The Ultimate Masters Playlist
As Martin Mull is often quoted as saying: “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” Point taken—leave the ineffable to its own mysterious devices. A piano sonata, sitar raga, even a lowly pop song are to be absorbed osmotically, felt, not dissected like a poor laboratory frog. As with golf, analysis equals paralysis! Nevertheless, […]
The Importance of Wedge Fitting
How can players be sure they’re getting the right wedges for their games? I asked some of golf’s top club designers this question and the answer was unanimous: club fitting. “It’s so important to be fit with the proper loft, grind, and bounce angle,” says Bob Vokey, master wedge designer for Titleist. Chris Voshall, Mizuno’s […]
First Peek: Tiger Woods’ Payne’s Valley
By Erik Matuszewski Big Cedar Lodge’s Mountain Top clubhouse first comes into view on the winding drive up to the resort’s newest golf course, Payne’s Valley. At a distance, it looks small atop a massive ridge and limestone wall almost 200 feet high—the highest point on the property in southwest Missouri. It’s just […]
Template Holes: Golf’s Most Mimicked Designs
“But don’t let famed holes…such as the ‘Alps’ of Prestwick and ‘Redan’ of North Berwick, lead you into attempting to reproduce them. In trying to make your course fit certain famous hole treatments, you are certain to be doomed to disappointment.” —DONALD ROSS, Golf Has Never Failed Me Sorry, Don. They didn’t listen. The idea […]
The “Wall of Death” and 5 Other Must-See Features on Courses Outside the U.S.
When golf architect Brian Curley was pitching ownership about his vision for the fourth course at Siam Country Club in Pattaya, Thailand, he stressed the need for something unique and exciting to stand out. The result: The Wall of Death. To the right of the green at the par-five 15th hole at Siam’s Rolling Hills […]
Top 10 Courses: Japan
The 2020 Tokyo Olympic course, Kasumigaseki East, ranks third on our Top 10 list of courses in Japan behind a pair of Hugh Alison designs that are likened to Augusta National and Pebble Beach, respectively. 1. Hirono, Hirono The Augusta National of Japan, this 1932 design by Hugh Alison weaves strategically among woodlands, ravines, lakes, […]
One Course to Play for the Rest of Your Life
While many of us are stuck at home, we’ve had plenty of time to daydream about the places we’d like to travel and the golf courses we’d like to play once again, or for the first time. I’ve spent a lot of time refreshing social media, too, and have seen an interesting topic being floated […]
Golf Simulators Rapidly Rising in Popularity
Cody Miller was one of the first two employees hired globally by TrackMan to help grow its simulator business nearly seven years ago. The company, synonymous with the orange square briefcase carrying its digital radar system, was starting to break into the simulator market and had some projections for where the market was going. “It’s […]
My Courses: Greg Norman
From Australia to Hilton Head, Greg Norman has played courses all over the world. The Shark gives us his answers in this edition of “My Courses.” MY FAVORITE COURSE: The Composite Course at Royal Melbourne—one of the most natural courses in the world. Alister MacKenzie didn’t move any dirt. The flow of the course, the […]
George Gankas: Challenging the Myths of Golf Instruction
The driving range at Westlake Golf Course outside Los Angeles isn’t where you’d expect to find golf’s hottest swing instructor. Artificial-turf mats and striped range balls greet golfers, not plush grass and Pro V1s. Numbered signs serve as targets and golfers come dressed in everything from jeans and sneakers to swimsuits and flip-flops. Tucking your […]
