Golf in Montego Bay, Jamaica: Round Up
On the 11th hole at Tryall Golf Club on the northwest coast of Jamaica, my ball lands beneath a tree with large round orbs popping out from the leaves. “Papaya?” I query my caddie, Howell. “Coconut,” he answers. “Not yet ripe.” Later, Howell points out breadfruit and mango trees. Then Cecil, another caddie, walks […]
The Good Life: Golf in Provence
When dining in the clubhouse at Pont Royal, one is obliged to meet the head chef, Thierry Candaele, a barrel-chested Frenchman with curly gray hair and abundant bonhomie. In the Gallic fashion he glides from table to table, doling out multilingual pleasantries, accepting well-erned compliments and making sure that all is just so. But […]
Playing Golf in Vietnam
More than three decades after the fall of Saigon, the Vietnam War is still foremost in the U.S. psyche, influencing movies, literature and even the most recent presidential election, in which John Kerry’s war record was a major issue. But in Vietnam, the “American War” is all but forgotten. With a young population—the median age […]
Where to Play Golf in Dubai
The moment I stepped off the plane in Dubai, I knew I was in a surreal place. Staring at me was a billboard from a firm called Damac, the largest real estate developer in the Middle East: “Buy a condominium and win your own private jet, your own private island. Free Bentley or BMW […]
From Sea to Tee – Set Sail on a Golf Cruise
You’re having breakfast on the teak veranda of your suite aboard the Silver Whisper, Silversea’s newest six-star floating hotel. The port of Nice slowly comes into view as you mentally prepare for your round at Royal Mougins Golf Club, one of the finest courses in Europe. The previous day, you teed off at one of […]
Set Sail on a Golf Cruise
When my wife, Ewa, and I were offered the chance to fill in as co-hosts aboard an 11-day Crystal Cruise golf-themed journey around the British Isles (good friend and PGA Tour TV essayist Jim Huber couldn’t make the trip and graciously suggested us), we jumped at the chance. It’s easy to see why. At […]
Memorable Courses and Spectacular Pacific Vistas in Maui
When you come to Maui on your next golf vacation, go ahead and leave your golf clubs at home, but don’t forget your camera. Because while the golf on Hawaii’s second largest island is spectacular, the dramatic setting is even more so. While you can rent golf clubs, and even golf shoes, at almost all the […]
Playing Augusta National as a Media Member
By Tom Cunneff The Masters is called a tradition unlike any other. Well, this was a day unlike any other. As eye opening as it was to see the course for the first time in 1999, I was even more flabbergasted to get to play it after winning a spot in the media-day lottery, which credentialed journalists are eligible […]
Pebble Beach vs. Pacific Dunes
By George Peper From the LINKS Magazine archives… They had really started to annoy me. As innocent and well-meaning as they were, they were also relentless—and so emphatic, so damned sure of themselves. For the better part of three years I had suffered their gushing pronouncements and smug sermons, nodding patiently and feigning enthrallment […]
How to play at Augusta National
What would you shoot at Augusta National? Hint: take your worse score ever and add 10 strokes