Donut Greens: 5 Holes with Bunkers on the Putting Surface
When George Thomas designed Riviera Country Club’s championship layout during the late 1920s, he introduced a unique element that gave the course instant notoriety: a pot bunker set smack dab in the middle of the par-three 6th hole’s putting surface. Since then, the design feature has been replicated in other parts of the country (and […]
Top 10 Kentucky Courses You Can Play
Unfortunately for visiting golfers, 2024 PGA Championship host Valhalla in Louisville, Ky., is private, as are most of the region’s top courses. However, the Bluegrass State boasts a slew of value-oriented, scenery-soaked, public-access layouts. Here are the 10 best courses you can play in Kentucky. Lassing Pointe—Union Long heralded as one of the nation’s top […]
Bourbon & Birdies: Making the Rounds in Kentucky
Bourbon is the primary reason for visiting the Bluegrass State, but cutting it with a dash of good public golf makes for a tasty cocktail Northern Kentucky will be thrust into the spotlight this May when the PGA Championship returns to Louisville for the fourth time. Golf may take center stage that week—with special attention […]
Hyperscapes: A Member Club Built Around Virtual Golf Courses
Would you pay $50,000 to join a golf club without an actual course? Hyperscapes Golf Club is the first members-only club built around fully virtual courses, and the first layout—crafted by Nicklaus Design on a stunning Scottish landscape within a recreated Caledonian forest from 6,000 years ago—will be available for member play on golf simulators […]
18 of America’s Best Short Par Threes
The 9-hole course I played as a kid, Canton Public Golf Course in Connecticut, culminated with a short, downhill par three that would make or break every round I played there, sending me home on my bike either smiling or steaming. Sadly, that terrific family-owned course no longer exists, but my memories of that 9th […]
Top 10 Courses that have Hosted Majors and PGA Tour Events
Many clubs relish the opportunity to host significant professional championships. An elite few completely embrace the role. Over the past century, a handful of venues have added to the lore of the game by doing double duty, hosting at least two major championships and a minimum of 12 PGA Tour events. Most names on the […]
Top 10 “Ranch” Courses in the U.S.
If you’re confused about the official name of one of the newest and most dynamic destinations in the golf world, you’re not alone. PGA Frisco is a unique public/private partnership between the PGA of America, Omni Hotels & Resorts, and the city of Frisco, Texas. The sprawling 660-acre campus is home to the new PGA […]
Great Courses of Britain & Ireland: Ballyliffin
Side-by-side courses at the very top of Ireland present two contrasting versions of links golf In his marvelously evocative book, The Magic of Ireland, H.V. Morton ventured: “Donegal is surely the most enchanting place in Ireland. Connemara is tribal and epic; Donegal is softer. If anything lies buried beneath the stony acres of Connemara it […]
Classic Courses: Newport Country Club
The U.S. Senior Open will be played on this historic New England gem this summer. It may feel more like a “British” Open. As you turn into the more-than-700-foot-long driveway that leads to the Gilded Age clubhouse standing watch over Newport Country Club, it’s hard not to feel transported to a bygone era, one that’s […]
The Top 10 Courses Named for Trees
Trees on golf courses can be loved and admired, but they can also be controversial. Recent trends have focused on serious tree removal. Yet, dozens of clubs owe their very existence to trees, meaning the club’s name incorporates a type of tree. Oaks and pines predominate among this group, so to provide a bit of […]
