Winged Foot’s Challenging U.S. Open Setup
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Winged Foot. The name conjures images of sidewalk-thin fairways, ball-devouring rough, and concrete-hard greens that repel approach shots—and make three-putting from five feet all too possible. In other words, it’s the perfect U.S. Open venue. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Open is returning to Winged Foot’s renowned West Course a few months later than […]
New York—One of the Biggest Golf Hotbeds in the World
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It makes sense that states like Florida and California rank 1–2 in number of U.S. golf facilities, given their year-round warm weather and positioning on opposite coasts. But do you know which state checks in third? That would be New York, with more than 750 golf facilities stretching from Buffalo to Montauk. Michigan has a […]
Gull Lake View: The Biggest Golf Resort You Might Not Know
When golfers think of Augusta, their first thought probably isn’t Michigan. But due west of Detroit and Ann Arbor, midway between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, lies one of the largest, yet unheralded golf resorts in the country: Gull Lake View Golf Resort. The property is family-owned, now in the fourth generation of the Scott family, […]
Dumbarnie and Coul Links: How Two Acclaimed Links Course Proposals Met Vastly Different Fates
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The two projects were announced with great fanfare—and had golfers salivating. In 2015, Coul Links Ltd., a consortium headed by Americans Mike Keiser and Todd Warnock, proposed the construction of a new links course in Embo, Scotland, just north of Dornoch. It was to be the first Scottish links from the esteemed design team of […]
The Ultimate U.S. Open Course
We asked a panel of players, architects, officials, and media to look at the USGA’s five favorite Open venues and rank them, hole by hole. Here are the results. Not long ago, the USGA expressed publicly its devotion to an elite quartet of U.S. Open venues—Oakmont, Pebble Beach, Pinehurst No. 2, and Shinnecock Hills—with the […]
LINKS Golf Podcast Episode 61: In-Depth on Sand Valley
Digital Editor Al Lunsford reports live from Sand Valley Golf Resort in Wisconsin, part of the Dream Golf umbrella, in this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast. Al interviews Sand Valley General Manager Michael Carbiener about the resort’s two top 100 public golf courses, the activities and amenities available to guests beyond golf, and what’s […]
Highland Links: Cape Cod’s Hidden Gem
Sometimes the best finds are the ones you least expect. Not unlike a great sale or an unexpected deal, discovering a hidden gem of a golf course is almost as rewarding as playing the round itself. Cape Cod has been a mainstay in our family’s travels for the better part of two decades. Having spent […]
LINKS Golf Podcast Episode 60: Dream Nine: Par Fives with Ryan Asselta
LINKS Insider contributor Ryan Asselta is back to discuss the final installment of his “Dream Nine” series on this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast. Ryan and Digital Editor Al Lunsford take turns listing the nine holes they would include on their “Dream Nine” layouts made entirely of par five holes from around the world. […]
5 Myths About Golf Instruction
“The list is endless!” says Jason Birnbaum. As the Director of Instruction at Manhattan Woods Golf Club in West Nyack, N.Y., Birnbaum has heard it all, especially when it comes to swing instruction. Whether it’s a professional player looking for a quick tune up, or a recreational golfer trying to lower their handicap, there are […]
The Best Tee-Markers in Professional Golf
When you’re on a golf course, there’s something you can’t help but notice on every single hole: the tee-markers. From the most ragged of munis to Augusta National, golf courses have their own unique identifiers signifying where one needs to tee off—part of the universal language of the game. It’s a little thing, but a […]