Which golf course is recognized as the longest in the world?

Roller coaster fans live thrilling lives. Almost every year, a theme park somewhere on the globe breaks records for features like the fastest speed or the tallest drop. In 2000, Nagashima Spa Land in Mie, Japan, introduced the Steel Dragon, boasting a 306-foot (93.2-meter) drop that set a global benchmark. By 2003, Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, launched the Top Thrill Dragster, claiming the record with a 400-foot (121.9-meter) drop. Currently, Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey holds the crown with Kingda Ka's 418-foot (127.4-meter) drop [source: Ultimate RollerCoasters.com].

Golfers who love lengthy drives experience a similar rivalry among the sport's courses. Every few years, a new course emerges, extending its length by a few yards and claiming the title of the world's longest golf course.

For many years, the International Golf Club in Bolton, Massachusetts, boasted the longest course with its 8,325-yard (7.61-kilometer), par 77 Pines Course [source: Penner]. Established in 1899 on 66 acres, the course underwent multiple expansions and redesigns by renowned architects like Robert Trent Jones and Tom Fazio.

In 2001, the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club in China's Yunnan province surpassed The International's Pines Course, claiming the title of the world's longest. Situated in the Himalayas at over 10,000 feet (3,100 meters) above sea level, this scenic course spans 8,548 yards (7.81 kilometers) with a par 72, making it both the longest and one of the highest golf courses globally [source: China Travel Guide].

In the United States, golfers eagerly anticipated El Grande Hombre, an 8,600-yard (7.86-kilometer) course planned for Las Vegas in the early 2000s. However, a prolonged drought halted its construction, preventing it from becoming the world's longest course before 2009.

The competition of adding a few hundred yards to courses was overshadowed in 2009 when Nullarbor Links opened in the Australian outback. This course redefined the scale, measuring its length in kilometers rather than yards, leaving traditional contenders far behind.

The 18-hole, par 72 Nullarbor Links stretches nearly 1,368 kilometers (850 miles), with some holes up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) apart [source: Riviera]. Completing the course requires more than a golf cart—players typically spend around four days traversing its vast expanse.

While primarily created as a promotional effort to draw golfers to Australia's conventional courses, Nullarbor Links is fully functional. Its designers aim to provide a "true Australian experience" [source: Riviera]. For instance, one hole is located near an operational sheep shearing station. The rugged outback environment includes wild camels and wombats, which might snatch your ball if it lands too close to their habitats.

Traditionalists argue that Nullarbor Links deviates too much from standard golf course features to qualify as the world's longest. However, despite the presence of wombats, it remains playable and undeniably holds the record for the longest course globally.

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