You are sitting at a table with your coworkers, talking about all the outdoor adventures people plan to do during their vacations. While there is talk about hiking, bike riding and mountain climbing at unique places, you are quick to share your plans about going a few rounds at the local golf course. Your coworkers may look at you strangely as they ask what is so unique about golf. You laugh and say it is the course you play, leaving them stumped.
The Unique Qualities of Golf Courses
When you stop and think about it, golf is a unique outdoor sport like no other because no course anywhere in the world is the same. Each has a different shape and diameter. The pin is also never in the same position, as it will always vary to make the game more challenging.
There are hazards galore for every hole you play, and you never know what to expect. You will find sand traps, ponds, trees and a wide range of things to prevent you from making the easy shot. Then factor in other conditions such as wind, rain and blazing sun to challenge a person’s skills every single time they step up to the tee. Where one day you make a stellar par, the next day you are struggling just because the wind is stronger or it is lightly raining out.
Another factor is that there are so many different positions that you can approach each hole. Combine that with playing with different irons, and you can play a new game each and every time you go to the same course in your area.
Strange Courses Around the World
Not only is each hole on the course unique, each course in the world has its own story about how it was made. There are courses that have been built in some very strange places, such as the Prison View Golf Course located in Angola, Louisiana. This course was built on the Louisiana State Penitentiary grounds where you have to book two days early to go through a background check and will have vehicles checked before entering.
Another unusual golf course is located in South Africa where you can get close, but try not to get too close, to wild animals. The Hans Merensky Golf Club in Phalaborwa is located on a wild animal preserve where a person can see crocodiles in water hazards and leopards eating their fresh kills on tree branches.
Golf Courses Like No Other
Golf is a sport that is different for each person playing based on the course layout, golf skills of the person and the equipment they use. Due to these factors, golf cannot be properly compared to other sports because of all the varying factors. It is unique unto itself, and will continue to attract new members every day who find that such differences will always make the game enjoyable to play no matter where in the world a person places the ball onto the tee. Come play the River’s Edge Golf Course and see why we are Golf Digest’s Best Place To Play Golf.
Source: River’s Edge Golf Blog