So, you reckon you're a pretty good golfer, eh? You think that, just because you hit the links every weekend and you're whittled your handicap down to nothing, you can shoot under par on any golf course in the world?

Well, think again. In this blog post, we're going to look at five of the toughest golf courses on the planet - places where even the pros fear to tread.

Pack your golfing essentials and your passport, because gimmeballs is taking you travelling!

Golf Courses

- Saujana Golf Club
- Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club
- Whistling Straits
- Carnoustie Golf Links
- The Ocean Course

5. Saujana Golf Club

Saujana Golf Club at The Palm Course in Malaysia ranks number five on our list. 

It is most commonly recognised as "The Cobra", given its profound challenge, as well as the fact that cobras were introduced to keep the crop-destroyin rodents away. It hosted six of the last 13 Malaysian Opens, all of which are co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours. 

Surrounded by deep greenery water, and sand hazards dispersed throughout the course, just reaching the greens is a considerable obstacle; nevertheless, the real difficulty commences on the greens.

The putting surfaces of Saujana Golf Club are exceptionally fast and feature seriously sloping arcs, making them arguably the most difficult putting grounds on the globe. Only golfers who specialises in putting have the opportunity for sucess at this club. 

Did You Know:

• The Saujana Golf Club was constructed on a former oil palm estate with rolling hills.
• The early nine holes of the courses are regarded as extremely hard, while the back nine are fairly straightforward.
• Notable holes on the course include the par-3 second, par-5 third, and the unforgiving 8th.
  
  

4. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club

At number four, we have the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club in China. 
It is currently the world's longest course (8,548 yards) as well as one of the most challenging.

The course resides more than 3,040 metres above sea level in the Himalayas, where the thin atmosphere leads the golf ball to travel farther. The thin atmosphere causes the ball to swerve to the left or right, so it's difficult to keep the ball under control.

Did You Know:

• Caddies at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club are from the Naxi culture and wear traditional attire.
• The course was opened in 2001 and is an 18-hole par 72 golf course.
• The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the longest regulation golf course in the world
  
  

3. Whistling Straits

Our third-place contender is the Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

Pete Dye created this monstroisity, of course, on the abandoned artillery range on Lake Michigan's shoreline.

According to the article by the writers of Golf Digest magazine, there are an impressive 967 bunkers. This corresponds to rough average of 54 bunkers on each fairway. Many of them are so small that a golfer and a ball barely fit inside. Many are barely acknowledge as bunkers, as Dustin Johnson realised to his misfortune on the final hole of the 2010 US PGA Championship, when he was one shot ahead.

Did You Know:

• Dustin Johnson and his caddie mistook the 18th hole for a worn-out area, leading to a two-stroke penalty that cost him the championship.
• The Whistling Straits is home to Scottish Blackface Sheep that like speckling the course.
• The course is a walking-only area; therefore, no golf carts are permitted. 
  
  

2. Carnousitie Golf Links

Taking our siler medal in the list of most challenging golf courses is the Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland.

On the merciless North Sea Shore, this Scottish golf course swiftly earned the nickname Carnasty following the 1999 Open Championshp, reducing golf champion Sergio Garcia to tears.

It birthed the term Carnousite effect due to it being riddled with dangerous pot bunkers; the name refers to the psychic shock that occurs when an individual with unrealsitic expectations encounters reality. 

A famous Carnoustie effect was is the 1999 Open when Jean Van de Velde had a breakdown, involving a visit to the notorious Barry Burn, taking seven strokes to finish he hole, and losing the playoff to Paul Lawrie.

Did You Know:

• English golfer Tommy Fleetwood currently holds the golf course record of 63.
• Established in 1842, Carnoustie is among the world's oldest golf courses.
• According to Golfweek, it's the most challenging open rota course.
  
  

1. The Ocean Course

The Ocean Course in South Carolina is our top pick for the most difficult golf course.

Constructed by golf architect Pete Dye (dubbed The Marquis de Sod due to his excruciating cousrse designs), it is not surprising that the Ocean Course is number one on our list. The golf course's immense sand dunes, prickly marshes, laborious pot bunkers, and exceptionally quick greens are regularly proven to render even the world's most exquistie golfers into crumbling hackers (bad golfers).

