Top 10 Courses: North Carolina
From the courses in Pinehurst to the host venue of the 2025 PGA Championship—here are our top 10 golf courses in North Carolina 1. PINEHURST NO. 2, Pinehurst Donald Ross’s masterpiece continues to top the list, thanks to a dramatic Coore & Crenshaw renovation that eliminated acres of Bermudagrass rough, allowing the course’s best asset—its […]
Arch 101: How Bunkers Look
The highest form of the art of golf course architecture is blending the design seamlessly into the surrounds through the use of shaping/grading or vegetation. I certainly feel that way about bunkers. Perhaps, in my case, it is a nod to the original eroded, burrowing animal scrapes from which the sand bunker evolved. However, as […]
LINKS Golf Podcast Episode 65: In-Depth on Big Cedar Lodge
Digital Editor Al Lunsford recaps his trip to Missouri’s Big Cedar Lodge and the Payne’s Valley Cup in this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast. Al talks to Big Cedar’s Assistant Director of Golf Sales and Marketing Matt McQueary, who gives a detailed guide to how one should plan to explore the golf and much […]
LINKS Golf Podcast Episode 64: Ranking the World’s Golf Countries with Darius Oliver
Planet Golf’s Darius Oliver joins the LINKS Golf Podcast from Australia to detail his LINKS Magazine series “Ranking the World”—where he ranked the nations of the world (outside of the U.S.) according to the quality of their golf. Darius, who has played more than 2,000 golf courses worldwide, shares some of his favorite U.S. states for […]
LINKS Golf Podcast Episode 63: A Golf Trip to Provence
On this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast, LINKS contributor David DeSmith talks to Digital Editor Al Lunsford about the golf, gastronomy, and much more from his trip to France’s famed southeastern corner of Provence—the subject of David’s feature piece in the Fall issue of LINKS Magazine. You can subscribe to the LINKS Golf Podcast […]
LINKS Golf Podcast Episode 62: A Member’s Guide to Winged Foot
LINKS President and Publisher Jack Purcell joins Digital Editor Al Lunsford on the show to provide an insider’s perspective on Winged Foot, where Jack has been a member for more than 30 years. Jack gives the scoop on the preparation of the West course for this year’s U.S. Open, the things players need to do […]
LINKS Golf Podcast Episode 61: In-Depth on Sand Valley
Digital Editor Al Lunsford reports live from Sand Valley Golf Resort in Wisconsin, part of the Dream Golf umbrella, in this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast. Al interviews Sand Valley General Manager Michael Carbiener about the resort’s two top 100 public golf courses, the activities and amenities available to guests beyond golf, and what’s […]
LINKS Golf Podcast Episode 60: Dream Nine: Par Fives with Ryan Asselta
LINKS Insider contributor Ryan Asselta is back to discuss the final installment of his “Dream Nine” series on this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast. Ryan and Digital Editor Al Lunsford take turns listing the nine holes they would include on their “Dream Nine” layouts made entirely of par five holes from around the world. […]
LINKS Golf Podcast Episode 59: Pinehurst Revisited Plus an Interview with Director of Golf Ben Bridgers
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Digital Editor Al Lunsford recaps a week-long trip to Pinehurst in this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast. The host assesses what has changed about the resort since he last visited in 2013. Later in the episode, Al sits down with Pinehurst Director of Golf Ben Bridgers who dishes on the must-dos while in Pinehurst, […]
LINKS Golf Podcast Episode 58: Tobacco Road and The Cradle—A Unique Day of Golf in Pinehurst
In this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast, Digital Editor Al Lunsford and his father, Greg, report live from Pinehurst, N.C. on a unique day of golf playing Mike Strantz’s Tobacco Road in the morning, followed by multiple loops on The Cradle short course and the Thistle Dhu putting course at Pinehurst Resort in the […]