Extreme experience for Miss World contestants

Miss World contestants - including Miss England and Miss Scotland - have tackled the world’s most exhilarating golf hole – the Extreme 19th at Legend Golf & Safari Resort, South Africa.

A selection of girls each had a go at trying to hit the green on the iconic hole, where the tee sits an incredible 430 metres above the green and is accessible only by helicopter.

From the breathtaking tee on the top of Hanglip mountain in the 22 000 ha Entabeni Safari Conservancy in the Limpopo, South Africa, the girls not only had to try and negotiate the 361 metre shot but land the ball on a green shaped and contoured like the African continent.

After all 112 contestants were put through their paces with a golf putting lesson from David Riddle, director of golf at the resort, five of the most competent players were given the opportunity to play the world’s longest par three golf hole.

England’s Laura Coleman, who has previously worked at Stapleford Park GC, Scotland’s Stephanie Willemse, Anne-Kathrin Walter from Germany, Paraguay’s Gabriela Mercedes Rejala Llanes and Ly Truong Thien Duong from Vietnam were the lucky girls to have a go.
Miss Vietnam showed her sporting prowess by hitting her shot an incredible 400m from the tee but pulled her shot left into the jungle and missed the green. Scotland’s Willemse also came close with a 320m effort but again the ball sailed off and she missed to the left.

Miss England’s effort sailed off in the direction of the Asian Sub-Continent while Miss Germany and Miss Paraguay both had respectable shots but came up short at 150m.

In missing the green, the girls were in good company as a number of tour stars have also tried and failed to land on the putting surface, while just two golfers have made Par.

All 112 Miss World contestants have spent six days at the Legend Golf & Safari Resort at Entabeni, learning a variety of tracking and ranger safari skills as well as brushing up on their golf game.

Coleman said: “It was an amazing experience to play the Extreme 19th at Legend. Having to take a helicopter up to the tee is incredible and I’ve never heard of anything like it.

“The views are unbelievable from the top and the green looks like a tiny speck when you are teeing off. It would have been great to have hit the green but it was a fantastic experience just to have been up there.”
Willemse added: “The Extreme 19th is without doubt the most incredible golf hole I have ever seen. It’s a once in a lifetime experience and the fact that the green is shaped and contoured like Africa is a great touch.”

Miss Vietnam said: “I just wanted to get up there and hit it as hard as I could. I caught the ball really well and thought it had a chance but it went left and landed in the jungle.”

The Extreme 19th at the Legend Golf & Safari Resort is the ultimate golf challenge and sits next to a unique golf course, where each of the 18 holes has been designed one of the world’s leading golfers. The list of signatures who have been honoured to design a hole reads like a who’s who of world golf - Trevor Immelman, reigning US Masters Champion; Padraig Harrington, reigning British Open and US PGA champion; Bernard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Justin Rose, Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia and Retief Goosen to name but a few. The unique 18 signature golf course is due to open for play in March 2009 but is already one of the most talked about in Africa.

For more information, log on to Legendlodges.co.za.