Trinity Forest: A Golf Course Built on a Landfill
“Building a golf course should just not be this hard.” Those aren’t words one expects to hear from architect Bill Coore, who along with partner Ben Crenshaw has been responsible for some of the most important and appreciated layouts of the last few decades. But it’s exactly what Coore said over the phone to Jonas […]
Classic Course: San Francisco Golf Club
By Brian Hewitt A.W. Tillinghast’s only West Coast design has been restored to its original splendor In 1918, when the San Francisco Golf Club unveiled what turned out to be A. W. Tillinghast’s only original design west of Texas, it produced barely a murmur. No one knew the course would set the bar for […]
First Peek at Hogs Head
By Michael Williams There is no shortage of spectacular golf in Ireland; indeed, the bucket list of many golfers is peppered with destinations on the Emerald Isle. But with the opening of Robert Trent Jones II’s Hogs Head, every list was just extended one line. Located in County Kerry just outside the town of […]
The Essential: Hugh Alison
Charles Hugh Alison, who was known to the world by his middle name, was born in 1883 in the small English city of Preston, about 30 miles north of Manchester. A powerfully built and athletic young man, he played first-class cricket and earned his “Blue” competing for Oxford against Cambridge in the University Golf Match. […]
How to Get on Any Golf Course – Even the Most Private
I have a recurring nightmare: Pulling up to the gate at Pine Valley and the guard who rations entry into that Perfect enclave looks up from his clipboard and says, “Sorry Mr. Sabino, no mas.” Which is why I thought about writing this article under a pseudonym to avoid being blacklisted at any more clubs. To […]
The Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle
By Graylyn Loomis After an inspired renovation, this course is the equal of its regal setting in the Scottish Highlands Skibo Castle dates back to 1211, but the estate just outside of Dornoch, in northern Scotland, really came to prominence when Andrew Carnegie purchased the property in 1898. The famous industrialist hosted everyone from […]
The Architects of Pebble Beach
By James A. Frank In the early 1900s, the Pacific Ocean was a long journey from the East Coast, which was the center of American golf at the time. So when Samuel F.B. Morse—in charge of developing part of the Monterey Peninsula for a resort and real estate—approached leading architects including Donald Ross and […]
Mike Nuzzo Builds Three Very Different Nines at Grand Oak Reserve
From aerospace engineer to golf course architect, Mike Nuzzo is helping foster the reemergence of nine-hole courses across the country. The disparate and implausible elements of Mike Nuzzo’s professional background are utterly mystifying. After graduating from Boston University in 1990 with a degree in Aerospace Engineering, the New Jersey native worked for a medical equipment […]
What Makes a Golf Course Bad?
Golf course design is a subjective topic and opinions on layouts differ from golfer to golfer. The exception is the greatest courses in the world, which are for the most part met with universal acclaim. Those are the Cypress Point Clubs, Old Courses, and Royal Melbournes. Debating which is best is a somewhat trivial exercise, […]
Desert Golf: Tom Fazio’s Estancia Club
By George Peper When it comes to courses on a dinner menu, dessert may be the favorite, but among golf courses, the one-s variety—desert—is surely the least palatable. Scan the top 100 rankings and you’ll find only one or two. There are exceptions, however, and at the top of the list is Tom Fazio’s […]