10 Best Golf Books Written in 2022
Many of the golf courses built in the last 15 years have been so good, a lot of commentators regard this current period of creativity as golf course architecture’s second Golden Age. I can’t be the only one that has noticed that as the courses have gotten better so, apparently, has the writing. History gave […]
10 Great 18-hole Courses on Fewer Than 100 Acres
In January 1930, just 14 weeks after the Wall Street crash and the catastrophic collapse of the U.S. stock market, course architect Alister MacKenzie set sail from Hoboken, N.J., bound for Buenos Aires. During a roughly eight-week stay in South America, the Scotsman designed, or suggested improvements to, at least six courses in Argentina (including […]
The Conundrum of Centerline Bunkers
Redundant and poorly managed trees cop most of the criticism aimed at golf courses these days, but another feature many don’t care for is the bunker located in the middle of the fairway, known nowadays as “centerline” bunkers. Professionals regard them with total disdain because they swallow apparently good shots. Architect Bill Coore remembers the […]
6 Great Tom Weiskopf Courses You Can Play
Different generations will remember the great Tom Weiskopf for an impressive range of skills. Baby Boomers will likely recall his playing days best and forever savor the powerful, graceful swing the native Buckeye used to win 28 professional tournaments around the world, including 16 PGA Tour titles and the 1973 Open Championship at Royal Troon. […]
Great Public Golf in Alabama
The best known, or most visited, public golf courses in Alabama reside on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. It’s been 30 years since the first four sites, and 216 holes, opened for play; the final 18 was added in 2005 when Ross Bridge, all 8,191 yards of it, made it 11 sites—26 courses spanning […]
Great Mid-Atlantic Golf Resorts
Cozy, chill, and Intimate. Huge, hectic, and bustling. Whether they’re historic and full of character, or modern and full of activity, the amazing range of golf resorts in the Mid-Atlantic will fit whatever experience you’re after and however large your group is. Here’s half a dozen of the best, with some very honorable mentions. Seaview […]
Great Uphill Golf Holes
The uphill golf hole is not one we remember with any great fondness or affection. Frequently a grueling test, there’s usually at least one to be faced during a round, and we aren’t upset when it’s over. Course architect Thad Layton says great ones are like unicorns. Fellow architect Mike Hurdzan avoids them as best […]
My 10 Favorite Holes in England
There’s somewhere between 35,000 and 40,000 golf holes in England—not Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales) nor the United Kingdom (Great Britain and Northern Ireland), but just England—which is a few hundred square miles smaller than Alabama. So, you can imagine how often a bloke who’d played perhaps a quarter of those holes might rethink, […]
Great Downhill Golf Holes
Jack Nicklaus said golf is a better game when played downhill. The Golden Bear doesn’t speak for everyone of course, but he’s won more of the really big tournaments than anyone and is one of just a handful of architects to have worked on 300 courses or more. It doesn’t take a multi-major champion or […]
What Makes A Quirky Golf Hole?
It can mean different things and it’s hard to put a finger on its exact definition because so often it depends on our personal experience, its context, and the surroundings. But whatever words we use to describe “quirk,” one thing is for sure—we know it when we see it. The wonderful coastal courses in Cornwall, […]
