I was going to post this on my Blog but I thought I would just share it directly here. Have a look at this new course that will open in Africa in 2009 and the crazy 19th hole!

The story...courtesy of Azalea Group...

GOLF and Miss World aren’t two things that people normally link together.

But during their six-day stay at the amazing Legend Golf & Safari Resort at the Entabeni Safari Conservancy in South Africa the 112 contestants of the Miss World pageant learned to love the game.

As a finale to their stay the contestants enjoyed taking part in a unique golf day on the resort’s unique Signature Course – with each hole designed by one of the world’s leading golfers. It was a new experience for many but like another day at the office for one.

Miss Wales, Chloe-Beth Morgan, said: “I used to work at Celtic Manor which is the host club for the next Ryder Cup, so I was looking forward to the golf day. But I have never seen a course or a resort like this. “It’s absolutely amazing – I can’t believe people can play golf off the top off a mountain to a green the shape of Africa.”

The mountain is called Hanglip and the hole is the resort’s Extreme 19th, the most dramatic par 3 in the world…as well as the longest at 361m and the highest at 400m.

The contestants were put through their putting paces on the Extreme 19th green by director of golf David Riddle.

It was all part of their six-day stay at the resort in the 22000 hectare Big 5 Entabeni Safari Conservancy in Limpopo Province where they enjoyed an amazing variety of activities.

The exhilarating programme, which included the elements of golf, was developed by a team of experts to bring together all aspects of bush life and to showcase all that the resort and safari conservancy has to offer.

The golf was particularly popular with the contestants, many of whom have only ever played mini-golf before or seen the game played on TV.

Miss Finland, Linda Wikstedt, who was one of the nearest to the pin in the putting competition said: “I have only ever played mini golf before but that made this a bit easier. I really thought it was amazing putting on a green that is designed in the shape of Africa and looking up to where the tee is on the top of the mountain.”

The Extreme 19th is the world’s longest and most spectacular par three which provides every golfer with a truly unique and unforgettable golfing experience.

Accessible only by helicopter, the hole is a breathtaking experience and with a green contoured and shaped like Africa all the continent’s contestants were excited to find their own countries on the green.
The girls were all given basic lessons on golf etiquette, safety and a brief insight into the principles and great traditions of the game so they could celebrate all that is profoundly good and healthy about the sport, a sport with supreme values.

Another contestant who really enjoyed the challenge of the Extreme 19th was Miss England, Laura Coleman, who worked at Stapleford Park GC in UK for four years but said she was a little rusty when it came to putting. She said: “I really enjoyed my time on the golf course back home but it didn’t have a setting like this. Certainly no beautiful mountains and such stunning wildlife – what amazing rough. And to fly up to hit balls off the mountain is just something I will never forget!!”

The Extreme 19th is the ultimate golf challenge and sits next to a unique golf course… where each of the 18 holes has been designed one of the world’s leading golfers. The list of signatures who have been honoured to design a hole reads like a who’s who of world golf....Trevor Immelman, reigning US Masters Champion; Padraig Harrington, reigning British Open and US PGA champion; Bernard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Justin Rose, Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia and Retief Goosen to name but a few. The unique 18 signature golf course is due to open for play in March 2009 but is already one of the most talked about in Africa.

www.legendgolfsafari.com

The pics...Miss World Africa contestants situated on green in spots where the countries they represent are located.

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The mountain...

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The view from the tee..

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Whats that a smooth pw from up there?
I have herd stories about that hole thanks for posting the pics that is insane.

is the last pic the tee box to the hole?

I think it is. Not played it myself though....yet!

is thier any info on how high u are from the green and how many square feet is the green

Can you imagine the ball marks on that green?

Miss Spain...mmm..mmmm:

... No, cause nobody hits it. :P

The website says the only way to get to the tee is by helicopter

The Extreme 19th hole

Set high up on the impressive Hanglip Mountain, it is the longest Par 3 in the world and is accessible only by an exhilarating helicopter ride. Golfers are invited to tee-off from the edge of the mountain in attempt to hit a hole-in-one on the 19th located at the bottom of the cliff. A hole-in-one will soon earn the lucky golfer US$1m. The sheer scale of the golf course, with large undulating greens and strategic bunkers and the majestic mountainous backdrop together with the Extreme 19th, make for a unique golfing experience.

A line like that to a climber who also plays golf is like a red rag to a bull.

That said, it may well result in a rollocking for slow play...

Madagascar looks a bit wild.

that is amazing. i wonder who the first WRX'er will be to play that hole? whoever it is, i hope they bring their camera!

Is there a "don't touch the cobra's" sign posted at the top too? That's sick; I want to play it!

WOW!

I wonder what the club of choice is? I bet you would lose sight of your ball after the first 7-8 seconds of flight.

Anybody else think this thread was going to have pics of hot chicks on top of a mountain?

Its the bloody greenkeepers i feel sorry for!!!!

Imagine that in the sheds of a morning??

Head Greenkeeper- "So........uh ......who's turn is it to cut the tees on the 19th??? Anyone.....Anyone......Bueller??"

I was purely attracted to it from the perspective of golf course architecture and agronomy myself.

I could have cared less if pictures of Miss Norway or Miss Iceland had been included in the body of the thread.

