4 Need-to-Know Numbers About Recreational Golf’s Health in 2023
The pro game we watch and read about is not what underpins the overall golf business. Sure, the best golfers in the world boost the popularity of the game and its trappings—equipment, apparel, and so on—but recreational players are at its core. There’s a reason golf is one of the nation’s biggest participation sports and […]
Classic Courses: Cherry Hills Country Club
In time for its centennial—and the upcoming U.S. Amateur—this Denver nugget unveils an aesthetic and strategic renovation Cherry Hills Country Club, on the outskirts of Denver, has firmly established itself over the past century as one of the true classic courses in American golf. The William Flynn design was the first course west of Minneapolis […]
10 New International Golf Course Openings to Know for 2023
When it comes to new golf course development, there’s a lot more going on outside the U.S. than inside—from just north of the border in Canada and traditional golf spots in the UK to growing golf markets like Vietnam, and far-flung destinations like New Zealand and Mauritius. Here’s a sampling of 10 noteworthy projects scheduled […]
9 New U.S. Course Openings in 2023
Given the wealth of golf options in the U.S., which has more places to play than the next 10 best-supplied countries combined, new course openings are exceedingly limited. As a result, it’s only natural there’s added excitement among golfers when it comes to the latest and greatest in new design. A glance around the golf […]
Pinehurst No. 10: From Pit to “Field of Dreams”
About four miles south of the Pinehurst Resort’s main clubhouse is a sprawling 900-acre property that Pinehurst’s owners, the Dedman family, purchased in 2011. Part of that land, a former sand mine, for two-and-a-half decades was home to a polarizing, now-closed golf course called The Pit. Today, it’s what Pinehurst President Tom Pashley calls the […]
High Pointe: Tom Doak’s First Course Is Coming Back from the Dead
High Pointe Golf Club was among the course casualties of the Great Recession, closing in 2008 amid the global financial crisis. The demise of this particular course, located just outside Traverse City in Northern Michigan, was notable for a couple of reasons. First, it was purchased by a company named MI Local Hops and many […]
9 Unique Par-Three Opening Holes
The back nine at Pacific Grove Golf Links has gotten a lot of recognition over the years as a municipal course located along the same dramatic Monterey Peninsula coastline as Pebble Beach. But the front nine is special in its own right, particularly the start. One of the game’s great munis, Pacific Grove opens with […]
Most Expensive Green Fees in Golf
In the foothills of the Santa Rosa Mountains near Palm Springs, Calif., is a desert oasis that used to be one of billionaire Larry Ellison’s private estates. After two decades as a mystery-shrouded enclave with one of the most exclusive golf courses in the country, the property—Sensei Porcupine Creek—has been turned into a super-high-end, luxury […]
10 of the Best U.S. Courses with No Water
Ask most golfers about the type of hazard that beckons most ominously during a round and there’s a good chance they’ll go with “water;” from oceans, bays, and Great Lakes to rushing rivers, tranquil streams and man-made ponds that can swallow golf balls by the thousands. At the same time, water can bring an undeniably […]
18 of the Best 27-Hole Golf Courses in the U.S.
When you think of a golf course, it’s natural that 9- or 18-hole layouts spring to mind. But what about 27 holes? More specifically, those facilities that have three 9-hole courses of fairly equal quality, to the point where if you’re only playing 18 holes, you wouldn’t really care which of the loops you were […]