Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/130253
5/9/13 8:52 AM Page 1 FROM THE FRINGE COMPILED BY iG EDITORS Golfing Amazon Style In the campy British "Carry On" movies of the 1960s, there was a scene where the explorers emerge from a jungle trail to the find themselves in the middle of civilization. Little did Birmingham, England native and past Vancouver resident Mike Collis realize that he would write his own golfing version when he decided to move to Iquitos, Peru. "Iquitos was then a town without a golf course, Collis recalls. "Other expats like me missed the Amazon River, an annual event that now attracts teams from around the world. So the idea of putting a golf course in a community where virtually no-one had ever held a club might not have been as daunting as first thought. It started with getting more than 60 "Founder Members" from14 different countries to buy shares and fund construction. Once they had the financing in place, a site was selected and work started on the Amazon Golf Club. Volunteers and workers carved holes out of second growth jungle taking every precaution possible to limit ecological disturbance and, four long years after breaking GREENS HERE ARE ELEVATED ground, the first WITH GOOD REASON official golfer, our golf so much that in January, 2004 Johan Ohrling of Sweden tee'd it up we decided to found our own." May 1st, 2008 on a 2,500-yard, 9 hole Given that this was the world's largest layout that included 4 par threes, 4 parcity without any road access, this might fours and 1 par-five. seem a tough undertaking but Collis Still if you plan to follow in Johan's foot had already proven that he could get steps you should remember this is not things done. In 1999 Mike had come your mother's golf course. At the up with the idea of a rafting race down Amazon Club, it's not so much about New Meaning For Water Hazard Now we head down under to a course where the "Jaws" are a little bigger... Cue the ominous music. Since the 1990s, there had been rumours of sharks in the ponds and lakes on the back nine of the Carbrook Golf Club in Queensland, Australia. At that time, flooding of the nearby Logan River had resulted in water covering the course for an extended period of time. As the water level dropped, large numbers of fish were trapped in the area near Brisbane's many creeks and lakes. Rumours began to circulate of a bull shark being seen in the lake. While it may have only been rarely sighted, it was often talked about. Then in more recent years, the sightings became a regular occurance, often with more than one being seen at a time. Eventually, photographic evidence was gathered and the club actually took on the sharks as almost mascots. Their website has videos of the cartilaged "I'm going to dine on "I m this forever. What other golfer can claim to have lost a fingertip to a pirahna while playing golf?" birdies and eagles; it's more about the boas, 'gators and piranhas. This is likely the only course in the world where golfers are provided with a machete before they tee off and warned about the wildlife. "We always, always tell golfers not to retrieve balls from the water traps unless they really are intent on feeding the local wildlife," says Collis. One visitor who did not heed this advice will have a reminder for the rest of his life. In 2008, David Parry from Wales, a 7-handicapper who tried to retrieve a ball from the pond near to the 2nd green. He recalls, "I could see my ball lying in about 6" of water and decided to lift it out rather than lose a ball. As I put my left hand in to grab the ball, in an instant, a piranha came out of the shadows and bit off the tip of my little finger. It didn't hurt at first but it did later, and as blood dripped into the water a whole shoal of the blighters appeared." Still David Parry was fairly sanguine about his loss, "I'm going to dine on this forever. What other golfer can claim to have lost a finger tip to a piranha while playing golf?" critters. Also included are some still pictures that clearly show multiple sharks cruising around pipes that drain the fifteenth fairway/ The sharks of Carbrook even have a club tournament named after them, the "Sharklake Challenge" An open competition held on the last Wednesday of each month, the course is set up to its full length and the pin positions are set to hard. Call it a Aussie version of an "ironman" event. Players who play better than their handicap receive a Sharklake Challenge Polo Shirt. Are these sharks dangerous? You bet. Well known for their unpredictable, often aggressive behavior, they may be more dangerous to humans than any other IMAGES COURTESY FACILITY iG1304--proof Collis observed, "Mr Parry was very lucky. The fish could have easily taken the whole finger... or more." One group of people who would not need to be given advice about the dangers of the jungle would be the locals... and getting local Peruvians to play is also a major goal for the course. There are special discounts for Peruvian players age 25 and younger to encourage them to get involved. Green fees for guests are $25 for 18 holes and that includes 12 balls, clubs, and machete. Additional balls are $1 each. They ask that if you can to bring extra balls to leave as they are hard to come by. If coming to the Peruvian jungle might be a little too far to go just to play golf, they have also put together great 6 to 9 day packages where they arrange everything from flights from Lima to accommodation to golf at the course to a 3-day river tour down the Amazon. The Amazon Golf Club has a very entertaining blog where you keep up with developments at the course. Visit amazongolfcourse.com for more. species of shark. The bull shark is common worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts and in rivers and can survive in fresh water. While the ones at Carbrook look like they may only be around 2.5 meters (6-feet) in length, they can grow up to 3.5m (11ft, 6in). Like most courses, they have a scuba diver who has the golf ball contract for the course and regularly goes into the lakes. According to one local resident who writes a regional blog, "I live just down the road from here. Have you seen the guy that dives there collecting the golf balls? He's one brave and crazy mf." Either that or he's the Great White version of Crocodile Dundee. 25