10 Can’t-Miss Adventures in San Diego
If you’re planning a trip to San Diego to experience the 2021 U.S. Open venue at Torrey Pines—or for any other reason—you’re in for a treat. Lots of treats, actually. San Diego is one of California’s most vibrant cities and the capital city of fun in the sun. With more than 250 days of sunshine […]
The Brilliance of Old Tom Morris
June 16, 2021, was Old Tom Morris’s 200th birthday. While almost every golfer knows his name, few know much about him, golf’s first true Renaissance man—the best golfer in the world, the go-to expert in setting out a course, the first course superintendent, maker of golf equipment. Royalty, golf course architects, and journalists knew that […]
10 Questions with Rocco Mediate
It was arguably Tiger Woods’s most iconic moment. The 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines has long been remembered as the ultimate David vs. Goliath showdown. Woods’s victory on a severely injured leg has left us with lasting images of a warrior fighting through pain. But just as memorable as Tiger’s excruciating performance was the […]
Golf’s Successful Father-Son Duos
The first thing that seven-year pro Michael Visacki did after burying a 20-foot putt in a sudden-death playoff to earn a Monday Qualifying spot in the 2021 Valspar Championship was call home. “I made it,” he told his father, tears rolling down his cheeks. “You did it? Oh my god. Oh my goodness. I’m crying. […]
All 18: A Photo Tour of Congaree Golf Club
Tom Fazio’s Congaree Golf Club—modeled after the courses of the Australian Sandbelt—is built for the ground game, characterized by firm and fast conditions, slippery runoffs into hazards, sharp bunker edges, and plenty of sand. Built in 2017, the private club, nestled 45 minutes inland from the South Carolina coast, has no rough, instead featuring 130 […]
The U.S. Open Returns to Torrey Pines South
It’s Torrey time again for the U.S. Open. Torrey Pines’s South course, the most celebrated municipal layout west of the Mississippi, takes center stage in mid-June for the second time. Thirteen years ago, Tiger Woods cemented forever Torrey’s reputation for tournament drama. His clutch 12-foot birdie putt at the par-five 72nd hole and subsequent 18- […]
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 […]
Q&A: Geoff Shackelford Reflects on “The Future of Golf”
Seventeen years ago, Geoff Shackelford was somewhat disillusioned with the direction golf was headed. The acclaimed golf commentator and author, and future Golf Channel analyst, had serious issues with the way the USGA was operating and had become indifferent toward professional tour golf which, he felt, was now a dreary procession of long drives and […]
LINKS Golf Podcast Ep. 85: LINKS Summer Issue Preview with Editor George Peper
The hosts review the across-the-pond features in the Summer 2021 issue on this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast, presented by Ashcroft Capital, including George’s “exclusive” interview with the Claret Jug. They also discuss 18 great courses in the shadow of the nine Open Championship venues, Old Tom Morris’s 200th birthday, and the best courses […]
A Golf Trip Around Washington, D.C.
The nation’s capital has enacted some capital golf, from center city to the lush surrounding hinterlands Golf has long been popular in and around Washington, D.C., for locals and lawmakers alike. A hundred years ago, it was mostly private clubs and there are still plenty left, including several presidential playgrounds. (If you think Donald Trump […]