Island greens: Where rounds of golf go pear-shaped

Updated 1513 GMT (2313 HKT) November 21, 2013

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17th hole at Apple Tree Resort, Yakima, Washington. There are nine raised tee boxes (ranging from 106-180 yards) from which to launch your ball towards this extraordinary-looking green, which is shaped like the "Washington Delicious" apple variety. It is accessed via a bridge positioned to look like a giant stalk, while a leaf-shaped bunker at the back will catch those who overclub and stop their round from going completely pear-shaped.
Courtesy Apple Tree Resort

17th hole at TPC Sawgrass, Stadium Course, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Sawgrass' legendary par three is unquestionably the most famous of island green in golf. The 137-yard hole might pose few problems for the pros these days but for amateurs the challenge is enough to drag any dormant hook, slice or -- god forbid -- shank, out of hibernation.
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

TPC Sawgrass opened in 1980 and has played host to The Players Championship -- often described as golf's "fifth major" -- since 1982. The 17th hole's worldwide fame was helped by its starring role in the classic PGA Tour Golf video game made by EA Sports. Scott Halleran/Getty Images for MetLife Blimp

Hole 3B at the Pacifico Golf Course, Punta Mita, Mexico. There are island greens and then there is Hole 3B at the Jack Nicklaus-designed course on the Pacific Ocean coast. Dubbed "The Tail in the Whale," the green is situated on a rocky peninsula which is only accessible at low tide. The 199-yard par three is the world's only golf hole with a natural island green, according to course owners, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.
Courtesy of Four Seasons Pacifico Golf Course

14th hole at Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course, Idaho. The par-three hole at the Idaho course includes the world's only floating, moveable green, according to the resort. The 15,000-square-foot green in Lake Coeur d'Alene sits on a 104 blocks of expanded polystyrene encased in concrete. The green is tethered using a network of underwater steel cables which can be moved to decrease or extend the length of the hole from 110-210 yards. Players take a "Putter" ferry to the green.
Joel Riner and Dustin Weed, Quicksilver Studios/Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

8th hole, Conservatory Course, Hammock Beach, Palm Coast, Florida. The Tom Watson-designed course includes this par three, which plays 199 yards from the back tee. A tee shot not fired directly at the putting surface isn't necessarily doomed to a watery grave, with dry relief to the right and behind the green.
Courtesy of Hammock Beach Resort

6th hole at Eagle Vines, Napa Valley, California. Nestling in the lowlands of the Napa Valley, this majestic 163-yard par three is part of a 7,300-yard course designed by U.S. golf legend Johnny Miller. The club has its own winery, making it one of the best places to drown your golfing sorrows or toast success.
Eagle Vines Vineyards & Golf Club

16th hole at the Gold Course, Golden Horseshoe Golf Club, Williamsburg, Virginia. Designed by noted golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Sr., the Gold Course has a gem of an island green. From the tee of the 169-yard par three, golfers fire a short iron over a wide lake to the bunker-protected green. If you can't admire your shot, there is always the beautiful tree-lined vista in the background to take your mind off things.
Courtesy Golden Horseshoe Golf Club

11th hole at Black Pearl Golf Course, Roatan, Honduras. Sawgrass course designer Peter Dye created another signature island green at the central American nation's Pristine Bay Resort. Playing 160 yards from the back tee, only a perfect or wildly errant shot will see your ball land above water.
Courtesy Black Pearl Golf Course

17th hole at Bro Hof Slott Golf Club, Sweden. Since opening in 2007, Bro Hof Slott's Stadium Course on Lake Malaren near Stockholm has become one of Europe's premier golf destinations. The home of the European Tour's Nordea Masters is famously long (nearly 8,000 yards) and includes this tricky 164-yard par three with its bunkerless island green.
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