Nine years to build a golf course and six holes still not finished?
Alf Caputo, project manager of the Nullarbor Links in Australia’s southwest, has some explaining to do.
“The logistics of actually building these holes with such an amazing distance in between each one and bringing products to each site has been an experience all of its own,” Caputo said.
PHOTO: AP
He has a point — 1,265km separates the first from the 18th hole on the Nullarbor Links, the world’s longest golf course.
A round of golf on a course that stretches along the Eyre Highway between seaside Ceduna in South Australia and the historic gold-mining town of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia takes four days.
Players — Caputo is hoping for 26,000 in the 12 months after the Aug. 15 opening — will pass through two time zones and a landscape so desolate and featureless that most travelers only bother to stop for gas.
Bob Bongiorno, former manager of the Balladonia Road House on the Nullarbor Plain, dreamed up the idea as a way of slowing down the 250,000 motorists who make the Ceduna-Kalgoorlie trip each year.
“Most people like to travel across the Nullarbor as quickly as possible,” Bongiorno said. “I wanted to create awareness of its magnificent geographical features and rich history.”
Some of the holes are dedicated ones on established courses along the way — Ceduna, Norseman and Kalgoorlie — while others are purpose-built at hamlets like Cocklebiddy and Widgiemooltha.
The idea is that motorists stop at one hole then drive on to whichever town or road house hosts the next one. They stay the night, perhaps at a sheep station, then drive on to the next hole. Driving time between the holes varies from 45 minutes to nearly 3 hours.
The Nullarbor Plain is an unforgiving place — barren, flat, dry as a bone. The purpose-built holes will also be testing. The greens will be synthetic, but all the browns and reds will be authentic natural rock and sand.
“It’s not just a game of golf, it’s a true Australian experience,” Bongiorno said.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
Mathys Tel was hero and villain as Tottenham drew 1-1 at home to Leeds United on Monday — a result that leaves their English Premier League future hanging in the balance. The Frenchman broke the deadlock early in the second half to ease the tension at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but then gave away a penalty with a reckless attempted clearance. In the dying minutes, Spurs were grateful to Antonin Kinsky, who produced an astonishing save to deny the visitors a win. Tottenham are now two points clear of 18th-placed West Ham United with just two games left this season. The
Houston Astros right-hander Teng Kai-wei, the only active Taiwanese pitcher in MLB, on Sunday suffered his third loss of the season, throwing a season-high 63 pitches in his second start of the year. Teng allowed three earned runs over three innings on five hits in the Astros’ 5-0 road loss to the Cincinnati Reds. He struck out one, walked one, and hit one batter among the 15 hitters he faced, raising his earned run average to 3.12. It was the Astros’ second attempt to use the 27-year-old Taiwanese as a starter, after he had established himself as a reliable bullpen
‘DONE IT ALL’: LeBron James is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season as a free agent with uncertainty swirling around his future LeBron James on Monday said he would take time to consider his future after the Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the NBA playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder in what could turn out to be the final game of his career. James, 41, delivered a typically defiant performance with 24 points and 12 rebounds, but it was not enough to prevent the Lakers from falling 115-110 as the Thunder completed a 4-0 sweep in the Western Conference semi-finals series. The four-time NBA champion is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season
RSS