Golf is a global sport these days, and golfers are constantly searching for new challenges. Here at TripReporter we are all passionate golfers and the challenge for us was could we, from experience, list the strangest golf courses we have ever played. So we did. And so we are delighted to present the strangest golf courses in the World.
The Nullarbor Links. Eyre Highway, Australia.
Today’s pro golfers might hit a ball a long way, but even they would struggle to tame Nullarbor. Billed as the longest golf course in the world across 2 time zones, the Nullarbor Links is a unique 18 hole golf course that stretches over 1,300 kilometres (840 miles) from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia to Ceduna in South Australia using a mixture of existing golf club holes and specially created tracks at 18 townships along the route. My favourite? The par 5 at Nundroo home to Southern Hairy Nosed Wombats. The only drawback is it takes a lot longer than 4 hours to play a round!
www.nullarborlinks.com
Extreme 19th, Limpopo Province, South Africa.
Deep in the African bush lies a golfing phenomenon. The highest and longest golf hole in the world; a par 3 only accessible by helicopter, some 400 metres up Hanglip Mountain to a green far below shaped like Africa. It’s a fitting climax to The Signature Course at The Legend Golf and Safari Resort where each hole has been exclusively designed by eighteen of the world’s top golfers. Thankfully this par 3 is not part of the Signature course but a stand alone one-off that is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
www.legendgolfsafari.com/golf-and-extreme-19th
Furnace Creek, Death Valley California
At 65 m (214 ft) below sea level, Furnace Creek Golf Course in the heart of Death Valley National Park, is the lowest course on Earth. It’s a stunning location, a green oasis surrounded by Death Valley’s majestic mountains and for a course in one of the driest and hottest regions of the World, where temperatures can reach 56 C (134 F), there are an extraordinary amount of water hazards! it truly is an oasis, an extraordinary achievement in a place where rainfall is just a few drops a year. The good news is the five star Furnace Creek Resort and especially The Inn at Furnace Creek is the perfect place to rehydrate after toiling around 18 very hot holes.Please note, the Inn is only open during the cooler winter months, however The Ranch (a lot more rustic but right next to the golf course) is open all year round.
Kantarat Golf Club, Bangkok Thailand
Squeezed in-between the east and west runways of Thailand’s International Don Muang Airport, this is a course more notable for dodging the jumbos rather than the challenge of 18 holes, with a traffic light system in place to let you know when it’s safe to cross a runway! Honest. The scream of aircraft engines when you are putting won’t help the yips and be prepared for a golf bag check for ground to air missiles! Whilst it may not be the plushest course you are ever likely to play, it’s a great excuse to cram in a round just before you return home. Tel: 02) 534-3840-3. No web site.
Estonian Golf and Country Club, Tallinn Estonia
In midsummer, Estonian days are very long with night falling just between 2am and 4am, so after a good dinner and perhaps an hour of old town Tallinn hospitality, why not try a midnight round of golf? The Estonian Golf and Country Club just outside Tallinn offers the best golf on the Baltic and in summer provides a night time golf experience. As the light gets murkier, you can use “tracer” balls which flash for up to five minutes after they’ve been hit. There are two courses at the Estonian Golf and Country Club, The Sea Course, a proper championship course stretching over 7,000 yards with glorious views of the Baltic. Look out for the signature 3rd hole. The other is The Stone Course, a 9 hole links style course winding its way around stone relics from a bygone age some 5,000 years old.
www.egcc.ee/en
Palheiro Golf Club, Madeira
Madeira may seem a benign destination for extreme golf adventure, but this is a very underrated golfing destination. The island’s dramatic volcanic elevation makes for stunning landscapes with Palheiro a perfect example, at 500 m above sea level, each hole is carved out of the rock, making a round here one of the most memorable of your life. Not only is it narrow with huge slopes on every fairway, but its also has quite extraordinary elevation changes. It’s a short course, but every shot has to be negotiated with great care. Bring plenty of balls with you. Read TripReporter’s full review of Palheiro here.
www.palheirogolf.com
Prison View Golf Course, Louisiana USA
Nicknamed the “Alcatraz of the South” Angola Penitentiary is a maximum security prison, housing over 6,000 offenders and Prison View, built and still maintained by the prisoners is for use by local residents and visitors. it’s quite a haunting experience, with watchtowers, barbed wire and more than a few armed guards on view. After a 48 hour background check and of course a stringent security check for drugs and firearms you’re good to go, playing the only course in America, perhaps the World, within prison walls. And at $10 a round it’s a steal!
http://prisonviewgolf.com/
If you disagree and you have your own particular favourite, let us know by commenting on this story below. We might agree with you!
