LATEST NEWS

Richard Humphreys
/ Categories: News

Edwin Roald designs new nine for Selfoss Golf Course

Edwin Roald is adding nine new holes to Selfoss Golf Course in Iceland.

Roald has been consulting architect for the nine-hole layout since 2018, and has already replaced three holes, required due to the realignment of Route 1 – a ring road that circles Iceland.

The current project is a response to the increasing popularity of the town of Selfoss, less than an hour’s drive from Reykjavik, with locals and tourists. The municipality has provided most of the funding and wants an eighteen-hole layout to satisfy the increased demand.

“It is a very interesting and attractive piece of property along the banks of the Ölfusá River,” Roald told GCA. “The site for the new holes is on the waterfront and one of the main objectives has been to use the additional land so that golfers arrive at the water at least twice in a round. Some new holes will be on the front nine and some will be on the back to create a figure-eight routing.

“We’re designing a course and providing a playing experience that everybody can enjoy. The emphasis is on our largest core customer group – the high handicap players. However, for the better players, there will be plenty of strategic interest in terms of angles, firmness of the ground and pin positions.”

Roald is introducing template concepts to Selfoss. “We have a replica of the Eden hole at St Andrews – our par-three sixth has the Ölfusá behind the green rather than the Eden River,” he said. “We’ve got a reverse Cape at the seventh, the fifteenth is a riverfront par five with a reverse Road Hole green entrance, and the sixteenth is a Redan. We’re playing around a bit and trying to mix an original design that underlines the unique nature of the site and Icelandic golf with template holes and such concepts so golfers can have some fun.”

The architect expects eighteen holes to be completed by 2026, with a 14-hole routing ready by late 2024.

With no specialised golf contractors operating from Iceland, the new holes at Selfoss are being built by a local contractor – although Roald is making use of technology to ensure they are built to a high standard.

“We’re using automated machine guidance (AMG),” said Roald. “We design everything to a high degree of detail and produce 3D models that we send directly into the construction machinery. Those machines can be set on automatic or can be manually controlled. The minutest detail can be achieved; we have contour lines just a few centimetres apart. It’s traditional architecture meeting modern technology!

“It is an absolute gamechanger because AMG allows us to do business with local companies – that’s the social corporate social responsibility element – and it obviously makes all the logistics a lot easier. We’re receiving excess soil from nearby construction, housing and road projects, which contributes to considerable savings in haulage distances and carbon footprint. While much of the site is quite flat, we’re able to add character to the fairway surroundings with this additional soil. I’m seeing around a 27 per cent decrease in the number of machine hours via using AMG.”

Selfoss has also approved a plan to introduce a short course by Roald that will be located near the entrance of the site and is expected to open in 2025. “Considering the recent completion of indoor and outdoor practice facilities, it can be said that Selfoss will have a full range of golf options,” says Roald.

This article first appeared in the April 2023 issue of Golf Course Architecture. For a printed subscription or free digital edition, please visit our subscriptions page.

Previous Article Tom Fazio returns to Reynolds Lake Oconee for new nine
Next Article Rees Jones prioritises playability for renovation at The Preserve
Print
2747 Rate this article:
No rating
Slideshow HTML
  • Selfoss
    Edwin Roald

    Edwin Roald is adding nine new holes to Selfoss Golf Course in Iceland

  • Selfoss
    Edwin Roald

    Among the new holes to be built along the banks of the Ölfusá River are the reverse Cape seventh, the par-five fifteenth inspired by the Road hole, and the Redan sixteenth

  • Selfoss
    Edwin Roald

    A large sand hazard forms the primary defence to the opening hole at Selfoss Golf Course

ADd Image Credit here for home page
Edwin Roald
Richard Humphreys

Richard HumphreysRichard Humphreys

Other posts by Richard Humphreys
Contact author

Contact author

x
The July 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!
Magazine, News | Thu 10 Jul, 2025

The July 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!

We visit Trump Aberdeen, Comporta and Baltusrol, speak with Rees Jones, and ask if anyone likes a long par three

Summer 2025 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now
Magazine, News | Mon 09 Jun, 2025

Summer 2025 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now

New release asks: ‘what inspired you to become a golf course architect?’

FEATURE ARTICLES

New course at Trump International Golf Links: Prepare to be dazzled
Jacob Sjöman
On site | Toby Ingleton

New course at Trump International Golf Links: Prepare to be dazzled

The construction of the second golf course at the Trump club in Aberdeen may have attracted far less attention than the first, but the final result is just as dramatic. Toby Ingleton reports

Royal Portrush: An interview with Martin Ebert
Mackenzie & Ebert
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Royal Portrush: An interview with Martin Ebert

The club’s consulting architect spoke with Richard Humphreys about changes to the Dunluce course since its return to the Open rota

Good Read: Great Golf Courses of the World
Gary Lisbon
Good Read | Gary Lisbon

Good Read: Great Golf Courses of the World

Gary Lisbon tells us about his new book, featuring over 100 courses he has photographed during his travels

Destination design
RTJ II
Opinion | Mike Gorman and Trent Jones

Destination design

Mike Gorman and Trent Jones explain how the Robert Trent Jones II approach to resort golf has evolved, driven by a resurgence in remote golf development

Dave Axland: From the ground up
WAC Golf
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Dave Axland: From the ground up

The shaper-turned-architect has worked alongside some of the most talented designers in the business, but what is his story? Richard Humphreys finds out

Playing firm and fast in France
Tahoma 31
Report | Stacie Zinn Roberts

Playing firm and fast in France

Golf de Cannes Mougins has regrassed its fairways with Tahoma 31 bermuda. Stacie Zinn Roberts spoke with agronomist Alejandro Reyes and superintendent Thibaut Perez about its performance

You shall go to the ball
Russell Kirk
Report | Toby Ingleton

You shall go to the ball

A Cinderella story has unfolded at the Waldorf Astoria Golf Club, within Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Toby Ingleton reports

Oakmont: An interview with Gil Hanse
USGA/Fred Vuich
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Oakmont: An interview with Gil Hanse

With the 2025 US Open arriving at Oakmont, Richard Humphreys spoke with the architect, who renovated the course in 2023, about what to expect

Martin Ebert: Design journey
Taku Miyamoto
Interview | Adam Lawrence

Martin Ebert: Design journey

With a portfolio that includes eight of the ten Open venues, Mackenzie & Ebert occupies an enviable position in the golf design industry. Adam Lawrence spoke with principal Martin Ebert to learn how they got there

South course at Apogee Club: New scenery for second act
Toby Ingleton
On site | Toby Ingleton

South course at Apogee Club: New scenery for second act

Toby Ingleton reports on a design debut for the partnership of Mike Davis and Tom Fazio II, in the new course hotspot of south Florida

The art of golf
theberkshire.co.uk, The R&A World Golf Museum and National Galleries of Scotland
Feature | Adam Lawrence

The art of golf

Adam Lawrence profiles some of the best illustrators of golf courses in the game’s history – both full-time artists and architects who draw or paint

Gopher Watch Competition – July 2025
Gopher Watch, News | Thu 10 Jul, 2025

Gopher Watch Competition – July 2025

Which course has Sandy the gopher visited this month?

MOST POPULAR

FEATURED BUSINESSES