A World of Golf
When people tee off for a game of golf, it’s usually on perfect greens and golden sand dunes with nothing more perilous than bad winter weather to deal with. But have you ever thought of swinging your golf clubs with the mighty Himalayas as your backdrop, or between minefields in the Korean Demilitarisation Zone?
For the more intrepid breed of golfer out there, here are five alternative golf courses around the world that will challenge not only your patience: but your nerves and endurance, too.
Legend Golf and Safari Resort, South Africa
If you head to Entabeni Safari Conservancy for your holidays this summer, don’t miss out on the Legend Golf course. Not only is it a stunning mix of African wildlife and breathtaking scenery, but the Extreme 19th hole requires a helicopter to reach the tee, which is based half a kilometre above the green, near the top of Hanglip Mountain. Watch out for lions.
Joint Security Area, Korean Demilitarized Zone
If laughing in the face of danger is your thing, then heading just south of the most heavily guarded border in the world to hit a ball in your finest golf clothing will definitely be your cup of tea. The one-hole, 192 yard, par-three course was named “The World’s most dangerous golf course” in 1998 due to minefields bordering three sides of the course. Players are advised not to go after stray balls when they enter the course.
North Star Golf Course, Alaska, USA
When you head to America’s most northern golf club, you’ll be given a scorecard that not only documents your round of golf, but the animals you’re likely to spot on your way. Anyone teeing off in the early hours are likely to see moose, hawks, coyotes, eagles and muskrat. If you’re lucky, you could spy a grizzly bear or lynx sleeping on the green – try to avoid hitting them on the nose with a ball though, or you might not be so lucky.
The Himalayan Golf Club, Nepal
This golf course set in the middle of the Himalayas was made to indulge all of your senses from every angle. Think turquoise rivers gushing through a pristine valley, ice-capped peaks at the edge of every horizon and fresh, mountain air invading your lungs. And that’s before you’ve even tasted the food and mixed with the locals. A trip to the Himalayan Golf Club is for the true golfing-culture-vulture in search of something a little more out there.
Nullabor Links, Australia
A golf course of sheer endurance and determination, the Nullabor Links course spreads nearly 850 miles down the Australian coast. The longest golf course in the world has an average distance of 50 miles between holes and links all participating towns along the Eyre Highway from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia to Ceduna in the south.
Photo above: Retief Goosen inspects the 19th hole at the Photo: Legend Golf & Safari Resort.
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Yes I have heard about that golf hole in South Africa. Not sure of the cost to play that course but it looks like a once in a lifetime opportunity that any golfer couldn’t miss.