Extreme 19th
Coordinates: 24°12.2′S 28°41.35′E / 24.2033°S 28.68917°E The Extreme 19th is the highest (400 metres or 1,300 feet) and longest (361 metres or 395 yards) par three golf hole in the world,[1] located at the Legend Golf & Safari Resort in the Entabeni Safari Conservatory, Limpopo Province, South Africa.[2] The hole was conceived by the property owners, Peet and Mart Cilliers, along with Graham Cooke of the UK, and David Riddle.[3]
The tee, located at the top of Hangklip Mountain, is accessed only via helicopter.[2] Because of its height, a tee shot takes almost 20 seconds to land.[4] A spotter is given a rough direction via radio to look for the ball. The fairway is seeded with Cynodon grass, and has been landscaped to direct the ball towards the green, which has been shaped to resemble the continent of Africa. The green is surrounded by a large waste bunker.[3]
The 19th is an addition to an 18 hole Signature Golf Course designed by professional golfers, including Pádraig Harrington, Trevor Immelman, Sergio García, Bernard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Justin Rose, Vijay Singh, K. J. Choi and Retief Goosen.[5]
As of March 28, 2015, no one had scored a hole-in-one, but fourteen golfers had managed a birdie,[6] including Lawrence Ahmed, professional cricketer Franklyn Stephenson, who was the first to do so.[2] Of professional golfers to try the hole, Pádraig Harrington was the first ever to score par,[7] while Raphaël Jacquelin, Justin Rose, Sergio García and K. J. Choi have all carded bogeys.[8] Other notable par scorers include American actor Morgan Freeman and Formula One Champion Lewis Hamilton.[7]
Facts and figures
- Vertical height – 430 m.
- Horizontal distance from foot of mountain to back of green – 400 m.
- Horizontal distance from foot of mountain to start of fairway – 280 m.
- The vertical drop from the start of fairway to the front of the green is 21 m.
References
- ↑ Rankin, Dale (3 December 2008). "Sergio Garcia tees off from South Africa's Extreme 19th – 400m above the green". Daily Record. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
- 1 2 3 Walters, Rob (21 December 2009). "Cricket Legend Makes World's First Birdie On The Extreme 19th". Bunkershot.com. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
- 1 2 "Extreme 19th Hole". Naboom Windpompfees. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
- ↑ Boland, Gemma. "Extreme golf: million dollar Par 3". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
- ↑ "Harrington gets high on Extreme tee". IOL News. 28 January 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
- ↑ "Extreme 19 Leaderboard". Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- 1 2 TG Courses editor (27 January 2009). "Legend Padraig rules OK at Extreme 19th ...". Today's Golfer. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
- ↑ "The Extreme 19th: golf's amazing hole". SouthAfrica.info. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2010.