Forrest Richardson: The Innovative ASGCA President
He’d never say it, never hint at, or even joke about it. He’d reject the idea absolutely, in fact, and ask that you never repeat it. But technically, in a manner of speaking, it could be argued—quite convincingly actually—that Forrest Richardson is currently the highest-ranking golf course architect in America. No, he’s not the best-known […]
American Dream Courses: Best of the Rest
Regular readers will know the emphasis of the “American Dream” series—highlighting really good golf where everyone is welcome and everyone can afford to play—has not been on identifying notable, affordable golf in every state, but rather in each of nine regions around the country: Southeast, Deep South, Southwest, Northwest, Mountain West, Midwest (West), Midwest (East), […]
In Review: Stephen Proctor’s Monarch of the Green
It was Christmas 2008, and Stephen Proctor was heading home to Florida. In order to make the flight from San Francisco more tolerable, he entered a bookshop, hoping to find something that would make those tedious five hours fly by. He did a double-take as he scanned the shelves and caught sight of Kevin Cook’s […]
American Dream Courses: Deep South
This is our version of the American Dream—really good golf where everyone is welcome and everyone can afford to play. I’ve had the good fortune to play quite a bit in the Deep South and don’t remember a course I haven’t liked (granted I don’t go looking for bad golf courses). Here’s a dozen great […]
“Getting to 18”: Tom Doak’s Invaluable Addition to the Golf Library
A relatively small, though certainly important, part of a golf course architect’s job is deciding on a hole’s cosmetics, or how it’s going to look. A more important layer for most is its strategy, or how it’s going to play. By far the most crucial consideration, however, as it pertains to the functional, operational, and […]
American Dream Courses: Mid-Atlantic
There have been times the boundaries of the regions we’ve covered in this series have been rather stretched. The Northeast featured Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey—states I have since discovered could actually be considered part of the Mid-Atlantic. So not only does this article about the Mid-Atlantic not include Pennsylvania, New York, and New […]
How Can You Spot Fake Clubs?
What are the risks of shopping for clubs online, and how do you ensure you’re not buying fake clubs? Here is a guide.
The Untold Story of Golf Course Shapers
Though they prefer to remain out of the spotlight, you often read about them. Highly skilled and invariably obsessive about the quality of their work, their role on the typical golf course construction site has evolved greatly in recent years to the point where they are now considered more than just simple earth-movers, but rather […]
American Dream Courses: Northeast
The Northeast is the home of old golf in America—where guest passes are prized like Willy Wonka’s golden tickets. But for every secluded Devereux Emmet, Walter Travis, Alexander Findlay, or Willie Campbell design there are plenty of excellent public courses anyone can play. This is our version of the American Dream—really good golf where everyone […]
QuickSands — How Much Fun Can You Handle?
I’m standing on the tee of the downhill 13th at the new QuickSands Course at Gamble Sands in central Washington, thinking that putter is probably the play. No question, actually. Really, the 13th sums up the tantalizing challenge of QuickSands perfectly. The hole may be playing 92 yards, but the tee sits about 50 feet […]
