OK – I’ll admit it. I do love to play golf as do a great number of my friends. Now participating golf is one thing, but rehashing the game is another. Sitting in the clubhouse reliving the game is almost as much fun as the round itself. Here those frustrating missed puts can be placed into perspective along with those long straight shots that we remember so well.
So, where is this leading? On a number of my overseas journeys, I have taken time off to play a round or two, and in so doing I’ve come across a number of very interesting experiences on golf courses. Please indulge me a bit and let me tell you about a few of these adventures and the reason they reside in my memory bank.
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Most Unique Circumstance: We arrived in Windhoek, Namibia in early fall, just as the beautiful blue jacaranda trees were in bloom. The tour group that we had joined had us acclimatize ourselves after the long flights by staying two days in Windhoek at – of all places – the Windhoek Country Club. What a great place! I shot a modest round, somewhere under one hundred, in one of the most unforgettable locations I could imagine.
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Most Exciting Round: While spending time in Seoul, Korea, we went up to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). Here the American and South Korean troops faced the North Korean Army on a daily basis. But boys must be boys, and on the base in South Korea sat a neat little nine hole golf course. The third hole ran along the north side, adjacent to a double fence which separated the two countries. On the hole was a sign which read,
“Danger. Do not retrieve balls. This area is mined.” No hole to slice on, believe me.
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Very Different Course: Dubai has embraced a number of Western concepts over the past few years. Golf is one such love, along with horse racing. These two “sports” are combined in the huge stadium just outside of the city proper. Here the course sits inside the racing oval, but with a unique twist. The temperature in Dubai exceeds one hundred degrees Fahrenheit most days, and native vegetation is sparse. But, in this oval, golf is played at night, under lights, on beautifully-kept grassy fairways. Of course, there are numerous sand bunkers.
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The Strangest Course: On the King’s Highway outside of Kathmandu and past Jorpati, sits the Royal Nepali Park. Just before the park one finds a neat little golf course. The fairways are rough and could easily be compared to a cow pasture, but oh those greens. Actually they are misnamed. Here they are just plain dirt, with no grass. The hole sits in or near the center of the green with the flag announcing its location. On my visit each such “green” had a greens keeper who would come out and rake the turf flat after each foursome had passed.
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The Scariest Experience: We spent two great days at the Mt. Kenya Safari Club. This course sits right on the equator in east Africa. The course is a beautiful one but fenced on all sides to keep the golfers in and the wild beasties out. On the fifth hole I pulled a drive and watched my ball bounce off the fence, still staying in bounds but caught in a tangle of vegetation. As I was rooting around for the ball, I heard a snort and saw on the other side of the fence a mama warthog with two babies. She politely informed me to stay on my side of the fence, which I wisely did, and played another ball.
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The Most Trusting: While visiting the Isle of Man, we stayed in the capital city of Douglas. Now Douglas has a beautiful course wandering through the hills along the ocean shore. The views are spectacular. I couldn’t resist the challenge so took a cab out to the course. The caddy master was the only person around. I paid him the fee, rented clubs, bought a pack of tees, and a sleeve of balls. Still no one arrived. As I started out the door, the caddy master said,
“When you’re through, leave the clubs in the bathroom if I’m not here. I’ll leave it unlocked. Have a nice round.”
Never saw another soul on the course or in the clubhouse. True to form he was nowhere around when I finished. Door was unlocked, so I left the clubs as he suggested. Fastest round I’ve ever played.
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