Club

Oddur provides another example of Icelandic golf being shaped around the existing terrain.

Lava formations give the course visual character while becoming part of the strategic challenge.

Mosfellsbaer Golf Club – Hlíðavöllur

Hlíðavöllur provides another convenient Reykjavik-area option and helps create a multi-round itinerary without repeatedly playing courses with exactly the same character.

Suðurnes Golf Club

Suðurnes adds another option on the Reykjanes side of the capital region. For golfers travelling by rental car, it can fit naturally into a day exploring the peninsula rather than requiring a dedicated golf-only excursion.

Grindavík Golf Club

Grindavík is particularly interesting for travelers exploring the Reykjanes Peninsula.

The surrounding region combines Atlantic coastline, lava and geothermal landscapes, making the journey to the course part of the experience.

Golf Beyond Reykjavik

Reykjavik is the easiest starting point, but Iceland becomes even more interesting as a golf destination once you use golf as part of a wider road trip.

Geysir Golf Course and the Golden Circle

This is one of the most appealing golf-and-sightseeing combinations in Iceland.

A round in the Geysir area can become part of the same journey as the country’s famous geothermal landscapes, Gullfoss and Thingvellir.

Instead of dedicating one complete day to golf and another complete day to sightseeing, the two can become part of the same itinerary.

Westman Islands Golf Club

For the more adventurous golfer, the Westman Islands introduce another remarkable setting and demonstrate that Iceland golf extends well beyond the Reykjavik metropolitan area.

Akureyri Golf Club

Travelers with more time can take the golf journey north toward Akureyri.

This makes considerably more sense on a seven- to ten-day Iceland journey than on a short Reykjavik break, but it gives golfers another region and another Icelandic landscape to experience.

Where to Stay in Reykjavik for Golf

Reykjavik is the most practical hotel base because you can reach multiple courses while still having restaurants, city life and straightforward access to Iceland’s main touring routes.

For a golf trip, I would look at three different approaches: premium harborfront luxury, a classic hotel in the city center, or a more practical base when travelling with a rental car.

Hotel prices in Iceland vary substantially by season and demand. For an evergreen guide, it is more useful to compare prices for your actual travel dates than to publish room rates that may quickly become obsolete.

Do You Need a Rental Car for an Iceland Golf Trip?

If you intend to play several courses, I would strongly favor having a car.

A rental car gives you freedom to move between Reykjavik-area courses, explore the Reykjanes Peninsula and combine golf with the Golden Circle or South Coast.

It also gives you flexibility when Icelandic weather changes. Instead of locking every day into a rigid schedule, you can adjust the order of golf and sightseeing.

If you are staying in central Reykjavik, playing only one round and using organized excursions for the rest of the trip, a rental car becomes less essential.

Golf and the Golden Circle

The Golden Circle is one of the best examples of why Iceland works so well for golfers who want more than a conventional golf resort.

Thingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss are among Iceland’s most famous attractions, and the route can fit naturally into a golf itinerary.

A morning round followed by sightseeing — or sightseeing followed by a late summer tee time — can turn one day into something difficult to reproduce in Spain or Portugal.

For much more detail on Iceland beyond the golf courses, see our complete Iceland travel guide.

What to Do Between Golf Rounds

Iceland has a major advantage for couples and groups where not everybody wants to play golf every day: the non-golf program is exceptionally strong.

Golden Circle

Thingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss provide the classic introduction to Iceland’s geology and landscapes.

Geothermal Bathing

A geothermal lagoon can be an excellent counterpoint to a cold or windy round of golf. Iceland has several geothermal bathing experiences within reach of Reykjavik and the Reykjanes Peninsula.

South Coast

The South Coast offers waterfalls, black-sand landscapes, glaciers and dramatic Atlantic scenery. It deserves a full day if your schedule allows it.

Reykjavik

Do not treat the capital simply as somewhere to sleep. Reykjavik adds restaurants, cafés, museums, harbor life and an enjoyable evening atmosphere to a golf trip.

Whale Watching

Whale-watching excursions from Reykjavik can work particularly well on a non-golf morning or afternoon without requiring a long drive.

Best Time for a Golf Trip to Iceland

May

Daylight is already long, but conditions can still feel distinctly early-season and cool.

June

Perhaps the most distinctive month for golf travelers because of the extraordinary daylight and strongest midnight-sun atmosphere.

July

Prime summer conditions for combining golf with road trips and Iceland’s outdoor experiences.

August

Still a strong golf month, with substantial daylight and good conditions for combining golf with broader Iceland travel.

September

Golf is still part of the main season at many courses, but shorter days and increasingly variable weather become more important when planning each round.

What Does Golf in Iceland Actually Feel Like?

Do not arrive expecting Mediterranean resort golf.

Wind matters. Temperatures can change quickly. Rain is possible. Conditions can feel completely different from one round to the next.

For golfers who enjoy links golf, Scotland, Ireland or other northern destinations, adapting to the elements is part of the game.

