The Biggest Putting Courses in the U.S.
The biggest putting course the world of golf has ever seen is coming to the sand dunes of central Wisconsin. Sand Valley Golf Resort already has four golf courses (three 18-hole championship courses and a 17-hole Par-3 layout), and one more in the works (Sedge Valley). As audacious as Sand Valley’s growth is, so are […]
Great Uphill Golf Holes
The uphill golf hole is not one we remember with any great fondness or affection. Frequently a grueling test, there’s usually at least one to be faced during a round, and we aren’t upset when it’s over. Course architect Thad Layton says great ones are like unicorns. Fellow architect Mike Hurdzan avoids them as best […]
Keiser’s Game-Changing Wisconsin Project: The Glen Golf Park
There’s a game-changing golf project in Wisconsin that’s been spearheaded by Michael Keiser, the son of the visionary behind Bandon Dunes and Sand Valley. No, we’re not talking about The Lido, although that does check the boxes. Keiser is the benefactor behind the transformation, and salvation, of a 9-hole municipal course in his hometown of […]
Top Open Championship Meltdowns
Wind, rain, heather and gorse, insidious pot bunkers, and funky bounces are all part of the Open Championship experience. When you combine those elements with the pressure of competing in and contending for the oldest major championship in golf, well, occasionally things go terribly wrong. Here are the seven most epic fails in Open Championship […]
How to Play the Old Course: An 18-Hole Guide
She’s wily and demanding, but if you treat her right, she’ll reward you If you haven’t played the Old Course it’s surely on your bucket list; and when you get your chance, you’ll want to play well. If you’ve had a crack or two at it, you’ve likely walked off the 18th green thinking, “Yeesh, […]
5 Things You Didn’t Know About the Old Course at St. Andrews
Upon being awarded the key to the town of St. Andrews, Bobby Jones famously remarked; ‘’I could take out of my life everything except my experiences at St. Andrews and I would still have a rich, full life.” That statement remains true many years later for nearly every amateur golfer who has visited the town […]
What’s in a Name? The 18 Holes of the Old Course
Golf historians may quibble over where the game was invented, but when it comes to charting the origin of the game as we know it today, most will concede that St. Andrews is the acknowledged Home of Golf. Golf has been played there since the early 15th century over common land that today is held […]
15 Lesser-Known Golf Courses in Scotland
Great Scottish golf doesn’t have to have a big name—or a big price tag I dislike the hackneyed phrase “hidden gems,” but regarding the courses that follow it’s 50 percent correct: They’re all gems, though not hidden; they’re just not on the radar screens of most North American golfers. Whether you’re a first-time visitor to […]
Top 10 Courses: Scotland
Here are our top 10 courses in Scotland, the Home of Golf 1. ST. ANDREWS (OLD), St. Andrews Six hundred years old and going strong. The Road Hole, Hell Bunker, Swilcan Burn, and Valley of Sin all await at the world’s most famed and fabled course, which hosted a record 30th Open Championship in 2022. […]
How the Old Course Came to Be
While the “Old Lady” we know today is about 125 years old, her bones can be traced back six centuries The Old Course is a marvel. Not only has golf been played over it for close to 600 years, but generations of golf architects have used it as the template for courses everywhere. Like many […]