The 10 most adventurous golf courses on the planet

Let’s be honest, watching people strolling up and down a precisely manicured field 18 times - often spending a good portion of it rummaging through the longer grass looking for their ball - can be a bit too pedestrian for us adrenaline-hungry WideWorlders.

Although, last weekend’s thrilling climax to the biennial Ryder Cup was as tense and as nerve-wracking as we’ve ever experienced, so it got us thinking – maybe there is something to this golf lark after all. We just need to put a bit more of an adventurous twist on it. So WideWorld has come up with 10 of the world’s wackiest and most unusual golf courses that you are unlikely to find in the guidebook.

1. Kabul Golf Course, Afghanistan

Often in the news for all the wrong reasons, the Afghan capital city of Kabul is also home to the country’s only golf course. Far from the plush greens and imported golden sand of this year’s Ryder Cup host Celtic Manor, this dusty nine-hole course on the western outskirts of the city has no distinction between fairways and roughs, and the greens (made from a flattened combination of sand and oil) are charmingly called ‘browns’.

How to get there?

Kabul probably isn’t the easiest or safest place in the world to get to but you can still fly there from London Heathrow. Prices starting from £600. The golf course is situated in Kargha, 10km west of Kabul centre.

2. Uummannaq, Greenland

Despite the name of it sounding like a profanity that would accompany yet another shanked ball into a hazard - this course in Greenland is a beauty. It's home to the World Ice Golf Championships and the scenery is absolutely stunning. Take note though: because of the weather’s effects on the icebergs, the course changes every year.

How to get there?

Getting to the region of Uummannaq is relatively straight forward. Air Greenland flies to international, as well as internal destinations.

3. Dubai

Fifteen years ago you would be excused if you thought that people talking about golf and the UAE would be some kind of joke. How do you make a four hour stroll in the desert appealing? Answer – throw money at it. With mountains of cash invested in the region, the courses found in Dubai are right up there with the best in the world. Not only are they designed by some of the sport’s greats, but the evergreen velvet-esque grass even defies nature.

How to get there?

Various operators offer all-inclusive golfing holidays to Dubai. Starting from £415 per person with www.golfbreaks.com

4. Coeur d’Alene

Resort Golf Course, Idaho, USA?Every course has a standout hole, whether it is an inviting par-three or a tricky sloping green – but the 14th hole on this course will certainly take some beating. Billed as the world’s only floating movable island green, it's only 15,000 sq feet, so it’s best you focus on your accuracy before boarding the charming Putter Boat shuttle so you can finish up the hole.

How to get there?

Flights from Heathrow to Idaho Falls start at around £460. However, from there you will need to take a connecting flight to Coeur d’Alene in the North of the state.

5. St. Andrews, Scotland

OK, I will admit this one doesn’t exactly fit in the “unusual” list, but as the birth place of golf it almost goes without saying that the Old Course should be mentioned in any list to do with the sport.

How to get there?

Getting to St. Andrews is the easy bit. However, make sure you check ahead whether you can actually play on the course. Due to its prestige you need to have a decent handicap, and to pre-arrange a tee-off time.

6. McMurdo Station, Antarctica

If you can handle Greenland, you might want to serious consider the South Pole. Although let’s be honest it is not really golf as we know it, but rather “disc golf” – a game moulded on the same rules, except the clubs and balls are replaced with a Frisbee. Apparently the weather is interchangeable and more often than not provides freezing temperatures and snow... no surprise there then.

How to get there?

Antarctic cruises can cost around 3,000 a person. Also, most people that visit Murdo are researchers working there. Try this site for more information: http://www.travbuddy.com/McMurdo-Station-travel-guide-1314170

7. Camp Bonifas, Demilitarised Zone, Korea

The UN Command military post, based just 400m south of the Korean demilitarised zone, has been dubbed the world’s most dangerous golf course. Sure, its location is not idea (situated on the most heavily fortified border in the world), but that is not the most harrowing aspect of this single-hole ‘course’. The 192 yard par three demands accuracy as either side of the fairway is ringed by landmines. Please play safe.

How to get there?

Er, join the US military.

8. The legend golf resort, South Africa

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more impressive hole than the “Extreme 19”. Unconvinced? Let’s run through some of the statistics: It is longest par-3 in the world. The green is not only in the shape of the African continent, but it also replicates its contours (hint: try to avoid Kilimanjaro!). The tee is situated on a cliff top of Hang Slip Mountain, approx. 430m above the green. The time the ball takes to land on the fairway is 20 seconds. Oh, and you can only get up to the tee via helicopter!

How to get there?

All-inclusive golf packages to the Legend Golf and Safari resort, in the Limpopo Province start from £1659pp.

9. The longest course in the world, South Australia

I hope you are fit and healthy, because this is quite a walk! The world’s longest golf course spreads over two Australian states. Starting from the coastal town of Ceduna in South Australia, to the Western Australian mining town of Kalgoorlie, the 18-hole course stretches 1,365km and has an average distance of 66km between holes. The course generally takes three or four days to play, but don’t worry, you’re allowed to drive between holes.

How to get there?

Rent a car in Adelaide, and then follow the A1 signs to Western Australia... and keep on driving.

10. The Moon

OK, admittedly while there is no official golf course based on the Moon, there is nothing stopping you from taking a page out of  NASA astronaut Alan Sheppard’s book and testing out your swing with the ‘final frontier’ as your backdrop... um, well maybe there are a couple things. Either way, this has to take the title of the most unusual golf course in (and out of) the world.

How to get there?

Whilst we cannot recommend building a rocket ship out of tin foil in your garden, we can't deny that they are good, cheap options. We recommend that you talk to Virgin’s Richard Branson – he’s probably got something up his sleeve.