The Xtreme 19th: Helicopter Golf in South Africa
Perched high on Hanglip Mountain, the tee for South Africa’s Xtreme 19th sits 400 meters above its target. Reaching it means flying in by helicopter, no other way up. This par-3 spans 391 yards, one of the most extreme on Earth. From launch to landing, the ball stays airborne for almost half a minute. Instead of just one start point, three tees adjust the challenge. Skip the thick scrub below, and you need about 205 meters of carry. To touch down safely? Aim closer to 260. Shape matters too – the green mirrors the outline of the continent itself. Beyond this spectacle, an 18-hole layout unfolds across nearly 8,500 yards of terrain. Each hole bears the mark of a separate pro designer, distinct from the next.
Nullarbor Links: The World’s Longest Course
Down under, the Nullarbor Links lays claim to being the world’s most stretched-out golf layout. Stretching across 1,365 kilometers of southern coastline, it carves a path through remote scrub and flat terrain. Starting in Kalgoorlie – deep in Western Australia – it pushes eastward until reaching Ceduna in South Australia. Not your usual greens, each of its 18 par-72 holes pops up in separate roadside settlements. Travelers find them scattered along the Eyre Highway, one after another, far apart. With around 66 kilometers dividing each tee from the next, distances twist expectations. What might take hours on a regular course turns into days here. Between swings, people must map out where they’ll refuel, sleep, and even eat. The game blurs into a journey – with sand traps replaced by dust storms, fairways by long straight roads.
Prison View Golf Course: Built by Inmates
From up high on the first tee, you see rows of cell blocks stretch across the Louisiana flatlands. Built by prisoners with rodeo winnings, the nine holes sit inside Angola’s wired edge. Fairways get mowed and trimmed by men who will never swing a club here. Background checks are required two days before anyone steps onto the grass. Games might stop without warning if the warden decides so. The view mixes rough bunkers with starker punishment behind fences.
Royal Thimphu: Golf at Roof-of-the-World Altitude
High above sea level, Bhutan’s Royal Thimphu Golf Course claims the title of the tallest course on Earth. Sitting beyond 7,700 feet, it stretches across rugged terrain where crisp winds sweep through narrow valleys. Nine holes weave past dramatic peaks, framing distant sights of Tashichho Dzong’s golden roofs. Because of the elevation – around 2,350 meters – each swing feels different, the air too light to carry shots as expected. Distance tricks the eye here, where breath comes slower, and every stroke demands more.
Out on water, ice, or reachable only by air, golf shows up in places most never expect. Not your usual fairway scene, these unique golf courses shift how you see the game, leaving impressions far longer than a typical day playing.