Unusual Golf Courses of the World

Imagine a golf course and you probably think of a perfectly manicured space, golf buggies and perhaps a smattering of Cloburn Firechip? Golf is becoming so popular now; it’s not just crazy golf courses that can leave you a little disoriented! Here are a few golf course facts that might make your head spin…

Your average round of gold might take a few hours to complete, but if you decide to take on the Nullarbor Links Course in southern Australia it would take you more like four days. The whole course actually spans two time zones, measures 848 miles in length and has holes situated at 18 towns and service stations along the Nullarbor Plain. Not for the faint-hearted.

If you like your golf hot, the Merapi Golf Course is perfect. The course is situated on the rim of the active Mount Merapi in Indonesia and as you would expect, comes with some breath taking views. There aren’t many golf courses next to active volcanos – if there’s an eruption perhaps the designers could incorporate lava hazards?

Heat not for you? Head to Uummannaq in Greenland and you can try your luck at the World Ice Golf Championships instead. The course is laid out on icebergs and you’ll need a few extra layers as the temperatures are usually below zero. Ice golf courses are shorter – nobody wants frostbite - but the rules are the same. The ball is bright orange though…

This one isn’t for wimps. If you’re feeling extremely brave (or foolhardy) you could attempt the Camp Bonifas course - Camp Bonifas is the closest military base to North Korea on the border in Panmunjom.  Dubbed the world’s most dangerous golf course, it consists of a single hole, par three which stretches 192 yards. I wouldn’t fancy my chances asking for my ball back….and watch where you walk; the fairway is ringed by landmines.

Be careful if you’re playing a round at the Lost City Golf Course in Sun City, South Africa too. There’s a real water trap at the 13th hole where you don’t want to lose your ball; you’ll have to compete with 38 crocodiles if you try to retrieve it. Not surprisingly, there are hundreds of lost golf balls in the water…and probably a few cross crocodiles, too.

Technically, golf has already been played on the moon when Astronaut Alan Shepard visited in 1971, and plans for an official course are under way. An enterprising Japanese company called Shimizu Construction has come up with a blueprint for a course on the moon, but we think the plans might be…wait for it…pie in the sky!

For more conventional golf courses, Cloburn has Firechip™ - popular with golf course designers for its bright red hue, weather resistance and durability. Although we wouldn’t recommend it for volcanoes or orbiting satellites…

Hampden Stadium ready for the Commonwealth Games

With the Commonwealth Games taking place this month, we’re relieved to hear that Hampden Stadium, which was once Scotland’s national football stadium, is now ready for the event which starts on 23 July.

Hampden Park venue will be the focal point for the event, which lasts for seven days. The Games will involve almost 50 track and field disciplines, which will be competed by more than 1,000 athletes.

We were interested in how the transformation from football to athletics stadium took place, especially as we supply our own sports surfacing product, the popular Cloburn Red Granite Cresta™. To transform the stadium, eight rows of seats were removed, and the surface was raised around two metres so that it had the correct dimensions for an athletics track.

Contractors then added an infield with freshly-cut grass, which has been placed on a temporary deck. The deck is a construction masterpiece which consists of a whopping 1,000 base panels which are supported by over 6000 steel stilts.

Glasgow 2014 Chief executive David Grevemberg was impressed with the work when he visited at the end of last month.  He told reporters;

"The spectacular transformation of Hampden Park from iconic football stadium to world-class athletics venue is an achievement of which Glasgow and Scotland can be justifiably proud.

"The completion of Hampden marks a very special moment in our journey to the starting line of what will be the biggest and best sporting festival Scotland has ever hosted."

It needed to be impressive of course; the crowd is expected to top 40,000 and organisers expect the Games to be watched by more than one billion people around the world.

The new track was tested by Team Scotland athlete Eilish McColgan who spoke about her excitement at hearing the ‘Hampden Roar’ from the Scottish athletics fans.

"Having the 'Hampden Roar' behind me as I push down the home straight will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I can't wait to give it my all and do my very best."

The running tracks will be relocated once the Games have closed, giving even more Scottish athletes a chance to train on a landmark track, and providing a legacy of the 2014 Games.

We know that everyone, whether competing in an International event or playing football for the school team, wants their sporting experience to be a good one – and Cloburn’s Red Granite Cresta™ is a popular solution for tennis courts, running tracks and football pitches.