The Oldest Course in Every State
Identifying the oldest and still operating course in each of the 50 states has all the makings of a good detective story WHAT: I thought it would be easy to identify the oldest golf course in each state. Silly me. The first step was defining what we were looking for, which is a course that […]
10 Courses with Back-to-Back Par Threes
There’s something magical about a par three. Whether long or short, holes branded with a “3” on the scorecard are exhilarating. There’s potential for heroic shots, for calamity, and almost everything in between. “Par threes are the most important thing about a golf course,” Mike Keiser once said shortly after he toured the site of […]
High Pointe: Tom Doak’s First Course Is Coming Back from the Dead
High Pointe Golf Club was among the course casualties of the Great Recession, closing in 2008 amid the global financial crisis. The demise of this particular course, located just outside Traverse City in Northern Michigan, was notable for a couple of reasons. First, it was purchased by a company named MI Local Hops and many […]
Golf in Myrtle Beach for the First-Timer
What does a golfer make of Myrtle Beach, S.C., calling itself the “Golf Capital of the World?” What exactly constitutes a “capital” and does Myrtle Beach satisfy the criteria? And what might St. Andrews, whose own tagline “The Home of Golf” seems a little more credible, think about it all? Whether you agree with the […]
9 Unique Par-Three Opening Holes
The back nine at Pacific Grove Golf Links has gotten a lot of recognition over the years as a municipal course located along the same dramatic Monterey Peninsula coastline as Pebble Beach. But the front nine is special in its own right, particularly the start. One of the game’s great munis, Pacific Grove opens with […]
Nine Must-Play 9-Hole Courses
According to the National Golf Foundation, there are nearly 15,000 golf facilities in the United States, with 9-hole courses accounting for more than a quarter of that total. Yet, 9-hole courses get little love. Nobody trumpets its “Championship 9-hole course.” Still, 9-holers definitely deserve more respect. After all, the very first U.S. Open in 1895 […]
10 Courses with Great Collections of Par Threes
Nearly 30 years ago in the pages of LINKS Magazine, author/broadcaster Ben Wright opined that the Golden Horseshoe’s Gold course in Colonial Williamsburg, Va., featured the best set of par threes on a single course of any he knew. Bentley was a shrewd, well-traveled judge—and a designer himself—so I’ll give him his due. I also […]
Most Expensive Green Fees in Golf
In the foothills of the Santa Rosa Mountains near Palm Springs, Calif., is a desert oasis that used to be one of billionaire Larry Ellison’s private estates. After two decades as a mystery-shrouded enclave with one of the most exclusive golf courses in the country, the property—Sensei Porcupine Creek—has been turned into a super-high-end, luxury […]
10 of the Best U.S. Courses with No Water
Ask most golfers about the type of hazard that beckons most ominously during a round and there’s a good chance they’ll go with “water;” from oceans, bays, and Great Lakes to rushing rivers, tranquil streams and man-made ponds that can swallow golf balls by the thousands. At the same time, water can bring an undeniably […]
18 of the Best 27-Hole Golf Courses in the U.S.
When you think of a golf course, it’s natural that 9- or 18-hole layouts spring to mind. But what about 27 holes? More specifically, those facilities that have three 9-hole courses of fairly equal quality, to the point where if you’re only playing 18 holes, you wouldn’t really care which of the loops you were […]
