Nullarbor links is an 18 hole par 72 golf course, said to be the "World's Longest Golf Course", situated along the 1,365 kilometres of the Eyre Highway that crosses the southern coast of Australia in two states (Western Australia and South Australia), notably crossing the Nullarbor Plain at the head of the Great Australian Bight.
The idea for the course came from Alf Caputo and Bob Bongiorno, both active in the Eyre Highway Operator's Associaton, over a bottle of red wine at the Balladonia Roadhouse. The course officially opened on 22 October, 2009, although public play began on 15 August, 2009.
The course begins and ends (depending on the direction of the crossing) in the goldmining town of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, and the coastal town of Ceduna, South Australia. Professional golfer Robert Stock, from Manchester England, consulted on the design that incorporate 7 holes from existing courses and 11 holes created at road houses and roadside stops. Newly constructed holes have tees and greens that use artificial grass, with natural desert land between them.
The shortest hole is a 125 metre par 3 and the longest hole is a 538 metre par 5. The average distance between holes is 66 kilometeres and two of the holes are 200 kilometres apart. The 520 metre part 5 Wombat Hole commemorates the nearby, largest colony of Southern Hairy Nosed Wombats.
The Skylab hole at Balladonia (a small roadhouse on the Eyre H'way in Western Australia) commemorates that pieces of the spacecraft fell in the area in 1979 when Skylab entered Earth's atmosphere. (Pieces of Skylab were scattered across the south-east of Western Australia).
Players (travellers on the Eyre Highway) use a score card purchased in Kalgoorlie (W.A.) or Ceduna (S.A.) for $A50.00 and play holes at various sites along the continental road. On presenting the completed card they can claim a certificate for playing "The World's Longest Golf Course". It truly sounds like a lot of fun.
They would have had no trouble building sand traps...
ReplyDeleteI am with Mark Twain though who described golf as 'a good walk, ruined'. The wife of one of my brothers loves it, but I cannot see the charm.
I tried golf but my co-ordination just didn't work. Phil used to love his golf and often played on his own. I think he enjoyed the walk more than perhaps the golf itself although he enjoyed getting a reasonably good score at times. Some of the courses are beautiful with wild flowers and the occasional kangaroo, owl and other creatures. He is a country boy at heart and it got him away from suburbia for a couple of hours.
ReplyDeleteThe only experience I have with golf is the left-handed clubs my first husband would buy with playing intentions, but the set spent a good deal of time at the nearest pawn shop every time he needed money. He did play, but not often.
ReplyDeleteYour first husband sounds a little like friends mum and dad had while still in England. The man would hock his wife's rings etc from time to time and then retrieve them again. I would hate to try and live like that.
ReplyDeleteI was always glad that I'd kept my own bank account. We had a joint account too, (to cover the mortgage on the house), which I never, ever used, but it was always empty.
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