The world's most extreme golf courses

By Jack Bantock, CNN

Published 0907 GMT (1707 HKT) November 15, 2023

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While many golf courses look much the same, others bring a unique flair to the fairway. Offering breathtaking views of the Lyngen Alps and the adjacent fjords, Tromsø golf club in Norway is the world's northernmost 18-hole golf course. Look through the gallery to see more dramatic courses. Cam Bauer / CNN

At La Jenny in southwest France, the world's only naturist golf course, nudity is the compulsory dress code -- though exceptions are made for bad weather. Paula Gallani / La Jenny

At Kantarat Golf Course in Bangkok, golfers navigate the fairways while, either side of them, airplanes land and takeoff on the runways of Don Mueang International Airport. Jack Taylor/AFP/Getty Images

Dubbed "The World's Most Dangerous Golf Course," Camp Bonifas' one-hole course is set at a military garrison just a stone's throw away from the Demilitarized Zone that divides North and South Korea. Barbed wire and trenches ring the fairways, and a stray ball once detonated a land mine, according to a 1998 Washington Post article. Paul Barker/X00020

The annual World Ice Golf Championship was long-hosted in Uummannaq, Greenland. Holes were made bigger and balls were brightly colored so they could be spotted amid the snow and ice. Alex Livesey/Getty Images

At the Volcano Golf Course in Hawaii, fairways run alongside the crater rim of Kilauea. One of the world's most active volcanoes, an eruption in 2018 (pictured) offered golfers a stunning backdrop to play in front of. Jae C. Hong/AP

Idaho's Coeur D'Alene Resort Golf Course boasts a unique 14th hole that is as technologically impressive as it is challenging. Claimed to be the world's only floating, movable island green, underwater cables allow operators to move the green to the required tee distance. Josh Noel/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service/Getty Images

Swing low at Furnace Creek Golf Course at Death Valley, California. At 214 feet below sea level, the course claims to be the lowest elevation course in the world. With summer temperatures at Death Valley peaking as high as 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit), it can also be a toasty trip round the fairways. Andia/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Accessible by helicopter, "The Extreme 19th" hole at South Africa's Legend Golf and Safari Resort is not ideal for those with a fear of heights. Golfers must drive from a tee 4,500 feet above sea level towards a green -- shaped like the African continent -- 361 meters (395 yards) away. Richard Heathcote / Getty Images

At Kiawah Island's Ocean Course, alligators are as welcome as golfers. The South Carolina resort encourages a peaceful co-existence between players and the reptiles, who form part of a vibrant eco-system that includes dolphins and bobcats. Sam Greenwood / Getty Images

Considered to be the site of the highest golf courses in the world, La Paz Golf Club in Bolivia sees players take in stunning views at over 3,300 meters (10,826 feet) above sea level. AFP via Getty Images

Afghanistan's Kabul Golf Course has a history unlike any other. Founded in 1967, it was used as a military base by the invading Soviet Army the following decade. Later, the club's bar was blown apart by the Taliban for selling alcohol, the course operator Mohammed Afzal Abdul told CNN in 2009. Shah Marai / AFP via Getty Images

At Vipingo Ridge in Kenya, Africa's only PGA-accredited golf course, an array of wildlife freely roams the greens and fairways. Doubling up as a sanctuary for giraffes, zebras, and other species, the course has hosted the Magical Kenya Ladies Open, an event on the Ladies European Tour. Vipingo Ridge

There's no such thing as a quick game at Nullarbor Links in Australia. At the world's longest course, golfers tee off at Ceduna in the country's east before finishing up their round at Kalgoorlie, some 863 miles away in the west. Alf Caputo / Nullarbor Links

Fans of motor-racing and golf will find perfect harmony at Brickyard Crossing Golf Club, where four of the 18 holes are located within the circumference of the fabled track. The course has hosted several events, including the Indy Women In Tech Championship in 2019 (Pictured, Mi Jung Hur) Michael Cohen / Getty Images