A recent trip to Arizona offered me an opportunity to tackle one of the unique bunkers in golf: a 13-foot-deep pit of peril at Scottsdale National Golf Club called the “Mine Shaft.”
The original bunker depth was eight feet, but the team at Jackson Kahn Design dug deeper when too many golfers successfully escaped for the taste of club owner Bob Parsons, the founder of the PXG equipment company. The sides of the hazard behind the 15th green of the club’s original course got so deep that wood plank walls were needed to shore up the dirt sides. A “Danger” sign was also added as a warning, only adding to the allure for guests getting a first go-round at the private club.
There are other quirky bunkers throughout the golf world, from “donut greens” to the unusual Cenote bunker in the middle of a fairway at Mayakoba’s El Camaleon course in Mexico.
But the quirks in golf course design go well beyond curious bunkering.
Below are six of the wildest and most eye-opening—or eyebrow raising—on-course characteristics I’ve encountered or come across in my golf journeys.
Dannebrog Country Club (Dannebrog, Neb.)
There are still at least four sand green golf courses in rural Nebraska, but the most distinctive might be the 9-hole Dannebrog Country Club, which has a playing fee of $4 per day that’s deposited into a rusty lockbox. The course is laid out in the center of a pasture and barbed wire fences help keep livestock off the sand greens—eight of them at least. The par-three 2nd hole is the exception, with its green sitting within a large grain bin, requiring players to climb in to putt out.
The Bullpen
Dannebrog CC
eat. 1956#golf #golfchat #GolfLife pic.twitter.com/xjeOg9c7KZ
— Ｃｒａｉｇ Ｂａｄｕｒａ (@mrbadura) August 13, 2023
Fernbank Golf Course (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Golfers get an immediate introduction to the odd at the 9-hole executive course affectionately known as “The Bank,” as the 254-yard par-four first hole stretches almost clear across the property—crossing FIVE of the layout’s other eight holes in the process. Only two holes don’t cross another hole at Fernbank. For good measure, the property also features an Indian mound on the grounds.
Gananoque Golf & Country Club (Gananoque, Ontario, Canada)
Along the shores of the St. Lawrence River in eastern Ontario, the 9-hole Gananoque Golf & Country Club has a history that dates back more than 100 years, and one of the most unusual mid-round tee-off procedures. The par-three 4th hole and par-four 5th hole parallel one another, so players tee off on both holes in immediate succession. After climbing multiple flights of stairs to a double tee box, golfers first hit their tee shot on the 5th hole, THEN tee off on the 4th hole, complete that hole, and cut across to the 5th fairway to play their previous tee shot.
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Gateway Cites Golf Club (Portal, N.D.)
This 9-hole course is among the most unusual you’ll come across, with its clubhouse, first tee, and 9th green in the United States… and the rest of the course across the border in Canada. Because Saskatchewan doesn’t observe daylight savings time, but North Dakota does, the 9th hole is unlike any you’ll ever play. When finishing a round, golfers tee off in Canada, with their ball landing in another country an hour later. Oh, and they’ll eventually putt out on oiled, sand greens.
North Dakota boasts more golf courses per capita than any other state. My vote for the most unique is Gateway Cities Golf Club. Situated on the / border, the clubhouse, 1st tee, and 9th green are in the US, and the rest of the course is in Canada. Sand greens to boot. pic.twitter.com/R1YD0Jk64m
— Quincy Law (@ISU_CycLawns) December 7, 2023
Stonebrooke Golf Course (Shakopee, Minn.)
The signature 8th hole on this course in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” requires a forced-carry tee shot over a lake and then a ferry ride to get to the fairway. Unlike the famous island green at Coeur d’Alene in Idaho, the ferry boat at Stonebrooke even shuttles golf carts on the 350-yard hole, which is suggested to be played as if it were two par threes.
Town & Country Club (Saint Paul, Minn.)
The oldest course and golf club in Minnesota has one of the most peculiar layouts you can possibly encounter. After the first hole, golfers are faced with back-to-back par-three holes. But that’s nothing compared to the closing stretch at Town & Country, which finishes 3-5-5-5-3. That’s right—three consecutive par fives sandwiched by a pair of one-shotters, including a rare par-three closer.
What are some of the wildest design quirks you’ve ever encountered on a golf course?
