Longest Par Fives on the PGA Tour

GOLF has become obsessed with length. It is hardly surprising when you consider the distances that the likes of Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama hit the ball. And you have to wonder where it will ever end when you hear that Dustin Johnson hit a golf ball 439 yards at the 2017 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Unsurprisingly, courses are getting longer as architects aim to reel things back in.

The next time you stand on the tee at the longest hole on your course and wonder how on earth you are going to reach the green in three blows, you might want to stop for a moment and consider some of the monsters located around the globe.

The longest hole in the UK is believed to be the 16th hole at Hamptworth Golf and Country Club in Wiltshire, which measures a whopping 666 yards and is a par six. It is believed to be the longest hole in the UK. It was previously a 570-yard hole but course owner Carl Faulds thought it might be "fun" to expand it.

"We had the space to take the tee back. We were able to extend it to 666 yards and we called it 'The Beast' for obvious reasons. It actually plays longer than 666 yards because it is hilly. We believe this is the only par six n the country, and it has certainly attracted a lot of interest." Anybody who 'Beats the Beast' by making a birdie – or better – will receive a certificate to mark their achievement.

The 18th at Crondon Park was the longest hole in the country at 647-yard. Although it has now lost that title, the club can push the tee back more than 200 yards for special occasions.

On the PGA Tour there are now more than 20 par fives that measure in excess of 600 yards. Here are 10 of the longest.

608 yards,16th, Liberty National GC, home of The Barclays. Will be the scene of some high drama during the 2017 Presidents Cup. Guaranteed! No doubt Johnson will be going in with a driver and an eight iron!

613 yards, 9th, Torrey Pines (South), Farmers Insurance Open. Tiger Woods has won seven times at Torrey Pines and just loves this hole

616 yards, 9th, Montreux G&CC, Reno-Tahoe Open. The longest and straightest hole on the course features a lake to the left of the fairway. There is a massive bunker to the right of the green on a hole that is normally played with a following wind, so most players reach it in two mighty blows

616 yards, 17th, TPC Old White, Greenbrier Classic. Despite its fearsome length, the 17th plays the second easiest hole on the course during Greenbrier week

630 yards, 18th, Trump International, Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Open. You need to be fit get around Trump International - the 16th is 600 yards long, and just when you have recovered from that you climb aboard the final tee and face this 630-yard monster

635 yards, 11th, Colonial Country Club, Crowne Plaza Invitational. A narrow fairway wends its way through an avenue of trees, with bunkers waiting for anybody who decides to have a go in two shots

636 yards. 9th, Congressional CC (Blue), AT&T National. Miss the fairway here and you are going to be in big trouble because the rough is thick

636 yards, 17th, Montreux G&CC, Reno-Tahoe Open. More trees, more water and more bunkers. Oh yes, and the hole plays slightly uphill. On the plus side, it almost always plays downwind. Here's a thought - the ninth and 17th holes at Montreux measure a combined 1,252 yards, which is further than some people go on holiday

663 yards, 18th, Kapalua Plantation Course, Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Players routinely reach this green with a driver or three wood and a mid iron. The reason? It plays downhill and is statistically the easiest hole on the course

667 yards, 16th, Firestone Golf Club, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Charley Hoffman, who is not a noted long hitter, went through the green with a drive and a three wood in the final round in 2017

Nullarbor Links in Australia is the longest golf course in the world. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to negotiate this 18-hole par 72 course as it stretches more than 800 miles across the Eyre Highway which links West Australia with South Australia across the Nullarbor Plain. Don't ever again complain about the distance you have to walk between holes - there is an average 40 miles between each hole here.

It stretches from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia to Ceduna in Southern Australia, with players getting the chance to stop off at 18 different towns and cities. It opened in August 2009.

The longest hole in the world is the 1,097-yard par seven at Gunsan Country Club in South Korea. As if that weren't tough enough, water runs all the way down the left.