Top Ten Unique Courses

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When people talk about different types of golf courses, the first thing that people like to talk about is links golf versus the modern American course. Or, they are focusing on minute details like the different types of grass used, or the different ways architects route their courses. Beyond all that, most golf courses constitute a similar makeup, with 9 to 18 holes, fairways, rough, greens, and hazards. But, as years go on and the game continues to evolve, more and more courses are starting to ditch the old mold and try something new. They aren’t going so far as to reinvent the golf course entirely, but some courses have been utilizing new and inventive techniques to help make the golfing experience as unique as ever.

Montgomery National Golf Club

https://www.montgomerynationalgolf.com

This course touts itself as the world's first music themed golf course, and no one has dared to question it yet. More of a passionate 6540 yard Beatles shrine, fans of golf and of Liverpool’s legends will be equally happy to spend time on these fairways. With the world’s first guitar shaped bunker, holes named after Beatles songs, and a yellow submarine in one of the many water hazards, the course does a great job of channeling a love for the band without making it distracting to the golfer. And, with a newly built clubhouse for banquets and weekly concerts, it is sure to only get better as time goes on.

Legend Golf and Safari Resort

http://www.seastargolfsafari.co.za/golf.php

This South African course is unique in many ways, some traditional and some not. It has a classic 18 hole course, with each hole being designed by a legendary professional golfer among the likes of Jim Furyk, Justin Rose, and Vijay Singh. They also have a 10 hole par 3 course with each hole modeled after a world famous par 3 from courses around the globe. But, what makes this course truly special is their extreme 19th hole. This par 3 has the hole about 395 yards away from the tee box, yet it is technically reachable in one for most golfers. This is due to the tee box placed on top of a mountain, with the green 437 yards below. This already ridiculous spectacle is made even more crazy when golfers find out the only way to get up to the tee is by helicopter. Good luck hitting the Africa-shaped green from up there, and make sure to record any ace; a hole in one gets a million dollars from the course owners.

Santa Claus Golf Resort in Finland

http://santaclausgolfclub.com/santa-claus-golf/club/

Yes, you read that right. Located in the official hometown of Santa, it’s interesting the name of this club was changed to reflect this only recently in 2017. But, the course itself has been around for almost 40 years. Located in Finland, where winter reigns long like in Game of Thrones, makes it so they are more than prepared. Get yourself a winter tee time and you’ll find the greens replaced with whites, the fairways with frozen ponds, and white balls exchanged for orange ones. Plus, your club rental will come with a toboggan to ensure that you can make it through the snow, clubs in tow. Arctic golf is a staple here, and they are ready for golfers to hit the course no matter the temperature. In the summer, tee times are available to book all day- literally. Being so close to the arctic circle, golfing under the midnight sun is a very real and popular aspect of the course, and in June and July, the sun doesn’t set at all. Good luck sleeping when you know that, at any time of day, the sun is shining bright in the sky at a beautiful 18 holes of golf.

Condor Golf Experience

https://www.the-condor.com/

While I have tried to keep this list focused on affordable and public experiences as much as possible, it is no secret that in golf, money is usually what dictates exactly how nice a course is and who can play there. The Condor Experience is definitely quite expensive, and also private, just not in the traditional sense. In fact, it may be the most private golf course in the world, as it is only accessible to those who rent out the large and beautiful French Chateau that rests next to the course. Yes, the entire 18 holes can be rented out and played by just your foursome, and you even get to have an input on pin positions, green speeds, and more. I do not know the exact cost (I am a golf writer, not a travel agent) but I do know that for some people, an experience like this is priceless.

Coeur d'Alene

https://www.cdaresort.com/play/golf/floating-green

Everyone knows the island green of TPC Sawgrass, but after you see this, you’ll be one of those jerks who say “you know, that’s actually a peninsula.” The 14th hole at Coeur d'Alene resort doesn’t just have a true island green, but an island green that can be mechanically moved, usually playing between 140 to 170 yards but all the way up to 220. If you hit the green, they make you swim all the way there! I’m kidding, but it is only accessible by boat. They save the swimming for the hole in ones. I’m sure they don’t expect a lot of people to hit the green here, as I imagine the course would be quite backed up with all the ferrying back and forth. But, you can bet that every golfer at the course will be vying hard to do so, and I’m sure mulligans are as common on this tee box as the water balls.

