12 Questions with “The Open Doctor” Rees Jones
The U.S. Open has returned to the South Course at Torrey Pines; however, the 7,802-yard coastal layout that will challenge the world’s best players bears little resemblance to the course that first opened for play in 1957. Twenty years ago, Rees Jones—affectionately known as “The Open Doctor” for his restorative and redesign efforts that transform […]
5 Boutique Putters Actually Worth Considering
Golfers have an irrational obsession with their drivers, especially now as PGA Tour television broadcasts and equipment manufacturers are emphasizing ball speeds above any other metric. Tour players can do that, since they’re all capable putters. Even the 200th ranked putter on tour—by Strokes Gained standards—averages slightly less than 30 putts per round. The average […]
The Lesser-Known Golf Courses at Kiawah Island
The Ocean Course, host of the 103rd PGA Championship and one of Pete Dye’s seminal works which was completed just in time to host the Ryder Cup in 1991 (and previously hosted the PGA Championship in 2012), may be the crown jewel at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, but the luxurious resort’s four additional courses collectively […]
7 Exceptional Holes that Bring the Ocean into Play
In his fictional work The Old Man and the Sea, author Ernest Hemingway described the ocean as “something that gave or withheld great favors.” He also opined that the sea could do “wild or wicked things,” but that such things could not be avoided. While the novella chronicled the heroic and sometimes futile attempts of […]
The Most Underrated Holes at Famous Courses
Each year when Masters week approaches, the golfing world transfixes its attention on Augusta National Golf Club. Golf enthusiasts picture the fairways and greens of Amen Corner or perhaps the club’s idyllic 16th hole. Similarly, when other widely acclaimed courses like TPC Sawgrass or the Old Course at St. Andrews come to mind, they conjure […]
Three Golf Resorts with Exceptional Whiskey Collections
A round of golf played at a premier, bucket-list course warrants a commemorative round of drinks at its conclusion. While there are dozens of golf resorts that meet that bucket-list criteria, some are better equipped to provide an equally thrilling post-golf round of cocktails—especially when rarefied whiskies are the libation of choice. So, if your […]
5 of the Longest Courses in the U.S.
It was expected that the 2020 U.S. Open played on the West course at Winged Foot Golf Club would reveal the flaws in the current obsession for more power shared by the many Tour players seeking faster swing speeds and bigger, longer drives—that nothing would parry those fixations on chart-topping ball speeds more effectively than […]
Dramatic Par Threes: One-Shot Wonders
Whether it requires a mere flip of a wedge or a big swing with a fairway wood, a par-three hole has the ability to not only immortalize a golf course—it can define a player’s entire round. “It’s what we remember because it’s only one shot,” resort developer Mike Keiser says of a par three. “They’re […]
