It is not so much the length of the fairways that makes this golf course special. It is the distances between holes.
Indeed, the Nullarbor Links in Australia stretches right across the country. It is an 842-mile journey that makes it, according to the owners, the world’s longest golf course.
The hazards are more apparent in the drives between holes as trek-minded golfers traverse merciless Outback terrain and take in breathtaking scenery.
They tee off on hole one at Ceduna in South Australia and eventually putt out on the 18th in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
Not all of the holes are new, though. The par-71 uses some holes from existing golf courses while others were built anew, close to essential facilities such as hotels.
The idea was the brainchild of Alf Caputo, the project manager, and Bob Bongiorno, a former motel manager. Caputo said in an AP article:
“I don’t think there is any two ways about it, it will be unique. The scenery along this stretch of the Eyre Highway is unlike anywhere else in the world. It sounds like a bit of a pipe dream, but when we checked it all out, it was so basic. It doesn’t involve any million-dollar spending. We had the infrastructure at some of the holes already, and we’ll pass along proceeds from the green fees to the roadhouses and motels to ensure that maintenance is kept up.â€
According to the report, the course cost only $640,000 to set up, with a third coming from a government grant to promote tourism. Green fees are only $40 a shot, though the long journey and hotel stays will surely involve a heftier investment from avid golfers.
Among the sights the golf tourists can see is the scene where the NASA research lab Skylab fell in 1979 and Fraser Range, which is the largest eucalyptus hardwood forest in Australia.
The course is expected to open for business on August 15, 2009.
Bang goes a 3 1/2 hour round.
I’m planning on playing this course towards the end of November on our way to Western Australia for Christmas, should be very hot and heaps of run. Have just sat for Club Golf Rules certificate and failed 43out of 50 and 45 is min pass – it’s the rules that run cross-linked to one another that baffle me!