Safari Golf Course

https://safarigolf.columbuszoo.org/home

This course is unique less because of the course itself and more of what is happening behind the scenes. The second course on this list to be associated with a safari, what seems like any other public golf course is actually operated and owned by the Columbus Ohio Zoo and Aquarium. I do not know of any other courses that share land with a multitude of animals and sea creatures, nor with such close proximity to a safari experience, a waterpark, and amusement rides. While this may seem like a novelty, the course itself is challenging, long, inventive, and kept in fantastic condition. While Ohio catches a lot of flack, this definitely seems like something that should be on the list of all golfers visiting the capitol, especially those visiting with family.

Pronghorn Golf Course

https://pronghornresort.com/activities/weddings/lava-cave/

Golfers are no stranger to water and sand on a golf course, and while there are some more unique hazards like heavy brush or large boulders, when is the last time your tee shot has had to avoid a lava tube? These large cave systems are prevalent all around Bend, Oregon, the location of Pronghorn Golf Course, leading the architect to masterfully integrate these naturally created caverns into the course. Not only do they provide a hazard on the course, but if you chase your ball into one at the right time you may find yourself interrupting a special event. Yes, these tubes can be rented out for private dinners, parties, and events to bring attendees below the course and create a spectacularly memorable experience. Apparently, the acoustics here are fantastic; I’d love to hear the sounds of a piped driver echoing off the rocky walls.

Kierland Golf

https://kierlandgolf.com/turf_rider/

Sometimes, the most unique part of the course is not the course itself, but the options you have to traverse it. At Kierland golf, they are at the forefront of creating new ways to traverse a golf course, with fun being a focus as much as patron safety and course health. Not satisfied with just having bikes, Segways, and scooters for patrons to putter around the course, they recently introduced the Ellwee ATV, a four wheeler you strap your golf bag to and head from hole to hole. These traversal options bring a new layer of fun to golf that will get people who have never stepped foot on a fairway racing for a chance to drive one of these machines. This emphasis on the golf course vehicle is something that is not very widespread, but what this course is doing now could easily be representative of the future of casual golf; a way for all golfers to have fun no matter their score, and a reason to visit the course other than just the golf itself.

Brickyard Crossing

https://www.brickyardcrossing.com/

It is not often that golf and racing interact- unless you are Netflix docuseries format- but at the Brickyard Crossing in Indianapolis, golf and racing are intertwined on a level seen nowhere else. Some courses border the ocean, some border the desert, but this course borders a raceway, and it doesn’t stop there; holes 7-10 are placed inside the Indianapolis Speedway itself. Accessible through a tunnel under the track, these four holes are a testament to the creativity of not just the original layout, which had 9 holes in the track and 18 out, but Pete Dye, who renovated the course in the 90’s to give it the layout it has today. While it may seem like a terribly dangerous idea, to have these little white balls flying inside the hallowed home of the Indy 500, rest assured that golfers are given enough leeway for even the meanest of slices to come up short of the Yard of Bricks.

Silvie’s McVeigh Course

https://silvies.us/mcveighs_golf_course.php

This Oregon resort is home to five golf courses, each unique in their own way, but none stand out quite like McVeighs. A 7-hole routing built into the jagged terrain of the side of a mountain, there is something very special about this course, not just in the way it is built, but the way it is caddied; by goats. Yes, you heard that right- goats, with great names and a penchant for peanuts, are on hand to carry a handful of clubs, balls, tees, and of course, beverages. With caddy bags custom designed by Seamus Golf, whose goat logo and Oregon origins are nothing less than a perfect match, the goat caddies aren’t just there for publicity. With a course that is more of a rocky mountain path than a walking trail, the goats can make the trip up and down with much more ease than a human looper. And, with their natural fertilizer and organic greenkeeping methods, the goats are more cost effective and environmentally friendly than a majority of other courses’ caddies. With all the goats coming from an on site ranch, cared for in the best way possible, and even being adopted when their tenure is done, they truly do live a great life. Bruce LeGoat, Mike LeChevon, and the rest of the team are standing by to do what they do best- just don’t forget their peanuts!

ALL PHOTOS ARE OWNED BY THE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHERS/COURSES/COMPANIES. THEY ARE FOUND ONLINE AND ON THE ORIGINAL WEBSITES TO EACH COURSE WHICH IS LINKED IN THIS ARTICLE.

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