World's Longest Golf Course Set to Open later in October


Out on the Nullarbor Plain, daytime temperatures can soar above 50C, yet plummet well below freezing at night. And rainfall, well, let's just say there isn't much.

It's not the ideal place you'd think for building a golf course, let alone the world's longest one. But that's exactly what some intrepid (or crazy) golf fanatics have done.

Nullarbor Links Golf Course will be officially opened on October 22. It is an 18 hole-par-72 layout that stretches over 1,365 kilometers from Kalgoorlie in West Australia to Ceduna in South Australia, making it the world's longest golf course.

To create the course, 13 "Grass That Lasts" synthetic golf greens and tees were constructed to provide some greenery in the harsh Australian semi-desert environment. Between tee and green there is a rugged outback-style natural terrain fairway. The remaining five holes are played on sand greens.

The hazards don't just stop at the climate. Brown snakes and death adders add heart-racing spice to l bunkers; dingoes, kangaroos and emus are seen roaming the rough; and wedge-tailed eagles and whales off the Great Australian Bight make unusual spectators in the gallery during your round.

Needless to say, this is a course that takes several balls to tackle.

"This demonstrates that by using the right materials, you can create a magnificent, enjoyable golf course no matter what the environment and this is certainly one of the most unforgiving on the planet. But it's also one of the most beautiful." said Robert Stock, a PGA pro from Grass That Lasts who helped to build the course. "It took some innovative thinking and lots of hard work but we got there in the end."

Construction of the course took 2,000 square meters of Grass That Lasts' sand-filled and synthetic greens, 1,000 tons of crushed rock, sand, rubber and turf. Half of the material was transported over 5,000 kilometers from Melbourne to the site via Perth. The project was three years in the planning and the greens and tees took eight weeks to construct.

For additional information about the course, visit www.kalgoorlie.com/nullarborlinks.