Golf, as we know it, normally takes place during the day and on beautifully landscaped greens. But for those who wish to inject a little life into their golf games, they can choose to play at one of the few novelty golf courses in Singapore and around the world!

Night Golfing

Similar to day golf, night golfing is fast becoming less of a novelty as many clubs extend their tee times in hopes of attracting busy executives to play a game after work. Floodlights illuminate the course, enabling golfers to play long after the sun has gone down – great for golfers who want to beat the heat.

Locally, a few clubs like Jurong Country Club and Orchid Country Club allows golfers to tee off after dark. For something a little more exotic, head for Nad al Sheba Club in Dubai where a million litres of water is used up per night to hydrate the course after the greens are closed for the night!

Mini Golf

The first miniature golf course was formed in 1867 and was created because it was considered inappropriate for women to raise a club back past their shoulders! These days, golfers and non-golfers of all ages can head for Sijori WonderGolf in Sentosa, Asia’s first and only miniature golf course suitable for international championship competitions and certified by the World Minigolf Sport Federation, for a dose of mini-golf.

Or, if you are up to it, how about a round of Hillbilly Golf at Gatlinburg, Tennessee in the USA? There, golfers take a ride 300 feet up a mountain where two 18-hole courses await. Or try out their latest glow-in-the-dark Black Light Golf indoor course where fluorescent balls light up the place.

Desert Golf

There’s Desert Golf and golfing in the desert. The difference? One is a golf course on actual desert ground while the other is a regular golf course (complete with lush greenery, bunkers, water hazards and the like) that happens to be built on desert ground.

The former can be found at The Snake Hole Golf and Country Club in the middle of the desert in Idaho, USA. There, the golf course looks more like an undeveloped area filled with gravel and scrub. There are no fairways and the only way you can differentiate where a hole is, is that the area around the cup is green!

The latter can be found in Dubai’s famous Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club where the rich tee off. There, the desert is transformed into a palm-fringed, water-laced course that overlooks a waterway.

Golfing At The Top Of The World

Golfers who suffer from vertigo might want to give this course a miss. Voted Highest Golf Course In The World, the Tactu Golf Club in Peru offers golfers the chance to literally golf on top of the world. The lowest point on the course is more than 14,000 feet above sea level – that’s almost 26 times the height of Bukit Timah Hill!

Safari Golf

For something a little more exciting, head for the safari plains in South Africa! A number of golf courses there combine game viewing with golf. For example, at Mpumalanga Golf Courses, its proximity to the world-famous Kruger National Park means that you might either find crocodiles lurking in the water hazards or frisky giraffes and zebras roaming the outskirts of the courses!