Club selection becomes less mechanical. Controlling ball flight matters. Keeping a shot beneath the wind may be more useful than producing a perfect high approach.

And occasionally the score matters less because the surroundings are so unusual.

What to Pack for Golf in Iceland

The most useful principle is simple: dress in layers and be prepared for changing conditions.

• Waterproof golf jacket
• Water-resistant golf trousers
• Warm mid-layer
• Wind-resistant outer layer
• Golf cap and a warmer hat
• Extra golf gloves
• Waterproof golf shoes
• Additional socks
• Small towel for clubs and grips

Even during summer, it is better to prepare for several conditions during the same round than to rely completely on the morning forecast.

Should You Bring Your Own Golf Clubs?

If golf is one of the main purposes of your trip and you intend to play three or more rounds, bringing your own clubs normally makes sense.

If you are taking a longer Iceland road trip and golf is only part of the journey, rental equipment can be more practical.

Golfscape’s booking process can show rentals where available, but check the equipment situation for the individual course before relying on club hire.

A 5-Day Iceland Golf Trip

Day 1 – Arrive in Reykjavik

Check into your hotel, explore central Reykjavik and have dinner in the city. Keep the first evening relaxed unless your arrival time and summer daylight make an easy late round attractive.

Day 2 – Reykjavik Golf

Play Keilir, Oddur, Brautarholt or another Reykjavik-area course. Leave time afterward for Reykjavik.

Day 3 – Golden Circle

Visit Thingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss. Golfers wanting another round can investigate combining a southern Iceland course with the route.

Day 4 – Second Golf Round + Geothermal Experience

Choose a course with a different character from your first round, then finish the day with geothermal bathing or a relaxed evening in Reykjavik.

Day 5 – Reykjavik and Departure

Use your final morning for Reykjavik, the harbor or another short local experience before leaving Iceland.

A 7-Day Iceland Golf Journey

1. Day 1: Arrive in Reykjavik.
2. Day 2: Reykjavik-area golf.
3. Day 3: Golden Circle.
4. Day 4: Southern Iceland or another regional golf course.
5. Day 5: Second Reykjavik-area round.
6. Day 6: Reykjanes, Brautarholt, South Coast or geothermal experience.
7. Day 7: Reykjavik and departure.

Three or four rounds during a seven-day journey is, in my view, a better Iceland experience than trying to play 36 holes every day. Leave enough time for Iceland itself.

Is Iceland an Expensive Golf Destination?

Iceland should not be approached as a budget golf destination.

Hotels, restaurants, transportation and general travel costs can be higher than in many traditional European golf destinations. Green fees also vary according to the course, date and availability.

But comparing Iceland directly with a low-cost golf package in southern Europe misses the main reason for going.

You are buying a different experience: golf surrounded by volcanic terrain, ocean, mountains and Nordic summer light, combined with one of Europe’s most unusual travel destinations.

Who Should Choose Iceland for a Golf Trip?

• Golfers who have already played many of Europe’s traditional golf destinations
• Golfers attracted by midnight-sun golf
• Players who enjoy links-style and weather-influenced golf
• Couples wanting both golf and serious sightseeing
• Small groups looking for an unusual golf journey
• Travelers who enjoy independent road trips
• Golfers who value memorable surroundings as much as famous course names

Iceland is less suitable for travelers whose priorities are guaranteed heat, inexpensive all-inclusive golf packages, completely predictable weather or spending an entire week inside one resort.

Is Iceland Really Worth Travelling to Primarily for Golf?

Yes.

Iceland has enough golf, variety and character to make the game one of the principal reasons for travelling there.

But I would not turn it into a golf-only trip.

The strongest Iceland golf journey combines several memorable rounds with Reykjavik, geothermal landscapes, waterfalls, the Golden Circle and the freedom to explore the country.

That is precisely what makes Iceland more interesting than simply adding another conventional golf holiday to the list.

Booking note: AmerExperience does not operate golf-course, hotel or rental-car reservations. Golf bookings linked from this guide are provided by Golfscape and participating golf courses. Accommodation and related travel bookings are provided by Expedia. Prices, availability, cancellation policies and booking conditions are determined by the respective provider. AmerExperience may receive a commission from qualifying bookings at no additional cost to you.

Golfing Regards

Golf has been part of my life for many years, both as a player and as a way of meeting people across countries and cultures. What interests me about golf travel is not simply finding another course to play, but discovering what makes playing in a particular destination different.

Iceland is a perfect example. Good golf exists all over the world. Playing late into a Nordic summer evening surrounded by lava, ocean and mountains is something else entirely.

Best regards,
Lassi Pensikkala

I’m a Finnish economist, international travel professional, and avid golfer with decades of experience in international tourism and destination management. Having lived and worked across Europe and South America, I look at golf travel from both sides of the journey: as a golfer choosing where I genuinely want to play, and as a travel professional who understands what makes a destination work beyond the course. Through AmerExperience™, I combine that experience with independent research to help golfers discover great courses, destinations, and travel experiences around the world.