Play Australia's most extraordinary golf course

US Masters Champion Adam Scott may have tamed the Augusta, Georgia course, but the inaugural Christmas Island Golf Open would present him with an even bigger challenge.??Wedged between the jagged cliffs of an ancient volcano and the crashing waves of the Indian Ocean, the tropical island's palm-lined golf course is truly one of Australia's most spectacular.

However, it's not its dramatic setting which makes Christmas Island such a challenging course, rather it's the unusual hazards presented by the island's wildlife.

To accommodate the island's ubiquitous red crabs which march en-masse across the course and sometimes even burrow into the fairways, the local golf club has been forced to introduce some unique rules.??"If a crab moves your ball you must place it back to where it landed and if your ball falls into a crab hole, you have a free drop," explains Alan Thornton, Club President of the Christmas Island Golf Club, who adds, "it may also be necessary to move crabs when putting."

As if dodging crab burrows and enticing a pincer-wielding crab off your lie isn't enough to worry about, players on the challenging course also need to keep a watchful eye from above. 

"Some birds including the Christmas Island frigate bird will land on your golf stick if you hold it high," explains Thornton. Little wonder the club's logo has a bird carrying a golf stick.

The tournament, which includes a-hole-in-one contest, three-person Ambrose and Open Stroke Event will be held on the weekend of 18th and 19th of May. 

Participate in the first-ever Christmas Island Golf Open. Places are limited. For details........ 

Did You Know? There's a story that during World War II, Prisoners of War held on Christmas Island when told to clear the land for firewood, purposefully did so in such a pattern that resulted in the makings of the golf course.?

The course with no 'greens'

Coober Pedy Opal Fields Golf Club, situated 3.5km north of town centre, has been voted in the top 10 of the most unique courses in the world.

The unique 18-hole course is grassless because this small town is located in the hot desert interior of South Australia.

Known more for its opal mines than its sporting, this town is so hot that many people build their homes underground. So difficult is it to grow grass here that the 'greens' are actually black, the soil being soaked with sump oil to make the area. Golfers take a small piece of "turf" around to use for teeing off.

What's more, this is the only Golf Club in the world with reciprocal playing rights with the 'home of golf', The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

Because of high daytime temperatures, Night Golf is available by appointment for a minimum of four 4 people and is mostly played at night with glowing balls. For more details contact the Golf Club on +61 8 8672 3535 or +61 8 8672 5555

World's longest golf course

Have you ever heard of an 18-hole par 72 golf course that spans 1,365 kilometres? Australia's outback offers the luxury of space and this course, the Nullarbor Links, is able to place one hole in each participating town or roadhouse along the Eyre Highway, from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia to Ceduna in South Australia. Each hole includes a green and tee and somewhat rugged outback-style natural terrain fairway. The course provides a quintessential Australian experience and a much-needed activity/attraction for travellers along the renowned desolate highway

But it's not all about being whacky or gaining a record. There's some sound common sense behind it. The Eyre Highway Operators Association (EHOA) is a retail-based community organisation, established the course to raise the profile of the Nullarbor and to form a networking organisation to support businesses along the Eyre Highway.

The Nullarbor Links concept was developed to complement and enhance the tourism industry along the Highway by providing travelers with an additional attraction and a reason to spend more time and money in the region.

To take part in the longest round you'll every play, purchase your score cards at the Kalgoorlie Visitor Centre. The first two holes are played at Kalgoorlie Golf Course. On completion of the course take your completed and stamped card to either Kalgoorlie or Ceduna Visitor Centres and receive your free Nullarbor Links Certificate. Certificates are only available at Kalgoorlie or Ceduna and cannot be issued unless the score card is completed and stamped.

Golf on the Ice

The World Ice Golf Championships started in Uummannaq, Greenland and the has been held there since 1997 in years with perfect ice conditions. 

Set in one of the world's most spectacular landscapes 600 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle golfers from across the globe travel to a hard and extreme tournament for the coveted title of The World Ice Golf Championship.

Freezing glaciers and huge icebergs frame the course and continue to move slowly all year round - even in March the "green" is cut literally days before the event. Playing golf on a frozen seascape is not the only task at hand. Coping with extreme temperatures, which can fall to minus 50° C with the wind-chill factor, challenges players both physically and mentally. Special kit is absolute essential. Other factors to consider are that the 'green' is white, the ball is fluorescent orange and there is the unlikely risk of losing a ball to a polar bear. ?

Click for a 10 minutes web video release from one of the championships held.

Nature is the architect of the course - especially the ocean, which interacts with the weather and the formation of icebergs in January and February to create an external framework for the course.

The course itself is laid out in March on the fjord ice, close to the town a week prior to the actual championship. Its shape is determined largely by the positions of icebergs in the fjord.

Be prepared for the fact that the foundation is variable and can be very different from hole to hole. On one side of an iceberg there can be a lot more snow than on the other, and the ice is very different to that on a European ice rink. Over the very hard ice surface lies a layer of approx. 1-2 cm frozen "powder", which makes the surface itself rough and uneven.

It is necessary to adjust the course itself and the rules of the game to suit the unusual conditions that prevail on the ice. After a few strokes, however, players very quickly get a feel for the special conditions.? ?

Home of the World-Famous Floating Green

The Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course in Idaho, USA, along the shores of Lake Coeur d�Alene, ranks among the best in the world - and one of the most unusual for its 14th hole.

But the finest challenge � one of the best-known in golf � is the famous floating 14th, a man-made island that changes location.

Talk about risk/reward! Land on the island, and you�re a hero. Otherwise, you�ll join one of thousands of balls fished out of the water by divers every year. Either way, it�s a one-of-a-kind golf game.

The world famous floating island green has become an icon in the world of golf. The most unique feature of the green is its ability to be computer controlled to a different distance from the tee each day. At approximately 15,000 square feet, the island, although intimidating, is a deceivingly large target. The back and front right of the green is protected by bunkers. Golfers take a maximum of two attempts to land safely on the island before taking a drop on the green if necessary.

To finish the hole, come aboard the "Putter" boat, an electric powered shuttle that transfers golfers to and from the island green. As you depart from the island, the boat captain will leave you with a personalized Certificate of Achievement, commemorating the completion of this most memorable golf hole.