Hvaleyrarvöllur (Golfklúbburinn Keilir)

Hvaleyrarvöllur is the home course of Golfklúbburinn Keilir, founded in 1967, in the harbour town of Hafnarfjörður just south of Reykjavík. It is one of Iceland's best-known courses because it has two very different halves. The front nine runs through rugged lava fields, and the back nine sits on the small Hvaleyri peninsula at the harbour entrance, with sea views towards Álftanes and Snæfellsjökull glacier.

The club first built a 9-hole course on land it acquired on the peninsula. In 1971 Swedish architect Nils Skjöld laid out a new course there. The lava-field front nine was finished in 1997, and Hvaleyrarvöllur has been an 18-hole course ever since. Golf Iceland notes that there are no bunkers on the front nine, because the lava does that job, so accuracy matters more than distance.

The course is par 72. Men's tees range from the White tees (rated 73.0, slope 131) to the Red (64.8/109), and the women's Blue tees are rated 74.7 with a slope of 131. Beside the back nine is Sveinskotsvöllur, a 9-hole, par-31 course that is good for a shorter game. The Hraunkot practice centre is about 300 m from the clubhouse and has TrackMan Range technology, simulators, a short-game area and lessons with PGA professionals.

Keilir's 2026 price list sets the visitor green fee at ISK 24,900 for 18 holes. Members of other GSÍ clubs pay ISK 15,500. A golf cart costs ISK 9,000 for 18 holes. The clubhouse has a restaurant with sea views and is also used for events and meetings.

1967: Golfklúbburinn Keilir is founded and builds a 9-hole course on the Hvaleyri peninsula.

1971: Swedish designer Nils Skjöld lays out a new course on the peninsula.

1997: the new front nine in the lava field is completed, making Hvaleyrarvöllur an 18-hole course.

2026: Hraunkot's outdoor range is upgraded with TrackMan technology, and work begins on a clubhouse extension.