Universal Ramblings

TheAussieGolfer recently blogged about the opening of the Nullarbor Links course, which is set to open in October. The course is located in Nullarbor Plain, “a vast, flat area of the Australian outback stretching across the states of Western Australia and South Australia,” he says. So exactly how long is the world’s longest course? Well, the 18-hole, par-72 golf course will span 1,365 kilometers. They have planned it so there is one hole in each participating town or roadhouse along the Eyre Highway, which stretches from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia to Ceduna in South Australia.

Each hole is placed at a town on the road across the Nullarbor starting at and ending at Kalgoorlie or Ceduna and extends along a 1635 km stretch of the Eyre Highway. Nullarbor Links is set to open on October 22 with a 4-day tournament planned. About the time it takes to play one round.

The Nullarbor Links, which will span two time zones and measure more than the entire length of Britain, is expected to be completed next month and will host its inaugural tournament on October 22.

The course, conceived five years ago “over a couple of beers,” is meant to attract tourists to the Eyre Highway which traverses the desolate Nullarbor Plain and hugs part of Australia’s southern coastline.

The course was the brainchild of Bob Bongiorno, who was managing a roadhouse at remote Balladonia when he came up with the idea.

Bongiorno, now living in Kalgoorlie at the course’s western end, said he tried hitting a few balls when he first moved into the Outback but got sick of encountering spiders when trying to retrieve them.

There should be no such hazards on the synthetic greens of the Nullarbor Links, although golfers who hit a stray shot into the desert will face a monster sandtrap.