[Kim Maengnyeong's Golf English Conversation] "High Altitude Golf Courses and Driving Distance"

Published 12 Nov.2021 08:16(KST)

High-altitude golf courses allow for 10% longer driving distances.

A golf ball has a diameter of 42mm and weighs 45g.

During flight, it is affected by wind, temperature, pressure, altitude, and humidity. At higher altitudes, air density decreases, which reduces resistance and increases driving distance. Generally, for every 100 meters increase in altitude, the driving distance increases by one yard.

At High1 Golf Club in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, which is the highest golf course in South Korea (located on Baegunsan Mountain at an altitude of 1,010 to 1,137 meters), the driving distance increases by 10 yards. Bolivia-La Paz Golf Club, located in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia, sits at an altitude between 3,277 and 3,342 meters. The highest golf course in the world is the Yak Golf Course in Kupup, East Sikkim, India, near the border of India and Pakistan.

It is located at an altitude of 3,730 meters (Yak Golf Course in Kupup, East Sikkim, is the highest at 13,025 feet), which is even higher than the summit of Mount Fuji in Japan. Mexico City, where the PGA Tour Mexico Championship is held, is situated at 2,300 meters above sea level, and Justin Thomas (USA) hit a 449-yard drive there. According to Steven Aoyama, head of research at Titleist, the formula for calculating increased driving distance due to altitude is to multiply the altitude (in feet) by 0.00116.

A: Where is the highest altitude golf course in the world?

B: According to Guinness World Records, the highest altitude golf course on Earth is Yak Golf Course in Kupup, East Sikkim, India.

A: How much does altitude affect your golf shots?

B: According to research, altitude in golf can increase your distance in the flight of the ball. It is believed that at higher altitudes, the distance is about 10% greater than on a normal golf course.