The mrs standing behind you mat?

How cool would it be if you could use this to get down to the green?

Awesome stuff.
The rate for only the 19th is some R2,500 which is right now some 192 Euros. Probably all for the helicopter fuel....

They do have 4 cameras and tracking equipment on the mountaintop so you can follow your ballflight and gulp down a quick drink, all before your ball reaches the green (if it does at all) after a mere 25 seconds of hangtime.

the green looks like the continent of africa

I hope your bullshi**ing me. READ THE ORIGINAL POST.

I weep for our education system.......

Go easy......at least he said continent instead of country

Ok, I looked at the hole, the yardage, and from their website...the geometry of the hole........I still have no idea what "effective" distance you should plan for on that hole. Do you hit your 150 club?? 200 club??

Anyone??

/suck at geometry......

Woo

well if the horizontal distance is 361 m and the vertical distance is 400 m then the distance straight from tee to green would be 539 m or 590 yards so i would suggest hitting the ball a long way

Bushnell 1500 Slope Edition?

Uh huh, uh huh...I'm with you. 590 yard par 3. So their $1,000,000 prize for a hole in one is pretty safe??

I remember seeing that hole in a golf magazine a month or so back. My first thought was "Crap, what if you chunk it?"

I was showing a friend the hole today and he said the same thing. I said that given it's the "19th" hole......and you paid ~$400 to play it, I'd probably hit another......

.......and I'm not fighting any cobras to get my ball back, either......

Woo

wow

The green is 400 m below the tee. So the hole will play significantly shorter than its horizontal distance of 361m.

thanks inspector gadget.


However, usually the end of a ballfight on flat surface its going near straight down anyhow.. so its safe to say you won't be reaching in regulation.

Wow thanks for clearing that up, i'm sure no one had worked that out yet!

Oh rubbish.
RJC59 you beat me to it!

If i wasn't lazier, I'd figure it out, but I've just finished high school so schma . I'd hazard a guess at ur 200m club...u just need a more penetrating ball flight with low spin...can I have a go at it with a WB in my 3i haha

Imagine the wind effect on the ball??? You could have like a 10 club wind into your face, or a 90° cross wind where you have to hit it sideways.

I hadn't thought of that, you could hit some really interesting shots at that green (good luck hitting the green)

That's what I think as well. After the apex of flight the trajectory drops significantly. The million dollar prize is safe unless you have a significant tailwind.

Well, considering that your drive should ideally land at an 40 degree angle (for maximum roll) on a flat shot, your ball would still have pretty good forward momentum when crossing the horizon and starting its 400m drop toward the green. Furthermore I read somewhere that the ball still has speeds of around 60mph when landing on drives (which is of course not horizontal speed but ball speed).

Now you guys can start theorizing on whether a low piercing or a high soft ball flight would be better suited for this hole....;-)

Also on their website it says the fairway is heavily sloped toward the green so even shorter tee shots might make the surface rolling down the hill, if they get through the sand strip that is...

Typically for a 100mph swing speed (using an 11-degree lofted driver, a 200-gram head weight, a 0.825 COR, and a perfect on-center hit), the ball velocity at impact will be approximately 148 mph. But by the time the ball hits the ground, the ball's speed has dramatically dropped to only 47.5 mph!

Somebody swinging at 100 mph is going to carry it around 260 yards with a perfect strike and optimal conditions. By the time that the ball has reached horizontal with the player, the ball is only going 47.5 mph. That leaves another 134 yards in distance for the ball to go. Will 47.5 mph in ball speed travel another 134 yards horizontally?

Yes, but remember gravity, it will speed things up a little...for the better or the worse . Either way you'll make a nice plug mark.

Yeahhhh...but you would need your golf bag on your back

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Ok...just thought I would follow up as the OP. The answer about whether you can hit the green or not is here.

A recent guest made a few attempts. You may be familiar with him..goes by Sergio....

Sergio has a club head speed of 120 mph and a ball speed of 180 mph...

I read somewhere that 2 people have actually found the putting surface on this green already. They need to advise us on club selection.

Right on a TEE shot fallowed by a BASE jump.

Now thats Golf!

Thats a long trip back to the tee when you can't find your ball.

Un huh, Uh huh........since a long hitting tour player is hitting driver to a par 3......and my BEST drive wouldn't equal his WORST of the six balls he hit (although, for the record, that article did not say where his misses were......maybe he was wayyyyyyy long...... ) I should probably save my 180 euros and not bother playing the 19th??? Fair enough......done and done.

Still a cool looking hole.

Woo

Damn! So it's driver for the world number 2 player. Us mortals have no chance.

But, if you're there, you have to play it. I mean c'mon- how could you leave the place (with all the rediculous amounts of money it has probably cost to get there, stay there, and play the rest of the course, what the heck is a few hundred more dollars?) and not play it?

The only reason I could see is a) you're afraid of heights, or b), you're afraid of helicopters.

It will be interesting to see how Anthony Kim did.

By the way, ClubHoUno- thanks for putting the clubs on the skydiver's back- I was waiting for someone to correct that picture!

That parachute/glider contraption would just about qualify as a legitimate use of iron covers.

best quote ever. period

You're welcome

LMAO