Do you know the meaning of the Icelandic word „golf-cool-a” ?

If you decide to come to Iceland for a golfbreak it might come in handy to know a few basic golf terms in Icelandic.

The name for club in Icelandic is kylfa (pron: kill-va) and the name for golfball is either golfbolti or golfkúla (pron.: golf-cool-a). There is an ongoing debate whether to use the word golfbolti or golfkúla for golfball in Icelandic. The Icelandic Golf Association has translated the term golfball or ball with golfbolti or bolti in the Icelandic translation of the Rules of R&A. So bolti or golfbolti is the offical term for golfball in Icelandic.

However, many prefer to use golfkúla.  Kúla in Icelandic has a broader meaning referring to any roundshaped objects such as for example jólakúla (pron jó= similar to the jo in jo-jo in English + la = jóla=meaning christmas + kúla = christmas(ball)ornament.). The “golf” in golfkúla is narrowing it down to the round shaped objects used in golf – “golf-cool-a.”

Jólakúla

Other Icelandic golfterms:

skrambi = double bogey

skolli = bogey

par = par

fugl = birdie

örn = eagle

albatros = double eagle

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Golfing Year  or as we would say in Icelandic: Gleðileg jól og gott nýtt golfár!