The Best Blind Shots in the British Isles
Golf is a hard game—a ruinous game. Making a 1.68-inch ball arrive somewhere near its intended target is often an exercise in futility even for the best of players. When you can’t see that target, or even if it’s just partially obscured, your task can become that much more unnerving. Some golfers accept the challenge […]
A Golf & Whiskey Tour of Ireland
Few things are more revered in Ireland than its golf and its whiskey. Visitors to the Emerald Isle should take advantage of the opportunity to experience this match made in heaven by combining whiskey distillery tours with visits to the best nearby courses. (I recommend that you schedule your distillery visits for after you’ve played your […]
Course Closeup: 2022’s FedExCup Playoff Venues
In most sports, playoff venues are determined by the teams who qualify for them: places like Yankee Stadium, Lambeau Field, and Boston Garden. But the FedExCup Playoffs are different. Nineteen different courses have hosted the PGA Tour’s season-ending playoff series. Up until 2019, players did battle over four different courses each year en route to […]
Unique Food to Try on a Trip to Scotland
Whether you’re venturing to Scotland to attend an Open Championship or to take on its storied links courses, the adventures awaiting you won’t be confined to the golf course. While not generally regarded as a top destination for gastronomy tourists, the Scots eat well and so do their guests. Scottish cuisine is wide-ranging—that is, if […]
What’s in a Name? The 18 Holes of the Old Course
Golf historians may quibble over where the game was invented, but when it comes to charting the origin of the game as we know it today, most will concede that St. Andrews is the acknowledged Home of Golf. Golf has been played there since the early 15th century over common land that today is held […]
The Golf Clubs of St. Andrews
Anyone who has ever had the privilege of playing the Old Course at St. Andrews—or has watched Open Championships being played there on TV—will be familiar with the stately clubhouse that stands watch from just behind the first tee. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews has a long and proud history, and […]
12 Great Public Golf Courses Around Boston
Beantown has a proud golf history that begins well before Francis Ouimet’s upset win in the 1913 U.S. Open. The city is home to America’s second-oldest golf course, the William J. Devine Course at Franklin Park. (Bobby Jones played there whilst pursuing his English degree at Harvard.) Oakley Country Club in nearby Watertown was the […]
Top 10 Golf Travel Bags
If you’re making plans to tee it up on distant dunes or shores, you may be in the market for a new golf travel bag. Fortunately, you’ve got a lot of good choices at every price point—so there’s no reason why your clubs shouldn’t travel first class. Here are my top 10 choices. Pick the […]
Great Holes of the British Isles: 11th, St. Andrews (Old), “Eden”
Bobby Jones is widely regarded as one of golf’s foremost gentlemen. The stories of Jones’s sportsmanship and convivial manner are legion, and the reverence with which he is lauded seldom flags. But there was one hole that caused the good Mr. Jones to completely lose it: the 11th hole of the Old Course at St. […]
The Old Course’s Baddest Bunkers
When Tiger Woods won his first Open Championship in 2000 at the Old Course at St. Andrews, people marveled at his 8-shot margin of victory. But what’s arguably more impressive is the fact that not once during the four days did he hit into a bunker. This would be remarkable on any golf course, but […]
