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Da nger zones
DANGER ZONES
GOLF
Drive without due care and attention at these eight UK tracks and you could find yourself having a smashing time... in more ways than one! bY kEVIN bROWN
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da nger zones
DANGER ZONE No.1
Snake quake: Cobra bother.
World’s most dangerous courses
orton meadoWs gc, Peterborough, cambridgeshire Danger zone: A preserved railway runs alongside the 18th hole. The Nene Valley Railway – one of the country’s finest preserved lines – runs through the middle of this course, most notably along the critical finishing hole. Slice it and the out-of-bounds could be the least of your worries. When we paid Orton a visit the combination of the NVR and the railway’s Santa Specials was wreaking plenty of golfing havoc. Ten-handicapper Jim McFerran
finished with a birdie but his mate wasn’t so fortunate. “He stuck two onto the railway so had to have a couple of re-loads – third time lucky for him!” said Jim. The railway has claimed many golfing victims down the years but 20-handicapper Andy Parr wouldn’t want it any other way, “It’s great to see a steam train alongside the course. But when it appears on your backswing it
DANGER ZONE No.2
can be a bit off-putting!” Fancy chancing your arm? n Orton Meadows Course: Par 67, 5,208 yards. Location: 4 miles west of Peterborough. Green fees: Mon-Fri: £15.10. Sat-Sun: £20.20. 2-FORE!-1: Mon & Tues (between 11am-3pm). Tel: 01733 237478. Chance of Disaster: 80%
DANGER ZONE No.3
north berWicK, east lothian, scotland
PerranPorth golf club, cornWall
Danger zone: A car park hugs the right side of the 18th fairway.
Danger zone: A caravan park slap bang in the middle of the course.
The driveable par-4 final hole on the magical West Links looks easy... before you see a row of cars parked within centimetres of the fairway. Club pro Martyn Huish said: “The fear factor of the cars causes panic and can be intimidating even though the fairway is 100 yards wide.” On average, one car is struck every fortnight. But that’s nothing compared to the senior lady member who left her automatic car in gear and ended up crashing through the perimeter fence before careering onto the 18th green. Fancy chancing your arm? n North Berwick Course: Par 71, 6,101 yards. Location: Centre of North Berwick, 24 miles east of Edinburgh. Green fees: Mon-Fri: £75. Sat-Sun: £95. Until Feb 26: £35. Tel: 01620 890312. Chance of Disaster: 90%
The Perranporth Fairways Accommodation lives up to its name, overlooking the breathtaking Cornish coastline… and being flanked by the golf course’s 7th, 17th and 18th holes. Two years ago one wayward member fully earned his ‘Caravan Kid’ nickname. He sent a ball hurtling through a caravan window, sending the occupant scurrying for cover. She was still trying to work out what was going on when the ‘Caravan Kid’ had re-loaded and sent his next ball crashing into the lady’s car windscreen! Fancy chancing your arm? n Perranporth Course: Par 72, 6,030 yards. Location: Half-mile north west of Perranporth. Green fees: Mon-Fri: £36. Sat-Sun: £42. 2-FORE!-1: Mon, Wed & Thurs, 10am-3pm. Tel: 01872 572454. Fairways caravans, call 01872 572454 for details. Chance of Disaster: 85%
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1. Panmunjam, north Korea If you miss the fairway, the surrounding area is a minefield. Literally. The one-hole course is next to the world’s most heavily fortified border between North and South Korea. 2. Kabul gc, afghanistan The scene of a Russian invasion and tank battles during the civil war so the terrain is rough. 3. north star gc, alasKa Believed to be the world’s coldest course and the only one where the scorecard has an animal checklist. Permafrost means two gloves are essential. 4. alice sPrings, australia You’re likely to be playing in 50 degrees – through deadly snakes and spiders. 5. WilloW’s gc, neW south Wales, australia Tread carefully round the lake on the 14th hole which contains a giant freshwater crocodile. 6. scholl canyon gc, glendale, california Built on a landfill site. Golfers have snagged clubs on buried tyres which resulted in methane gas rising from the divot marks. 7. Pelham bay & sPlit rocK gc, neW yorK The remote location makes it an ideal final resting spot – 13 bodies were discovered there over a 10-year period. 8. singaPore island cc, singaPore In the 1982 Singapore Open Jim Stewart encountered and killed a 10ft Cobra, only to recoil in horror as another emerged from its mouth. 9. Plantation cc, louisiana, usa The 18 holes are crammed into a mere 61 acres and as a result players must huddle against a protective fence while waiting for their turn to play. 10. beachWood gc, south africa Mollie Whittaker was attacked by a monkey which tried to strangle her. An alert caddie literally saved her neck.
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woods v irons
ditching the d The power clubs are easier to hit than ever, but we still manage to find plenty of trouble off the tee. What would happen if we took irons instead? TG finds out bY kit alexander PHOtOGraPHY bOb atkins
Three club players with nothing longer than a 3-iron – how would they cope?
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070-72 Game Pitching LM.indd 68
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100-101 Mystery Golfer LM.indd 150
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116-117 Wish you were here LM.indd 150
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