Golf Books #32 (Extreme Golf: The World’s Most Unusual Courses)

Since golf was first played far back as the 15th century on linksland along Scotland’s east coast, hundreds of other types of courses have been designed. Today, it’s not enough just to play on traditional, classic courses. Players are searching for more novel ways of hitting a golf ball. Extreme Golf considers a wide range of contemporary adaptations of the game of golf and golf courses. There are four main themes behind the choice of courses included: location, design, surface and circumstance, from sweltering courses in the desert to the freezing cold ice golf championships through erotic courses in lush surroundings to harsh surfaces in war torn countries and hazardous circumstances in the African bush. While there is still an insatiable demand for classic courses, there is now also a burgeoning market for zany surfaces, tricky locations and freaky designs.

This book will take you on a journey around the world’s most unusual, difficult and unique golf courses and will reveal how the game engenders amazing enthusiasm among its followers. Duncan Lennard’s celebratory chronicle captures the ethos behind extreme golf. At the same time, the manicured fairways, rigid dress codes and extensive rules are not completely abandoned. The book also features the world’s most difficult courses and most awesome holes. This combination of extreme, difficult, unusual, unique, natural and unnatural golf courses will open golfers’ eyes to a whole new challenge. (source)

Duncan Lennard is a freelance journalist who contributes to various publications including Golf World and Today’s Golfer. Added to his broad writing experience, he has interviewed many of the world’s greatest golfers. A keen golfer himself, whilst travelling the world in 2001 Duncan had the opportunity of playing some of the more extreme golf courses in far-flung places.