eXtreme Golf product reviews

I have to admit that the whole concept of grabbing a lumpy stick and a small cork ball and using one to place the other in a small hole a few hundred metres away... Yes, after giving it a go a few years ago, I can easily appreciate the skill required to do a good job of belting it around the course without braining every skull in sight, but I still don't see the point.

So, reading this book brought me to fits of giggles, as I explored the world of Extreme Golf. People find such inventive ways to perform this strange sporting ritual in every environment imaginable. From the frozen slopes of the North Star Golf Course in Fairbanks, Alaska, where temperatures can drop to as los as -52 Celcius (Golfballs shatter at -26, so this is just plain scary! The course can only open for 14 weeks in the year!) right through to the opposite end of the scale, where strange patrons of the sport play through temperatures reaching up to +50 Celcius on the plains of the Alice Springs Golf Club.

Playing across glaciers, clay flats, around volcanic mudpools (Yes, even NZ features in this book!) or scorching deserts... the game has even been adapted to suit urban environments! Need something with a bit for of a thrill factor? How about playing a round at Kabul Golf and Country Club, where the fairway is peppered with unexploded munitions... Want to test your skills at reading the air? Why not head to Ko'olau Golf Club and play around with the 40mph winds coming in off the Pacific Ocean eddying around, and bouncing off the mountain range... Want test your nerve? How abour dodging crocodile-filled water traps on the Lost City Course in South Africa?

Overall, this is just a sampling from the 28 courses and 4 events listed in this nifty little hardcover book. Some of the courses are crazy, some are scary, some are just plain mind-boggling. The book is filled with stunning photographs, jam-packed with details and stories about the courses, not to mention information about the surrounding territory. It's not too expensive, it's quite durable, and even a non-golfer will find something in here to entertain them. Well worth the effort to at least look at, and it could be a great gift for a golfing dad, going through withdrawals during the cold, wet winter days.