The Hero World Challenge is a celebration of everything good about golf. Albany is an idyllic venue in the Bahamian archipelago of New Providence, a mixture of sand and grass that offers an unlikely setting for golf and everything mirthful that characterizes the week.
There is an element of surprise that greets your eyes and soul as you walk the pristine course in Albany. Expectations of a shoreline and sea mist are quelled as soon as one sets foot on this inland desert course.
The Albany Championship Golf Course has absolutely no rough, the fairways and greens protected either by sand or water. The dunes undulate across the field, rising nearly 30 feet at their highest, feeling at times like you were standing in a small valley.
The fairways are narrow and long, so there is a premium on direction and distance. The ninth hole makes a good case in point to help us understand the course. It is an imposing 603 yards in length. A par-5 to test or reward the golfer, just before the turn. Sand on the left and water to the right make it important for the player to stay in the channel.
Hero World Challenge isn’t just about shooting low numbers and winning titles
Big rewards could come your way if you make the green in two or thereabouts. Anything wayward could prove costly with the lake on the right stretching nearly the length of the fairway.
With 18 of the best golfers in the world showcasing their skills this week, golf could be mistaken for an easy game. The ocean winds are the only real threat and when they stay mild, as has been the case this week, low scores become the norm.
But then the Hero World Challenge isn’t just about shooting low numbers and winning titles. The Tiger Woods Foundation run event brings together 18 of the best golfers in the world for a million dollar shootout with plenty of run off for the greater good of the community.
The TWF supports several community initiatives aiding the education and health of millions of children.
The iconic golfer’s foundation uses the week to strengthen its corpus and give back to the community in meaningful ways. The TWF supports several community initiatives aiding the education and health of millions of children.
Coming as it does at the far end of the sporting calendar, the Hero World Challenge is a pre-christmas celebration of golf and giving. On the one hand, it celebrates the excellent standards of this game, by cobbling together eighteen of the best golfers.
On the other, and more importantly, it is about the many good things golf can bring to the community through its enduring power to draw a loyal global audience.
