The CPG’s coveted 5-star Professional Award has been presented to a legend of the sport in Iceland, Arnar Már Ólafsson, at the CPG Annual Awards Supported By Rolex, recognising his achievements and progressiveness across his career as a PGA Professional.
Ólafsson was one of the first PGA of Iceland Professionals, and across his career has played a fundamental role in the creation of professional education for Icelandic Professionals, developing a programme that is internationally recognised at the highest level, whilst also working as a coach himself to numerous players, particularly at the elite level.
“It is so amazing, just great, to be recognised, I was not expecting anything like this,” said Ólafsson during the Gala Awards Dinner at Costa Navarino, Greece. “I have been involved in many ways in setting up the educational system, as national coach…I’m always ready to help, always ready to do work, and so I think the PGA of Iceland wanted to thank me with this nomination.
“I have had support from so many people over the years, and of course I had to work hard, but I am proud of what we have done and I’m very thankful that I did this. My advice to young Professionals just starting out would be that it’s really important to just relax, to see what you see, and hear what you hear. Don’t have these built-in beliefs guiding you in the wrong direction. Because if you get a good mentor and good teacher, you just need to relax and let it flow. Then you can start seeing the right things and you will start to do the right things.”
Having been involved with the CPG from its very early stages, Ólafsson worked closely with the organisation and its Member Countries to help create the PGA of Iceland programme that has developed over time to be at the highest level of the European Education Level System [EELS] that recognises national education programmes internationally.
Still overseeing the programme today, Ólafsson [pictured below with PGA of Iceland President, Stefania Valgeirsdottir [right] and General Secretary, Rúnar Arnorsson [left]] has impacted every one of the 60+ PGA Professionals that have graduated the programme since 2008, with the programme being more popular than ever with approx. 50 people currently enrolled.
This direct effect on the professional workforce in the country then extends to touch the golf community overall, something that saw him being awarded with the Golfsamband Íslands [Golf Union of Iceland] gold medal in 2012 for his contribution to the sport in Iceland.
Ólafsson started out as a PGA Professional having graduated in 1991 from the PGA of Sweden and since then has split his roles between Iceland and Germany, working at clubs such as Keilir Golf Club, GKG Golf Club, Gut Düneburg Golf Club and Berlin Wannsee Golf-Landclub.
During this time both as an Iceland National Team Coach and individually, he has worked with a wide variety of golfers, including success with Icelandic players Bjarka Pétursson, Guðmund Ágúst Kristjánsson and Andra Þór Björnsson, and DP World Tour and Challenge Tour players such as Phillip Mejow, all of which has seen him voted as the PGA of Iceland’s Teaching Professional of the year on four occasions.
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For more information on the CPG Annual Congress visit https://cp.golf/2022AnnualCongress.
With thanks to the CPG Annual Awards Partners – Rolex, the Ryder Cup European Development Trust [RCEDT], Aegean Airlines and Costa Navarino.
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