Lofoten Links is the world’s northernmost links-style golf course. It sits high above the Arctic Circle, far above Iceland, and looks south upon most of Norway. Over high summer, golfers can book tee times at any point around the 24-hour clock, as darkness can’t reach this far. “Lofoten Links presents the opportunity to enjoy spectacular golf in a relatively uncrowded place,” Scott Cranfield says. Adds David DeSmith: “Lofoten Links isn’t easy to get to, but it’s an achingly scenic trip. You’ll play right along the shoreline, and along the sides of craggy mountains that tumble down to the beaches. The golf course shares its windswept landscape with an ancient viking burial ground. For sheer beauty, few courses in the world are the equal of Lofoten.”
This short nine-holer was laid out in the royal family’s wondrous Balmoral Estate in the early 20th century by local pro Bob Mearns. The parkland course was originally reserved for royals and staff on the 50,000-acre estate, but limited tee times are available to the public, and to guests of the nearby Fife Arms hotel—a hidden jewel in its own right.
“Apes Hill extends to almost 1,000 feet above sea level, which makes it ideal terrain for golf [and] for spectacular views,” David DeSmith says. “Every inch of the golf experience is a full-fledged nature expedition through stands of sea grape, frangipani, baobab and bearded fig trees, traveler’s palms, flamboyant trees with their blazing red blossoms, and dense jungle from which no misdirected golf ball will ever return.”
Gearhart Golf Links was established back in 1892—it’s thought to be the oldest surviving golf course west of the Mississippi—and the course has gone through a recent restoration. “Gearheart Links, along Oregon’s northern coast, is lesser known than Bandon Dunes to the south, but it’s quirky and so much fun,” David McLay Kidd says. “[The course] was improved in spades by Jim Urbina,
and I love it!”
Occupying an idyllic alpine setting in the Purcell Mountains, Greywolf was designed by Canadian architect Doug Carrick, and it is part of the Panorama Mountain Resort. Describes David DeSmith: “The course stretches through vivid green woodlands and over jagged hills, where elk and moose outnumber people. Its signature par-3 sixth, Cliffhanger, calls for a 200-yard shot over Hopeful Canyon to a peninsula green that offers 100-mile views.”
Cape Wickham is located on King Island, in the Bass Strait, midway between Tasmania’s main island and the Australian mainland. “All 18 holes are gems,” David DeSmith says of the seaside Mike DeVries design, “with large dunes, wide fairways to accommodate the ever-present wind, and firm, fast playing conditions. The journey to King Island is well worth the trek.”
Brora is one of the most northerly golf courses on the UK mainland, 60 miles north of Inverness, on the east coast. This James Braid classic follows the contour of Kintradwell Bay, with the Sutherland foothills and Ben Bhraggie as the western backdrop. Sheep help to trim the fairways.
Alexandra O’Laughlin favors this Colorado course not only for its beauty and playability, but also for its natural wonders: “Fossil Trace, 20 minutes from downtown Denver, sits in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where there are trace fossils of palm fronds and triceratops footprints.”
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