The Strangest Golf Courses You Can Play
Every golfer craves a little variety. It’s why so many tote their clubs whenever they travel, just hoping for the chance to play a round at a new course. As much as we all love our home courses, the desire for a new challenge and a refreshing change of scenery is alive in all of us. For those who crave a truly one of a kind experience, these are seven of the most unusual, unique and just plain weird golf courses in the world.
Nullarbor Links (Eyre Highway, Australia)
We start our journey with the longest golf course in the world, Southwestern Australia’s Nullarbor Links. The course measures 848 miles and is situated along the remote Eyre Highway that connects many smaller mining towns dotting the dry and dusty outback. The average time to finish a round of golf here is four days and requires lots of driving between holes. Some holes are outside the roadhouses that service the area, meaning refreshments are at least close at hand.
Fossil Trace Golf Course (Golden, Colorado)
Fossil Trace Golf Course preserves the heritage of the region in ways few other golf courses can. Nestled into the Rocky Mountain foothills outside Golden, Colorado, Fossil Trace provides a stern test to any golfer. The course is on a former clay mine, and many old and rusted pieces of mining equipment are scattered throughout the course and the rough. However, the main attraction is the fossils that dot the course, all of which come from the region. The most famous are the Triceratops footprints that can be seen from the 12th green. Truly a one-of-a-kind experience.
Brickyard Crossing Golf Course (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Pete Dye is one of the foremost golf architects of the modern era, and you might be surprised to see such a legend of the game end up with his name on one of the most unusual courses in golf. But with Brickyard Crossing, Dye has done just that. This course is located partially inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the world famous Indy 500. That’s right, you get to visit one of racing’s most hallowed grounds all while playing a Dye masterpiece.
Government Golf Course (Gulmarg, India)
A historic course built in 1904, the Government Golf Course in Gulmarg, India holds the title of the highest course in the world. The course stands at 8,500 feet above sea level in India's beautiful Kashmir Valley. The thinner air means your drives go farther, so this course is a great chance to feel like the pros as you’re bombing it off the tee box. The dazzling views of the surrounding Himalayas also make this one of the world’s most beautiful courses.
Furnace Creek Golf Course (Death Valley, California)
From the world’s highest course, we now head to the world’s lowest course. Located in California’s Death Valley, Furnace Creek Golf Course lies a full 214 feet below sea level. The course is open year round, despite being located in the hottest place on earth. The course is surprisingly playable, though at such a low altitude, the ball doesn't fly as far as it would at any higher-elevation golf course. Be sure and enjoy the wide desert views at the clubhouse after sweating through your round.
Ile Aux Cerfs Golf Club (Mauritius)
There are a few courses with island greens, but Ile aux Cerfs Golf Club takes it a step further by giving you an entire island course. Two-time Masters winner Bernhard Langer designed the course, which offers a challenging layout on its own private island. Unsurprisingly, water comes into play often, as both the sea itself and nine separate lakes provide challenging obstacles. For example, three different holes feature a tee shot over inlets to the fairway. A beautiful course that is surely unlike any other in the world.
Uummannaq Golf Course (Uummannaq, Greenland)
Home of the World Ice Golf Championship, the Uummannaq Golf Course in the small town of Uummannaq, Greenland provides one of the world’s weirdest rounds of golf. It is the northernmost golf course in the world, and the only course in the Arctic Circle. The course snakes across fjords and icebergs and features greens, or more properly whites, of smoothed ice. Just be sure to leave the graphite shafts at home, the temperatures here are so cold that they will break after only a shot or two.