Dundonald Links, Scotland
With much of Scotland’s linksland already occupied by some of the greatest venues in golf, few new seaside courses have appeared on the game’s home turf since the early 20th century. That drought was broken in 2000 when the acclaimed Kingsbarns opened on the Fife coast, near St. Andrews. Then, with natives still abuzz […]
The European Club, Ireland
If playing a links is an experience to be cherished, what must it be like to actually develop, own and operate such a course? Pat Ruddy’s demeanor indicates it is a pleasant experience indeed. A bear of a man who always has a warm smile, a welcoming hand and a flash of wit, Ruddy […]
The Country Club, Brookline, Massachusetts
In historical significance, The Country Club takes a back seat to no other. It was, in fact, the very first “country club” in the U.S., dating to 1882, and this suburban Boston club was one of the five founding members of the U.S. Golf Association. And it has been the scene of some of […]
Eugene Country Club, Oregon
In 1899, in a cow pasture outside the fledgling city of Eugene, Oregon, a group of university professors and local businessmen formed the South Willamette Golf Club, forerunner of Eugene Country Club. Like the rapidly developing territory surrounding it, the club, which switched to its current name in 1912, experienced growing pains. After a 1920 […]
Augusta Country Club, Georgia
Like the guy who married Halle Berry, Augusta Country Club is notable for who it stands beside. The Country Club and Augusta National Golf Club share a fence, a famous creek, a valley and a couple dozen members. Their histories intertwine, too, as histories always do in little Southern towns. While the rest of […]
Anglebrook Golf Club, New York
Last hurrahs don’t often get the crowds cheering. Alfred Hitchcock signed off with Family Plot, Stanley Kubrick with Eyes Wide Shut. Sure, Ted Williams homered in his final at-bat, but most Hall of Famers finish with pop-ups. Robert Trent Jones Sr. capped an unparalleled career in course design with Anglebrook Golf Club. His final […]
Old Town Club, North Carolina
Unless you happen to live in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina or follow Wake Forest University’s golf program, you’ve probably not heard of the Old Town Club. Quietly traditional down to its very name, this Perry Maxwell design is anonymous to most but revered by all who know it. Among those in the […]
10 Very Expensive Golf Course Memberships
The home hole at the soon-to-be opened Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, New York, is a natural beauty, a par 5 that dips, rolls and rises atop a cliff overlooking Peconic Bay. The target off the tee is a flagpole at the adjacent National Golf Links of America, opened in 1911. The symbolism is not coincidental. Sebonack […]
Castlerock Golf Club, Northern Ireland
Castlerock Golf Club has long resided in the shadow of its illustrious neighbors along Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast— Portstewart and Royal Portrush—but it would be a mistake to overlook this gem, which embodies all the essential charms of links golf. Its fine points include a pure seaside routing, firm greens, ferocious rough and an unmistakable […]
Brora Golf Club, Scotland
In 1995 Peter Thomson and his wife, Mary, made a four-and-a-half-hour drive from their home in St. Andrews to the Scottish Highlands. Intrigued by a glowing recommendation from a former caddie, the five-time British Open winner traveled to the seaside town of Brora to play the eponymous course. Without informing the club in advance […]