It sounds like golf’s version of mood swings, with the lowest of lows and highest of highs over the course of a single day. But where mood swings aren’t your friend, the Hell 2 Heaven Golf Challenge, scheduled for June-12-14, is a first-of-its-kind event destined to be a marriage made in, ahem, Heaven.
The adventure commences in Sin City where daring participants will board a deluxe motor coach for a 3-day/2-night journey to Death Valley and Mammoth Lakes and be guaranteed a bag full of lowlights and highlights, including a one-day, 36-hole competition on two of the most contrasting courses imaginable on the planet.
“My golf getaways have taken me around the world playing bucket-list courses, but my adventurous alter ego seeking an out-of-the-box golf experience discovered one close to home where Mother Nature created an unbelievable backdrop for a tournament that cannot be duplicated anywhere else in the world,” said Picture PARfect’s Robert Kaufman, the tournament’s chief architect.
Welcome to Hell: The first 18 holes will be contested at Furnace Creek Golf Course, the world’s lowest elevated course situated at 214 feet below sea level in Death Valley National Park, a destination ruthlessly scorched year-round by sunrays with summer temperatures routinely reach 115-plus degrees (F). For us mere mortals, that qualifies this region as Hell, as well as deserving its own ring in Dante’s Inferno.
Redemption: Feeling heated over your morning round? Prepare to atone during the afternoon round at Sierra Star Golf Course, based within the four-season wonderland of Mammoth Lakes.
Following a 4-5 hour drive from the desert inferno, enter another universe high in the Eastern Sierra with ideal summertime temperatures and swing around the highest elevated course in the Golden State at 8,000 feet. Don’t forget to shift club selection strategy due to the altitude change. After playing in the valley of death, this mountain playground is a heaven to die for.
Up for the challenge? The Hell 2 Heaven Golf Challenge is a benefit for the Prostate Cancer Foundation and open to all golfers of any skill level. The all-inclusive package (accommodations, golf, meals, prizes, plus much more) costs $1,950 for a two-person team. The winning team will earn a 4-day/3-night golf getaway package to The Boulders Resort & Spa in Arizona.
For more information, visit www.hell2heavengolfchallenge.com.
