Top 10 Courses: Massachusetts
Here’s our list of the top 10 courses in Massachusetts, also known as the Bay State 1 THE COUNTRY CLUB, Brookline Boston’s bastion boasts three nines that are merged into a formidable composite that has hosted 16 USGA Championships and a Ryder Cup, with the U.S. Open returning this year. 2 MYOPIA HUNT CLUB, South […]
First Peek: Bar Run
A family-owned sand and gravel mine has morphed into Oregon’s next great public golf course Since opening Umpqua Sand & Gravel in 1965, the Guido family has known the land they owned in Roseburg, Ore., couldn’t be mined forever. A lighthearted idea to build a 9-hole course led to shaping a few par-three holes for […]
Golf’s Ultimate Tests of Precision
Chasing bullseyes: Harbour Town Golf Links is golf’s ultimate test of precision Swing from the heels. Grip it and rip it. Let the big dog eat. Not at Harbour Town, you don’t. A bomber’s paradise? Harbour Town is anything but. “I get angrier here than anywhere else,” said Jack Nicklaus back in the day. “This […]
10 Public Golf Courses to Play Around Jacksonville, Fla.
You came to play Sawgrass, we get it. But there’s a lot more great golf on Florida’s “First Coast.” Twenty-five years ago, I packed my clubs and what I could fit in my Chevy Malibu and drove to Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., to begin a summer internship at PGA Tour Productions. I would’ve earned more […]
New Golf Course “RainDance National” to Be North America’s Longest at Almost 8,500 Yards
In recent years, shorter has become trendier when it comes to new golf course openings, from Par-3 designs at destination resorts to layouts like the latest offering at Streamsong that will feature 18 holes ranging from 70 to 300 yards. Conventional thinking is that these shorter courses provide a fun, engaging, and less time-consuming option […]
First Peek: Landmand Golf Club
A big, bold piece of farmland is the perfect canvas for this dynamic duo’s first 18-hole design Ever since the acclaimed opening of Sweetens Cove in Tennessee—the 9-hole debut from architects Tad King and Rob Collins—the golf world has felt a sense of anticipation waiting for the team’s first 18-hole layout. After getting the nod […]
Great Courses of Britain & Ireland: County Louth
Overshadowed by big-name neighbors, Tom Simpson’s Baltray links deserves more attention Whenever golf course architecture enthusiasts discuss the contributions of the so-called “Golden Age” designers, a handful of names invariably come to the fore. Tom Simpson is rarely one of these—although he surely deserves inclusion. And whenever those who rate golf courses debate the finest links […]
The Seven Best Golf Courses That Tangle with Train Tracks
Until 110 years ago, riding the rails was the preferred mode of transportation to reach golf clubs situated in the countryside. In fact, the building of golf courses often went hand in hand with where the railroad stopped, making it a leisure-time marriage of convenience and enjoyment. While passenger train travel has ebbed significantly in […]
Golf’s Most Beautiful Courses
Incomparable eye candy: Cypress Point reigns as golf’s ultimate beauty queen In 1920, architect Alister MacKenzie articulated 13 essential features that define an ideal golf course. Number seven stated: “The course should have beautiful surroundings, and all the artificial features should have so natural an appearance that a stranger is unable to distinguish them from […]
Modern Classics: Ardfin
It’s not easy getting to the Scottish isle of Jura, but this dramatically challenging layout—which roams from beach to cliffs—is worth the effort The whispers started in 2010: “Someone’s going to build a course on Jura.” At the time, I was traveling to southwest Scotland often—to the Mull of Kintyre, home of the two fine […]
