Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir | October. 23. 2013 | 17:00

Introducing Icelanders who play on US College Golf teams no. 11: Hrafn Guðlaugsson

The interview tonight (October 21st 2013) is with the 2012 Club Champion of GSE (short for Golf Club Setberg in Hafnarfjörður Iceland,) Hrafn Guðlaugsson, Hrafn studies in the Staates at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama. Hrafn has been playing some fabulous golf in Iceland this past summer, despite rather crummy weather here in the northern hemisphere.  Hrafn is not only a great golfer but move very likeable young man and today is his 23rd birthday. Have a happy, happy one and all the best from us here at Golf 1 in Iceland!!!

Here we´ll publish an interview we had with Hrafn earlier this year (2013):

Full Name: Hrafn Guðlaugsson.

Which Golf Club are you a member of in Iceland?: GSE – Golf Club Setberg in Hafnarfjörður. Originally I was in GFH (short for Golfklúbbur Fljótsdalshéraðs) in the eastern part of Iceland, near Egilsstaðir.

Where and when were you born? I was born in Reykjavík (capital of Iceland), October 21st 1990.

Where did you grow up? I grew up in Djúpivogur (small town in the eastern part of Iceland with 348 inhabitants in 2013) until I was 8-9 years old and then moved to Egilsstadir (the capitol of the eastern part of Iceland with 2303 inhabitants in 2013).

What is your family status and does anyone in your family play golf? Dad and many relatives of mine play golf , my uncle´s play golf (i.e. mom and dad´s brothers) Mom is starting – just today (January 7th 2013) she bought herself her first pair of golfshoes. I have an older brother who lives in London and is called Freyr and he plays a bit of golf just for fun, but  mainly plays soccer.

When did you start playing golf ? I started to play golf in Djúpivogur, about 6 or 7 years old.

What made you start playing golf ? I guess I started at a young age to play golf with my dad and uncles ​​; then it just kind of evolved ef since I got my first golf set 7 years old . I had a huge interest in the game right from the beginning. I played alot of soccer , but then I got injured one summer and ended up playing golf all summer 2002.

Are you happy with your performance in golf if you look back over this past year , 2012 ? After staying winter long in the Staates  2011-2012 I practiced well for the spring semester and was pleased with my golf tournaments. I played  alot instead of slamming 200 balls on the practice g ground – I became more steady and fared well –  one tends to undestimate the value of playing golf instead of hanging in the practice area. Everything worked out well that winte , but when I got home (to Iceland) I injured my wrist so the first half of the season I played very litle golf.

How many tournaments did you take part in this preceding summer? I played just three tournaments and then Team Championships of GSI (GSI is the Iceland Golf Association) . I participated in the first tournament on the Eimskip Tour (where the best golfers compete in here in Iceland during the summer). This time the first tournament was in Leiran (an 18 hole golfcourse in Keflavík). The first round was OK but I played badly the latter round. Right there I started to feel the injury.  As I said, I played little or no golf in Iceland.But then I pulled myself together and in late June or early July I was already in decent shape. I played well in the Club Championship of GSE , was 7 under par after two days and had a great battle with Óli Jóh . The Icelandic Championship in stroke play  was disappointing because I was not in good enough shape . It really was not until the GSI Team Championships when I was beginning to feel comfortable with my golf, again.

What are you studying at Faulkner? I am studying business administration to a BS degree.

What were you most surprised by when you first came to the United States ? I’m in the deep south ( Alabama) so I was perhaps most surprised by how very polite and decent  Americans all in all were. And also the amount of deep fried foods they have there.

Describe the normal school day in the US + practices that you do ? I try to have my  schedule  so that I go to school at  7 and finish at 12 o´clock. That´s the routine Mondays through Thursdays.  Then I have lunch and get to the practice ground. Either one plays 18 holes og practices. Somedays I practice all day or practice and play 9 holes. We have about three world class golf courses to choose fromin Prattville , Alabama : they are on the RTJ Trail, RTJ is short for Robert Trent Jones , who was the architect . The facility is great for all aspects of golf , short game, too. One often doesn´t quit playing until begins to darken . Then I get myself something to eat and look at homework. And around 20:00 o´clock some days I´ll go to the gym . We relax on Fridays , Saturdays and Sundays in school, but we, the tema, still often play rounds og golf or we practice  and play .

What do you like best about the United States? The good weather and golf facilities, the standard of golf and how, in fact, in many respects, the ” easy” life . There is so much of people great people around me.

What do you think the worst with the United States ? Public transport – it hardly possible to walk to anything – a person is so bound to have a car.

How do you like golfcourses in the United States compared to golfcourses in Iceland? It is much easier to have great golfcourses in the U.S than in Iceland so of course they are better in the United States . The greens are so much better – however I am very impressed by the local golf courses in Iceland.

What do you prefer parkland courses og linkses?  I play more on parkland courses – however Royal Dornoch in Scotland is one of the most amazing golfcourse I’ve ever played on . It´s  one of the oldest golfcourses in the world and generally considered one of the best – it’s a bit depending on media, but I ‘ve seen it on one list over the 3 best golfcourses and on another as one of the 13 best golfcourses in the world. The course is different from others and quite unique; designed by Donald Ross .

