America’s First Muni: Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx
Municipal golf in America got its start in and around big cities. So, it’s only fitting that the oldest muni in the game—Van Cortlandt Park in New York—today has not one, but two highways cutting through an everyman course that has holes named after Babe Ruth and each of the Three Stooges. “Vanny,” as it’s […]
Why the Time is Now for Golfers to Visit Hawaii
As U.S. golf travel picks up steam again, no destination is in greater need of a shot in the arm than the Hawaiian Islands. Given its dependence on tourism, Hawaii saw its 2020 play plummet by 33 percent, missing out on the nationwide golf boom. It wasn’t until last October that the State of Hawaii […]
The Best Golf Rain Gear on the Market
I thought I was fully prepped for my first trip to Pinehurst. I’d packed several pairs of comfortable shoes, loaded up with plenty of golf balls and prepared an apparel “scripting” fit for a major championship. But when the skies opened on Day Three, during a bucket list round at No. 2, we realized the […]
5 Key Questions in Planning a Home Golf Simulator Set-Up
We know golf has become a popular pastime during the coronavirus era, but did you realize the net increase in off-course golf participants was twice that seen at courses themselves in 2020? And while the golf entertainment space and Topgolf continues to be a driver, the biggest rise is in the use of golf simulators, […]
8 Unique Critters & Creatures in Golf Course Logos
Playing golf around the Ring of Kerry in southwest Ireland is a bucket-list journey—the opportunity to play phenomenal links courses like Lahinch, Waterville, and Tralee. Yet one of the biggest surprises from my last trip was a wonderfully fun course called Dooks, which is stretched across sand dunes tucked into a stunning corner of Dingle […]
A Redan You Can Play in Blue Jeans: Charleston Muni
The first municipal golf course in South Carolina has a new look and new life after a $3 million renovation that was a passion project for architect Troy Miller, who got the chance to overhaul the 91-year-old Charleston Muni—a course he grew up playing and now lives next to with his family. The unique public-private […]
10 of Golf’s Most Impressive U.S. Clubhouses
The earliest clubhouse in golf has roots that go back to the 1700s in Scotland—not at St. Andrews, but near Leith Links and Bruntsfield Links in Edinburgh. It was home to the local member association of golfers, hence the name “club” house. Today, the clubhouse has become commonplace in golf, from grand and stately structures […]
Golf’s Recycled Ball Market is Big Business
Golf balls just might be the ultimate consumable in the sports world, with hundreds of millions lost every year—many after a single swing. Consider that over 500 million rounds were played in the U.S. alone in 2020, with the coronavirus bringing even more newcomers and rusty former players into the fold. It’s probably safe to […]
With The Lido’s Return, Which Other Extinct Courses Should Be Reborn?
One of golf’s most architecturally significant courses, The Lido, is being reborn in the sands of central Wisconsin. The original C.B. Macdonald design on the coast of Long Island was parceled off during the Great Depression and finally lost for good during World War II after the U.S. Navy took over the property as a […]
10 Top Par-3 Finishing Holes in the U.S.
Think about the most memorable finishing holes in golf. What springs to mind? For many, it might be par fives in spectacular settings like Pebble Beach and Kapalua. For others, it’s historic or rugged par fours, from the closer at the Old Course at St. Andrews to those at Whistling Straits, TPC Sawgrass, Harbour Town, […]
