Finding Nature’s Fairways
I’m on quest to visit every national park, and one of my side-objectives is to turn the world into a giant golf course with each hole at a different national park. As I travel to each destination, I find an interesting piece of land, build a non-destructive play area, and golf exactly one hole. I’m stringing together 18 of these holes to build the most epic game of golf I’ll ever play.
The rules:
- 18 holes per round.
- Each hole is played at a different national park.
- Every hole must be entirely within the bounds of its park.
- The end of each hole is marked by a bottle (or some other non-destructive object).
- Holes can be replayed up to two times, and the best performance becomes the final score.
- Follow Leave-No-Trace.
The course (so far)
| 1 | Lake McDonald’s Rainbow Beach @ Glacier National Park |
| 2 | Frozen Lake Louise @ Banff National Park |
| 3 | Riverbanks @ Yellowstone National Park |
| 4 | Beneath the Giants @ Grand Teton National Park |
| 5 | On the Prairie @ Wind Cave National Park |
| 6 | Desert Mounds @ Badlands National Park |
| 7 | Croquet @ Gateway Arch National Park |
| 8 | The Great Sand Trap @ Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve |
| 9+ | Coming soon… |
Hole 1:
Lake McDonald’s Rainbow Beach
@ Glacier National Park
The west side of Glacier National Park is full of forested mountains, but the massive Lake McDonald sits calmly in the valley. I found hole #1 on the shallow shores of the west side of the lake a few steps from Apgar campground.
The rainbow pebble beaches are spacious enough for a challenging par three, and the water is clear and shallow enough to quell any fears about losing balls…just be prepared to swim. A log sits about 10 yards before the hole, which added a nice final challenge before getting to the (very white) “green”.
Par: 3
Distance: 130 yards
Roughness: High
My Scores: 5
Hole 2:
Frozen Lake Louise
@ Banff National Park
In the summer, Lake Louise is, well, a lake, but any other time of year it’s the perfect spot for a little golf hole. It’s basically impossible to lose any balls, just step carefully and check the ice’s thickness before heading out.
Par: 3
Distance: 110 yards
Roughness: High
My Score: 5
Hole 3:
Riverbanks
@ Yellowstone National Park
Finding an open, non-volcanic, bush-free patch of land in Yellowstone wasn’t easy, but the riverbanks of the Madison River proved to be a perfect spot. The only downside was the bison who laughed when I double-bogeyed the hole.
Par: 3
Distance: 140 yards
Roughness: Low
My Score: 5
Hole 4:
Beneath the Giants
@ Grand Teton National Park
Par: 4
Distance: 220 yards
Roughness: Medium
My Score: 4
While the left side of Grand Teton National Park is entirely mountainous, the right half is defined by a parkway that rolls through sprawling fields filled with elk. We found a good bit of land near the Teton Park Road and Parkway intersection.
While playing, we were stopped by a park ranger who saw us and assumed we were attacking bears with golf clubs. We eased her concerns, and she let us continue on our merry way.
Hole 5:
On the Prairie
@ Wind Cave National Park
Wind Cave is famous for its huge underground cave system, but up above you’ll find rolling hills filled with bison and prairie dogs. I found hole #5 near the Cold Brook Canyon Trailhead, which was a solid 2.8-mile hike recommended to me by a ranger.
The fields are easily spacious enough for a par 5, just watch out for dog holes and bison scat.
Par: 4
Distance: 200 yards
Roughness: Low
My Score: 5
Hole 6:
Desert Mounds
@ Badlands National Park
The Badlands are known for dusty canyon walls, fossils, bison, open fields, snakes, and prairie dogs. I wanted to make sure the hole I played here had minimal tall grass, and plenty of canyon walls in the backdrop. I found a perfect spot near the western trailhead of the castle trail, one of the few marked trails in the park.
We started the hole by climbing up a small 15-foot plateau, and teed-off using the small patch of grass on top.
Par: 4
Distance: 125 yards
Roughness: High
My Score: 8
Hole 7:
Croquet
@ Gateway arch national park
The Gateway Arch lawn might be the best single spot for a golf hole across all the national parks…except it might be better classified as croquet. It basically designs itself: start on the hill about 100 yards west of the arch, and finish directly beneath it. The field is super spacious, and it’s easy enough to wait for a break in the crowds.
Par: 3
Distance: 110 yards
Roughness: Low
My Score: 5
Hole 8:
The Great Sand Trap
@ Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Sand-wedge irons are a necessity at this hole, because there isn’t a blade of grass in sight. We built our hole using the spacious, sandy, flat area between the parking lot and the first dune, but in hindsight it would’ve been more fun to tee off from the top of a sandy peak.
Par: 4
Distance: 150 yards
Roughness: High?
My Score: 6
Holes 9 – 18 are coming soon…
other moments from the tour
the Long game and the short game
In golf, there are concepts of the “long game” and the “short game”. The long game is about the hard hits that set your path 95% of the way to the goal. The short game is that last 5%…the small, calculated, emotional movements that make or break the whole game. Both skills are required for success, as each fails without the other.
I think life has similar “long” and “short” games. Our lives are the longest things we’ll ever do, but time is just a series of short moments. This round of golf might take my entire life to complete, but now I know where to find at least 10 more short moments of epic-ness.
Cheers,
Chris
Chris Monteferrante 