Fishers Island Club
From Manhattan Island to Cape Cod, the distance as the crow flies is exactly 200 miles. At the precise midpoint of that route lies the most captivating golf course on the East Coast—and arguably in the world—Fishers Island. It’s not an easy course to get onto, not an easy club to get into, and (unless […]
The Top 10 Scariest Holes in Golf
In golf, fear is the great paralyzer, the ultimate impediment to planning and completing a proper shot. If you’re scared, you’re done. Golf designers, often in concert with Mother Nature, prey on fearful players, toying with their frailties. No golfer needs extra demons this Halloween, but in the spirit of trick-or-treat, here’s our selection of […]
Letter from St. Andrews: Island Hop
After driving across the width of Scotland and taking a ferry to the Isle of Arran, our intrepid columnist discovered the greatest 12-hole course in the world
Hidden Gems: Ten Courses to Discover
By Brian McCallen We’ve uncovered 10 of the nation’s least heralded and most under-appreciated courses. But you won’t need a wooden boat, a parchment map, or a leap of faith to tee it up at any of these hidden gems. Bandon Crossings Bandon, Ore. Pictured above and situated on the doorstep of one of […]
Top 10 Fall Foliage Golf Courses
Fall has arrived and with it the best time of year to play. The best courses require a variety of deciduous trees to display autumn’s riotous blaze of color, as well as higher elevations to offer panoramic views of nature’s fleeting splendor. Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain Crossville, Tenn. Located 70 miles west of Knoxville, this […]
Top 10 Best Courses for the Money
This Labor Day, working men (and women) can take comfort in the fact that great golf need not cost a great deal, and that fantastic values with green fees below $65 are available from West Virginia to Oregon. Annbriar Golf Course Waterloo, Ill. Situated in southern Illinois on the outskirts of St. Louis, this Michael […]
Top 10 Best End of Summer Courses
The clock is ticking. Summer is drawing to a close. The end of summer is the time to plan a special trip to a rarefied place where golf is only available for a limited time. Belgrade Lakes Golf Club Belgrade Lakes, Maine Tucked away in the lakes and mountains region of central Maine, this rock-solid layout by Englishman […]
What are the Origins of Links Golf Courses?
“Links”. A strange word it is: a singular noun ending in s and rhyming with jinx, minx and perhaps most appropriately, sphinx. No wonder there’s confusion. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, links first appeared in print in 931 as hlincas, plural of hlinc, or ridge. Over the ensuing millennium, some major etymological earthmoving took […]
Top 10 College Courses
With classes beginning at many universities across the country next week, it’s time for our annual ranking of the best college courses in the country. Did your alma mater make the cut? 10. Warren Golf Course University of Notre Dame PAR: 71 YARDAGE: 7,020 ARCHITECTS: Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw YEAR OPENED: 2000 NOTABLE ALUMNI: Joe […]
5 Myths About Bunkers
Architect Jim Urbina says we no longer understand their true purpose 1) Bunkers are there to penalize golfers Nothing could be further from the truth. The great old-time architects said a hazard isn’t just for punishment but to make the game more interesting. Golfers take bunkers personally: Those of us in the design business see […]
