What is so special about the Golf Club of Borgarnes?

Yesterday Golf 1 introcuced the 16th hole on Hamarsvöllur which is the name of GB´s (The Golf Club of Borgarnes) golfcourse. But apart from being a fantastic par-71, 18 hole golfcourse, what is so special about it?

The biggest box of Opal, an Icelandic type of licqorice, can also be found on GB´s golfcourse, Hamarsvöllur. Photo: Golf 1.

Here three special items will be mentioned that you find on Hamarsvöllur in Borgarnes, Iceland and will not find on any other golfcourse in the world, much less, all three of them combined. For starters GB has the biggest Coca Cola can in the world right in the middle of the golfcourse and the biggest box of red Opal in the world (a „must try” when you come to Iceland. It´s the no. 1 licqorice, Icelanders use to keep their breath fresh and also comes in green and blue (with a more saltier taste).

The third special thing on Hamarsvöllur is GB´s clubhouse. It has the shape of a traditional, old Icelandic, gabled farmhouse, its shape dates back to the old Vikings, the first settlers that inhabited Iceland in 874.

Hvíti bærinn, i.e. „the White Farm" - GB´s clubhouse.

Lets talk a little more about the Coke can on the golfcourse in Borgarnes. It used to be a what Icelanders call a “súrheysturn” translated literally „sourhaytower” or as is more common a silo to store hay, since Hamarsvöllur used to be a pasture for cows and sheep.

In 2000 there was a financial downswing and Golf Club Borgarnes had to let ends meet and therefore made an advertisement contract with the Coca Cola company to 5 years. The old silo was transformed into a Coca Cola can.

There were quite a few that didn´t like the Americanization part of the whole deal and wrote articles about that laws should be passed on ads by the roadside that forbade ads in the form of the can. In their minds the can was a blemish to the unspoilt Icelandic nature and  simply a cannot.  Among the more outspoken anti-Coke canists was Ögmundur Jónasson, who at present is the Minister of the Interior. In an article written 2003, which you can see HERE: he a.o. was delighted about support that GB got from a local bank hence he thought the Coke can would now disappear. NOT!

Club members of GB have even put blocks of rock around their precious, beautiful, red can and provided for lights so everyone can see it from far away! You even get (by local rules) a two stroke penalty if you hit the can… no  just kidding! But lastly what comes to mind is that Obama´s words: „Yes, we CAN” get a whole different meaning… at least in Borgarnes, Iceland!