In the 1991 Ryder Cup, which was presented on the Ocean Course, elite golfers such as Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, Fred Couples, and Payne Stewart won holes with double-bogeys.

Did You Know:

• The Legend of Bagger Vance starring Will Smith, Charize Theron and Matt Smith was filmed here.
• In 2012, it hosted the most challenging PGA Championship Round.
• German golfer Alex Cejka has the course record of 63 achieved during the 1997 World Cup.

Can you prevail over the world's top five most challengign golf course or will you continue to golf on your own greens?

Have you ever been playing a game of golf and your ball has rolled uncomfortably close to your friends, obstructing their shot? We know it may be tempting to leave it there and hope this nuisance wins you the game, but golf is a game of etiquette and your competitor deserves a chance to putt without having to worry about the placement of your ball.

This is where a golf ball marker comes into play!

What Is A Golf Ball Marker?

Golf ball markers are used to mark the position of a player’s ball on the putting green and have been used in one form or another since the very early years of the game. They are typically small, flat objects (coins are a popular choice) as this guarantees they will not get in the way of another player’s line.

How To Use A Golf Ball Marker

According to the USGA Rules of Golf, “The position of a ball to be lifted should be marked by placing a ball marker, a small coin or other similar object immediately behind the ball.”, you may then lift your ball and clean it or just hold onto it until your next go. These rules also state that if the ball marker is interfering with the play or stroke of another player, it should be placed one or more clubhead-lengths to one side.

However, be careful when placing your golf ball marker, as if the marker is misplaced or you move your ball to a different spot, you will be penalized and have to take a penalty stroke.

Custom Golf Ball Markers

In recent years, golf ball markers have become individualised in both the professional and amateur game. Famously, Tiger Woods uses a 1932 US quarter dollar to represent the year his father was born and Phil Mickelson uses a silver dollar that belonged to his grandfather.

Here at gimmeballs, we offer a wide selection of golf ball markers, all of which can be customised with your logo, text or design.

Custom Logo Coin Maker

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Custom Logo Poker Chip

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Customisable Corporate Golf Box Lite

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To order a custom golf ball maker featuring your company logo, contact the gimmeballs team or click the button below!

Corporate Golf Accessories

Yes, in fact pro golfers can choose from a huge range of coloured balls during tournaments and competitions, as long as the ball they choose adheres to the rules set by the PGA.

Coloured golf balls are popular for their many benefits on the course, especially in terms of improved visibility. Why then do so few professional golfers choose to use them?

Why don’t pro golfers use coloured balls?

Like most sportspersons, pro golfers are creatures of habit; once they find the gear that works for them, they’re hesitant to make any changes.

This is especially true of the golf balls they use. Most professional golf players will opt for the classic white balls despite the practically endless colour options available.

There are lots of reasons why this might be, but the most likely reason is simply familiarity. Since the game’s inception, white golf balls have been the standard. Today’s pro golfers will have grown up watching professionals play with white balls on TV, so they favour the classic colourway as well.

With so many variables out of the player’s control, consistency is key in golf. If a player finds success with a particular ball, changing it could disrupt their performance. That’s why it’s so important to golfers that they keep the same ball from practice to tournament to ensure their best play.

Beyond player preference, brand sponsorship also plays a role. Brands often require players to use specific balls for promotional purposes, further contributing to the dominance of white balls on the professional circuit.

Do any PGA pros use coloured balls?

Despite growing openness to coloured balls, very few pro golfers use them. Let's take a look at some pro golfers who have used coloured golf balls throughout their careers:

• Bubba Watson is famous for his use of bright pink, green and yellow balls during major championships.
  
  
• Brian Cairns used yellow balls throughout his impressive career, winning three Michigan PGA titles, five Match Play titles and several team titles.
  
  
• Fred Couples used a yellow golf ball during one of the best rounds of his career when he made 12 birdies and shot 60 to win the 2022 SAS Championship.
  
  
• Paul Lawrie used a yellow ball when he hit the first shot of the 150th Open at St Andrews in 2022.
  
  
• Hale Irwin even used orange balls back as the 1970s!

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