Ben Wright: Frequent Flier
Gary Player is as much a legend for the countless miles he has traveled as for the worldwide victories he has amassed upon arrival. In 1974—arguably Gary’s greatest season ever—I was very much a part of those ceaseless travels, during a memorable stretch that began at the Qantas Australian Open in Perth, Australia. There Player […]
Ben Wright: Gutsy Recovery
What do we make of the hole-in-one: the proper outcome of a perfectly executed shot—or an outrageous fluke? My lifetime total of two aces in nearly 63 years of playing golf could make a strong case for either theory. I managed my first hole-in-one at the tender age of 17, while representing the county of […]
Ben Wright: Days at the Beach
It’s nearly time for another Bing Crosby National Pro-Am—I’m sorry, make that AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am—which means memories of that great event come flooding back to me like the giant breakers that crash along Pebble’s famed 18th hole. Unfortunately those memories don’t include my actually having played in the Crosby, as it will always […]
Ben Wright: Magic in Monterey
Over the years, hundreds of golf fanatics have asked me which was the greatest shot I ever witnessed. It’s been an easy question to answer, thanks to one man: Jack Nicklaus. The best golfer who ever lived played scores of heroic shots, and nearly always when he needed one most. On occasion they even came […]
The Complete Golf Buddies’ Trip Checklist
Playing golf by yourself can be sublime—like when you’re sneaking in a few holes at sunset after work. Going out as a single with strangers can be rewarding, too, especially if you’ve queued from 5 a.m. to get out on the Old Course and exit the 18th green with three new friends. But the best […]
The Hardest Round of Your Life
Of all of the rounds you’ve played in your golf lifetime, there are but a few that seem to be etched in your memory in permanent ink. There’s the story of your career-low round, that your friends and family could recite back to you word-for-word. Then there are probably one or two courses you checked […]
Links Living: The Country Club at DC Ranch
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This former cattle ranch in the Valley of the Sun is proving country clubs can flourish by offering amenities, programming, and service that appeal to all generations Opened in the late 1990s on a knoll near the McDowell Mountains, The Country Club at DC Ranch, in Scottsdale, Ariz., sits on land that a century ago […]
Modern Classics: Sand Hills
Kudos to the course that cleared the way for what we think of as architecture today Some twenty-five years later, I still remember the sense of wonder that overcame me when I first saw Sand Hills. The drive out there, six hours from Omaha, was mesmerizing, especially the last hour through the namesake Sand Hills—19,000 […]
Kasumigaseki (East) – Classic Courses
With the Olympics set to begin in Tokyo, we’ll finally get the chance to see this Hugh Alison gem Among the many disappointments caused by the postponement of the Summer Olympic Games was this: The world lost the chance to see what golf in Japan looks like. Because while we know the Japanese are crazy […]
New Short Courses On the Horizon
It seems only natural Myrtle Beach should join the short course craze. The lot across the street from Myrtle Beach International Airport has been unused since 2017. But by this fall, it will once again be home to an 18-hole, par three course at the end of the runway—one with lights for nighttime play, music, […]
