Signature hole at South Africa's Legends Golf and Safari Resort
The
world’s longest and highest par three, the signature hole at
Legends Golf and Safari Resort, has its tee box poised at a dizzying
height atop of Hanglip Mountain, 1 410 feet above the green and is
only accessible by helicopter!
This means that the ball needs to travel an incredible 830 meters
from tee to green (the total distance across and down)!
Still, Padraig became the first-ever golfer to make par on this amazing
hole in a playoff against Raphaël Jacquelin.
Balls hit off the tee are estimated to have a 'hang time' of 26 seconds,
so a little help is needed in keeping an eye on the white dimpled
orb. With technology in the form of four separate cameras and tracking
equipment, Padraig and Raphaël were able to track their tee shots
and the flight of their balls, while ball watchers stood ready to
point out where the balls had landed on the ‘map of Africa’
green.
Your average thrill-seeking golfer can play this bizarre hole in addition
to a round of 18 holes, or as an experience on its own, and a hole-in-one
will earn you one million US dollars!
Raphael and Padraig may not have posted holes-in-one, but they are
two of 18 well-known golfers who have each designed one of the course's
signature holes. Trevor Immelman, Bernard Langer, Colin Montgomerie,
Justin Rose, Vijay Singh, K J Choi and Retief Goosen have each designed
a hole at Legends.
Legends Golf and Safari Resort was just one of the stands on display
at the 2009 PGA Golf Show held at Country Club Johannesburg, SA.
