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World's Longest Golf Course, Australia

842 mile miles long, Nullarbor Links just opened in southwestern Australia. Yes, it's a golf course, the longest one in the world, by far. It's a tourism gimmick put together by local towns and by the Australian government to promote the 18 or so towns along the Eyre Highway. It will take most golfers about four days to play the course, stopping along the way at tourist attractions and tourist lodgings that "host" the holes.

Some of the tees, fairways and greens are new, and some are "borrowed" from existing golf courses, stretching from the desolate outback of the Nullarbor Plains in Ceduna, on the coast, to the charming mining town of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, the largest town in the outback of Western Australia. It's a par 71, and the green fee is about $40.

Due to the arid desert climate and the fact that some of the holes are more than 90 miles apart, some of the tees and greens are of synthetic material, and some are oiled and rolled. Among stops along the way are a sheep ranch, ancient fossil beds, a huge kangaroo statue, a massive eucalyptus forest, and a site commemorating the NASA research laboratory Skylab, which fell to earth here in 1979.

A dogleg left, #4 is called the Wombat Hole, in honor of the Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat—more than 2.5 million wombats inhabit the area. A par 4 surrounded by tall eucalyptus trees, #15 is at the Norseman Golf Club near Lake Warrarnbunna and the Great Western Woodland.

Golfers and tourists who make the 842-mile trek will end up in the gold mining town of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. With a population of just over 30,000, the town has thrived from the mining industry and from visitors who are lured by the Australian outback and the charm of local history.

A new oasis in the arid desert, the new Kalgoorlie-Boulder Golf and Spa Resort is in the works, anchored by a spectacular new golf course designed by one of the country's most famous players, Graham Marsh. Born in Kalgoorlie, Marsh has won more than 64 tournaments internationally during his 40 years as a touring professional. He was a frequent winner on the European Tour, the Japan Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia, and won the 1977 Heritage Classic on the PGA Tour. He has had huge success as a senior on the PGA Champions Tour in the U.S., winning six events including two majors, the 1997 U.S. Senior Open and the 1999 Tradition; he also won the Japan Senior Open twice.

The Kalgoorlie-Boulder Golf Course is currently being grassed and will open early in 2010 as a part of a large resort and residential development, including an air-conditioned, indoor tennis center, and a five-star resort with 120 rooms and 16 private villas, each with their own swimming pool.

My advice to golfers who attempt to play Nullarbor Links is to give yourselves plenty of time to stop for tucker (food) and grog (alcohol) with the bushies. At www.nullarborlinks.com, you'll find guided tours, and suggested independent itineraries.