By ED STONE
OTBCP Guest Blogger
In 1927, a date-palm caretaker laid out three holes of golf at what is now the Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort in Death Valley, California. Little did he know he was building the world's lowest golf course at 214 feet below sea level. The course was expanded to nine holes by 1931 and eventually
evolved into a full 18-hole layout.
Big changes came in 1997 when Perry Dye, oldest son of noted architect Pete Dye, was hired to
renovate the course. Nowadays, the renovated Furnace Creek Golf Course measures 6,236 yards from the blue tees (the tips) and offers a most challenging round for all levels of players.
I must warn you that because of the area's greater gravity and barometric pressure, your golf ball will not travel as far as you normally hit it. The course is fairly tight with tree-lined palms and tamarisks. Water comes into play on nine holes and several fairways parallel each other allowing space for those not always hitting the middle of fairways. Most of the greens are small with some interesting undulations.
In spite of its name, Death Valley is very much alive and is home to more than 1,000 plant species and 51 species of native mammals, 307 species of birds, 36 species of reptiles, three species of amphibians and five species of native fish. The majority of the golf course land was once an alfalfa field providing feed for the mules hauling borax out of Death Valley to Mojave for processing.
It was the Pacific Coast Borax Co. that introduced tourism to Death Valley. With the number of people coming in and out of the valley for mining operations, there was a need for respectable lodging. The company hired Albert Martin of Los Angeles to design and create the mission-style structure so guests could enjoy a spectacular view of Death Valley.
In February of 1927, Furnace Creek Inn opened with 12 guest rooms, a dining room and lobby area. Back then, rates were $10 per night and included meals. During the next eight years, 54 more rooms were added. In 1929 the resort began using Travertine Spring for generating electricity and water for a new swimming pool.
Today, this spring flows through the pool and is used to irrigate the inn's gardens. The inn is one of those "comfortable elegant" places where you feel special. It carries an AAA Four-Diamond rating with most rooms overlooking Death Valley.
For more information on the world's lowest golf course and its four-diamond lodging options, visit www.furnacecreekresort.com.
Guest blogger Ed Stone is founder and editor of Go Golf & Travel.com, one of the more popular golf travel sites on the Internet. The website address is: www.gogolfandtravel.com.
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