First Peek: Mickelson National
Phil’s first in Canada—and one of his few anywhere—is as wild and dramatic as its namesake Parading through the prairie—let’s just call it an inland links on steroids—Mickelson National is Lefty’s head-turning Canadian debut. Situated just west of Calgary (the largest city in Alberta), Mickelson National is a bold, wide-open creation that big bombers will […]
Top 10 Courses: North Carolina
From the courses in Pinehurst to the host venue of the 2025 PGA Championship—here are our top 10 golf courses in North Carolina 1. PINEHURST NO. 2, Pinehurst Donald Ross’s masterpiece continues to top the list, thanks to a dramatic Coore & Crenshaw renovation that eliminated acres of Bermudagrass rough, allowing the course’s best asset—its […]
Beyond Bandon
Yes, Virginia (or wherever you’re coming from), there’s a lot more to golf in Oregon than that rightfully vaunted resort Long before flagsticks fluttered in the Oregon coastal winds, a pair of high-handicap drifters named Lewis and Clark surveyed the virginal future fairways of the Pacific Northwest. “Ocean in view!” exclaimed the latter in 1805, […]
Arch 101: How Bunkers Look
The highest form of the art of golf course architecture is blending the design seamlessly into the surrounds through the use of shaping/grading or vegetation. I certainly feel that way about bunkers. Perhaps, in my case, it is a nod to the original eroded, burrowing animal scrapes from which the sand bunker evolved. However, as […]
Gil Hanse’s Architecture 101: How Bunkers Look
There’s more to a bunker’s visual appeal than meets the eye The highest form of the art of golf course architecture is blending the design seamlessly into the surrounds through the use of shaping/grading or vegetation. I certainly feel that way about bunkers. Perhaps, in my case, it is a nod to the original eroded, […]
5 Myths About Tour Caddies
Unless your name is Stevie, Fluff, Bones, or Greller, most wouldn’t know your name—but the life of a caddie has left many a golf fan thinking about lugging the bag, holding the pin, and cleaning the golf clubs for the game’s elite players. How cool would it be to get paid to spend your workdays […]
LINKS Golf Podcast Episode 65: In-Depth on Big Cedar Lodge
Digital Editor Al Lunsford recaps his trip to Missouri’s Big Cedar Lodge and the Payne’s Valley Cup in this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast. Al talks to Big Cedar’s Assistant Director of Golf Sales and Marketing Matt McQueary, who gives a detailed guide to how one should plan to explore the golf and much […]
The Buck Club Finds A Site for Its New Course “The Tree Farm”
“It’s very real! Time to get it on!” The excitement in golf course architect Rob Collins’s voice could only be relatable to someone who has been able to blend their career with a life passion. Someone like PGA Tour pro Zac Blair. Blair, Collins, and Tad King, the other half of King-Collins Golf Course Design, […]
Why Whoop and Other Fitness Trackers Will Improve Your Golf Game
At the RBC Canadian Open last June, tournament winner Rory McIlroy was seen sporting a white band throughout the course of the week. There were lots of queries—what was that? Turns out, McIlroy was one of the early adopters of the now vastly popular Whoop fitness tracking strap. Athletes like McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Maria Fassi, […]
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 […]