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INVERNESS, Nova Scotia, Canada - Whenever I encounter a "DANGER" sign on the golf course, my curiosity piques and heartbeat quickens.
It's human nature to walk toward the sign and take a peek at why the warning is necessary. I've only seen such a sign a handful of times in my golf lifetime, including a few near alligator- and croc-infested water hazards. The most memorable danger signs I've found, though, were from three of the most dramatic clifftop holes I've ever played.
The latest discovery came last week in Nova Scotia, inspiring this story of golf's most thrilling - and dangerous - cliffside holes. Let's explore:
No. 16 - Cabot Cliffs at Cabot Cape Breton
I can't imagine playing the epic 16th at Cabot Cliffs from the 176-yard tips. It was scary enough from the 126-yard silver tees. All players see from the tee is a sliver of the right side of the green. The rocky cliffs against the backdrop of the Gulf of St. Lawrence command most of your attention. It's dramatic shots like these that cement Cabot Cliffs as the No. 1 course in Canada. Fearful of the chasm I had to carry, I took an extra club that sent my ball rolling into a backside bunker. It was an adventure from there, but at least I walked away with my original ball.
No. 8 - Pebble Beach Golf Links
Of course, every golf fan is familiar with the approach shot to the 8th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links on northern California's famed Monterey Peninsula. The best tee shots come as close to the cliff as possible, leaving players a shorter approach to the green on the other side. Since Jordan Spieth tempted fate with a scary shot near the edge during the 2022 Pebble Beach Pro Am, the rough has been grown out to catch balls before they get too close to trouble.
No. 4 - Old Head Golf Links
Perhaps no golf course in the world delivers more stunning clifftop scenery than Old Head Golf Links, located on a promontory that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean along Ireland's southeast coast. I could have chosen to profile any number of its clifftop holes, but the par-4 fourth stands out in my mind. Several "danger" signs line the left side of the green. Any shot pulled in that direction is in peril of plummeting 200 feet to the ocean below.
No. 15 - Cape Kidnappers
The 650-yard 15th hole at Cape Kidnappers on New Zealand's North island is aptly called "Pirate's Plank" since players walk an ever-narrowing finger of land out to its green. While the view from there is incredible, it's even more legendary from the air. The Tom Doak design celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024. I didn't see any danger signs when I played it in 2013, but every move I made on and around the green felt like I was one misstep away from tragedy.
No. 12 - Manele
I really debated which hole deserved this final spot. Since I haven't played The Highlands at McLemore, the new resort in the Georgia mountains, or Thracian Cliffs in Bulgaria, I went with Manele on the Hawaiian island of Lanai over the gorgeous cliffs of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula at Quivira and TPC Danzante Bay. The sight of the par-3 12th hole is so beautiful, Bill Gates got married there in 1994. My lasting memory isn't hitting the green in reg both times I played it in 2022. It was dragging a 12-foot-tall ladder out to the tee box to take a few photos after my rounds. I made sure to set up the ladder far enough away from the cliffs in case a gust of wind blew me over. Who says being a golf journalist isn't a dangerous job?
What clifftop hole stands out in your memory? Let us know in the comments below.
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