6 Design Traits of Residential Community Golf Courses
What architects do—and don’t do—when creating residential community golf courses It’s hardly a revelation to say that golf course architects are charged with delivering attractive, compelling designs with every new course they construct. In the case of courses for residential communities, however, there are some different considerations at play. Because each development is unique, requiring […]
6 Mostly Undiscovered U.S. Golf Destinations
You might picture long-established centers like Scottsdale, Myrtle Beach, and Palm Springs when asked to think of a golf destination. They could obviously get by without it but, for most people—certainly LINKS subscribers, anyway—the golf is really what you go for. Or you might be imagining Bandon Dunes, Streamsong, and Sand Valley, built for no […]
10 New International Golf Course Openings to Know for 2023
When it comes to new golf course development, there’s a lot more going on outside the U.S. than inside—from just north of the border in Canada and traditional golf spots in the UK to growing golf markets like Vietnam, and far-flung destinations like New Zealand and Mauritius. Here’s a sampling of 10 noteworthy projects scheduled […]
10 Courses with Back-to-Back Par Fives
Much of the time, par fives are polarizing golf holes. Some players step on the tee with confidence, expecting to be on the green in regulation, often with a makeable putt. Others tee it up feeling as if they’re miles away from the flag. Not unlike layouts with back-to-back par threes, courses that feature consecutive […]
9 New U.S. Course Openings in 2023
Given the wealth of golf options in the U.S., which has more places to play than the next 10 best-supplied countries combined, new course openings are exceedingly limited. As a result, it’s only natural there’s added excitement among golfers when it comes to the latest and greatest in new design. A glance around the golf […]
Pinehurst No. 10: From Pit to “Field of Dreams”
About four miles south of the Pinehurst Resort’s main clubhouse is a sprawling 900-acre property that Pinehurst’s owners, the Dedman family, purchased in 2011. Part of that land, a former sand mine, for two-and-a-half decades was home to a polarizing, now-closed golf course called The Pit. Today, it’s what Pinehurst President Tom Pashley calls the […]
Best Public Golf Around New Orleans
When trips are scheduled to The Big Easy, it’s easy to get caught up in all that the city can offer once the sun goes down. But there’s plenty to do during the day—in particular, there are plenty of noteworthy public courses in and around New Orleans. So, if you’re planning a visit to the […]
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 […]