What do you prefer match play or stroke play?  After the Team Club Championships here in Iceland this past summer – I´m more drawn to match play – one isn´t as stressed out, one can take a deep breath and take chances (on the course).

What is you favorite golfcourse in Iceland?    The Westmanna Islands, the the Hvaleyrar golfcourse at golf club Keilir, and then there are many more good ones.

What is your favorite golfcourse in the whole world?   Torreby (Sweden) where I lived in 2010-2011 in Munkedal but also Sea Island in Georgía – that whole area is a dreamplace to live on (its both one of my favorite courses and my favorite area to live on in the future).

What is the most special golfcourse you have played on and why?   One of the 3 courses we pracitce on at Faulkner is called the Judge. It´s quite unique and it starts right away on the 1st tee which is elevated and it´s a far way down on the fairway and there are difficulties everywhere, water on the right side and a forest on the left side. There´s water by every single fairway.  Every par-3 hole is about 200 meters long and one has to cross water and hit islands. Then there is one par-5 fairway which is 711 yards long (650 meters).  The name of the course is enlightening whereas one gets judged on how good of a golfer one is.  This is one of the most difficult courses I´ve played.

What is your handicap?   I think I´m playing to a 1 handicap.

What is your lowest score in golf and where/on what golfcourse did you achieve it?   The lowest score? I think it´s my 2nd round at the GSE Club Championships in 2012, 4 under par og the Setberg golfcourse. I have also had 9 hole practice rounds where I´ve played 4 under par.

What is your greatest achievement in golf to date?   One of the most fun golftournament that I won, was when I was in Sweden and lived with Sturla Höskuldsson golfinstructor and his wife Kristin. This was a tournament on the Swedish Scandia Tour for competitors under 20 yrs of age and there I won in a rather strong field in Gothenburg. What is funny is that it´s a tradition (in Sweden) that the winner holds a speach and I had to give one in Swedish. I used words like jævla bra and they laughed alot!

Have you had a hole in one?  No, not yet.

What snack do you have in your bag?   Usually a banana and granola bars – a herbalife shake to maintain my energylevel – one can feel how enpowering they are on the las holes – especially when one has to get up early.

Have you taken part in other sports?   I practiced soccer for many years with Höttur in Egilsstaðir (in the East of Iceland) but I quit 2009 when I broke my leg and after that I focused completely on golf. Then I played handball and my coach there was Pétur Fannar Gíslason.

What is your favorite food  your favorite drink; your favorite music; your favorite film and your favorite book? My favorite food is my mom´s lobsterpasta;  my favorite drink is  Coke; my favorite music: Alt-J (∆) , The Beatles,  Arcade Fire, the Strokes and then I´m a huge fan of Jack White; my favorite movies: Shawshank Redemption and Big Lebowski; my favorite book: this is a difficult question. I guess its Hugleikur Dagsson´s (Icelandic author) latest book.

Who is your favorite golfer, name one male and one female golfer?   Male: Luke Donald and Tiger Woods have been my favorites for a long time. Female: Lexi Thompson – she set a new age record on the LPGA (was the youngest to win a tournament on that Tour) in Prattsville, Alabama the year before the last (2011) on the Navistar tournament and there I was working getting her score and other competitiors on the LPGA web.

What is your dream foursome?   It´s me and …. Tiger,  David Beckham and Luke Donald.

What´s in the bag?   I have  Titleist irons and AB2 wedges and Vokey. I´m going to check out sem new woods.  Then I have a TaylorMade R-11 Driver and R-9 TaylorMade 3-tree.  I have a  Scotty Cameron GoLow putter with a wide grip. Maybe I´ll add a new hybrid or some new trees.

Have you been to a golf instructor?    Yeah – Sturla Höskuldsson has helped me alot – he moved to Egilisstaðir when I was there – and then I went  to  Sweden – he is a great guy and golf instuctor.

Are you superstitious?    Yes – for example when I start a round in rain and I play very well then I don´t take my wet clothes off (for the rest of the round). Likewise, I don´t use whatever tee there is, I never use black tees, I prefer white tees.

What is your maingoal in life and golf?   Roughly I´m gonna try and play some serious golf 2013 – set some goals. I´m going to play on the Eimskip series (in Iceland) and play in full this year.  My goal in life is to study and then just be happy and content with life.

Who do you think will win the Tournament of Champions? (Question posed 7. janúar 2013)  „Our scandinavian nephew” Jonas Blixt.

What do you like the best about golf? This is a great sport, great company and one finds a channel for one´s competitiveness. Golf is the perfect sport …. and then one always meets some new people.

How high percentagewise is the mental part of your game (in cometitions)?  It´s rather high – one is always getting better and better but one has to work on it. To have a clear head is very important.

At last: Do you have some good advice you can share with other golfers?   Yes. In golf it´s not about striking the most perfect golfshot, it´s about getting the ball in the hole.  One has to stress practicing chipp´s and putting – even though the long game is important too – but its most important to practice all strokes within 100 meters. Then it always helps to play alot of golf  instead of hitting the pracice area all the time.