On a golf vacation to Puerto Rico a few years ago, I saw this sign on the then-Trump International (now Coco Beach) course.
It said, "Please Enjoy the Scenic Ride. It Will Take Approximately 4 Minutes to the Next Tee."
I love it! Way to spin it, guys.
To be fair, the ride through the jungle was scenic, and I spotted lots of lizards like the one clinging to the right side of this sign, but it was likely the longest cart ride I've ever taken between two holes.
It got me thinking about the other unusual things I've seen in my golf travels, including...A floating green only accessible by boat at Coeur d'Alene Golf Resort in Idaho...
Black "slag" sand bunkers at Old Works in Montana...
A cart path running behind a waterfall at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas, signs warning of escaped prisoners at a course in Oklahoma and llamas used as caddies in North Carolina.
There's a lot more, of course, and I haven't even begun thinking about all the other wild stuff I've seen outside of the U.S., but what I'm most interested in today is everything I might not be aware of.
That's where you come in.
Have you seen or experienced anything truly unusual (and unforgettable) on the courses you've played on your golf vacations? Please share your stories and comments below.
Was on the ninth green at Challadon golf course in Mt Airy Md when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake
struck in Virginia. The quake caused the green to roll...rise up and roll along. Durndest thing I've ever seen...the ground moving and rolling.
My colleague was playing at a known golf course in the Fort Lauderdale area. On one of the holes, there is a small island in the middle of a sizeable pond. On the small island there was a box on a post that read, "Suggestion Box". Whoever installed it has a great sense of humor !
Re the long ride between holes...Yes I have experienced the same idea on the Makalei Golf Club on the Big Island of Hawaii. Very scenic and relaxing driving through the trees and lava flows. Enjoyable course.
Japan has numerous courses with tartan track surfaced escalators/conveyor belts between holes on the hilly courses to help you navigate the elevation changes. Also, some have conveyors for golf carts. Some you ride in your carts on the conveyors, some you sit in seats provided on the conveyor.
At the golf course associated with the Sofitel in Siem Riep near Angkor Wat in Cambodia, each two players are assigned a female Cambodian caddy who rides behind the twosome on the back of their cart. These delightful young women are swathed in white coveralls and wear head covering shielding them from the sun. They are not just decorative features, they know their golf course and after a hole or two watching you hit the ball, they can give you the right club. But they are so soft-spoken you may miss their advice.
Haven't had the chance to play there yet, but there is a six hole course located inside a nudist resort, La Jenny, in southern France. Glove, hat and shoes are the only things you are allowed to wear during the round.
Key West Golf Club (yes, there is one. It's a Rees Jones design) is loaded with huge iguanas. Many are 3-4 feet long. Several lay across the concrete cart paths to get warm and sleep. You basically have to drive around them. They also had painted coconuts for tee markers which was pretty original.
At one of the courses on FT. Bragg, NC they had a bulls eye up in the trees on a blind drive to a par 5, dogleg right.
Saw a black snake nab a streaking gecko that I had startled entering a green-side bunker at Carolina National in Bolivia, NC. Now that was awesome!
Aspen Lakes in Sisters, OR and Lake Shastina in Weed, CA both have red bunkers from crushed lava rock.
At Kananaskis Country Golf Club a range marshal held us up for about 10 minutes to give a mama grizzly and her cub time to clear the fairway ahead.
Local rule at Banff Springs: "any shot striking an elk may be replayed with no penalty".