Is Royal Troon the Weakest of the Open Rota Courses?

Let’s make one thing clear from the start: the Old Course at Royal Troon Golf Club is one of western Scotland’s premier links. It wasn’t chosen to host the Open Championship 10 times for nothing. Its seaside location in Ayrshire, its long and proud history, the warmth of the club’s welcome, and the number of […]
Top 10 Fun Facts About Royal Troon

Since its earliest days in the 1870s, Royal Troon has epitomized a traditional club environment and proper championship golf. Yet, as this storied venue on the west coast of Scotland prepares to host its 10th Open Championship, the one constant has been change, in a desire for improvement. With an eye on the soon approaching […]
6 Historical Public Golf Courses Across New England

Across much of New England, you’ll find a bevy of golf courses that are steeped in history. Recent U.S. Opens provide proof of that—The Country Club in Brookline enjoyed its latest time in the spotlight a few years ago and, more recently, Newport Country Club took front-and-center as the Tillinghast classic hosted the world’s best […]
My 10 Favorite Par-Three Holes at Bandon Dunes

Bandon Dunes celebrated its 25th anniversary this year with an event that coincided with the grand opening of the resort’s seventh course, a 19-hole Par-3 course which trundles over a parcel of land that is captivating yet too severe to accommodate a full-length layout. Named in honor of the land’s previous caretaker, this new addition—Shorty’s—is […]
Great Courses of Britain & Ireland: Royal Dornoch Golf Club

History and mystique distinguish the most natural links in the world Dornoch is a supernatural place. It was here in the 18th century that Janet Horne, “the last witch in Scotland,” was summarily executed. Ever since, Royal Dornoch has cast a spell over golfers. Situated in the far north of Scotland, Dornoch is 600 miles […]
Top 10 Courses: France

Here’s our list of the top 10 courses in France 1. MORFONTAINE (GRAND PARCOURS), Mortefontaine Arguably the finest (and most exclusive) course in Europe, this 1927 masterpiece by flamboyant Englishman Tom Simpson unfurls in an idyllic forest an hour north of Paris, its holes weaving artfully through tall pines. 2. LES BORDES (NEW), Saint-Laurent-Nouan […]
Classic Courses: Essex County Club

For well more than a century, this Donald Ross gem has required having the full repertoire of shotmaking skills When Essex County Club hosted the 1938 Curtis Cup match, it represented a homecoming of sorts. Harriot and Margaret Curtis began their golfing lives at Essex, in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., about 30 miles north of Boston. The […]
5 of Canada’s Top Golf Resorts

A glance at the top ranks of players on the PGA Tour these days brings many red Maple Leaf Flags to the forefront. Any given week, it’s likely that a good chunk of the Tour’s top 50 players will be Canadian born. Yes, the Canucks are coming on strong at the professional level, but when […]
Top 10 “Red” Courses You Can Play

Seeing red—being overcome with anger—isn’t much fun, but playing red can be a blast. Dozens of stellar courses worldwide identify as “Red,” with the spectrum’s boldest color an integral part the course name. In other cases, Red is the actual course name. We’re speaking to such renowned international layouts as England’s The Berkshire (Red), designed […]
Golf’s Most Exhilarating Courses

Ireland’s Old Head is golf’s most exhilarating experience There are moments in golf that you wish could be frozen in time: Stepping onto the first tee of the Old Course at St. Andrews; emerging from the trees to greet 15, 16, and 17 at Cypress Point; staring down the daunting approach over the Pacific at […]