Bobby Jones: Record Breaker
Bob Jones’s Grand Slam is a record that has remained undisturbed for nearly 90 years and is perhaps the most significant longstanding record in sports history. During Jones’s 16-year competitive amateur career, plenty of attention was paid to his breaking the record on his home course, East Lake’s No. 1, a record seven times, culminating […]
The Masters Par 3 Contest
Matt Wallace is 1-for-1 at Augusta National. The 28-year-old from England has played in one competition at the home of the Masters, and won it. Of course, Wallace didn’t win the Masters (not yet anyway) but the Par 3 Contest which precedes the main event. The debutant won in a playoff at the third extra […]
A Year-Long Golf Road Trip—Patrick Koenig
Pulled over on the side of a lonely stretch of road in North Dakota, with twinkling stars overhead, Patrick Koenig swatted a dozen or so golf balls into the darkness from the makeshift driving range atop his RV. Make that his RGV: recreational golf vehicle. You might think playing close to 450 rounds at 405 […]
5 of the Best Island Greens in Golf
By Tony Dear It’s Players Championship week at TPC Sawgrass which means we get to examine the legitimacy of Pete and Alice Dye’s ever-controversial island green at the 17th. Thirty-nine years after it opened, and 37 years after the little demon tormented PGA Tour pros for the first time, we’re still debating whether or not […]
The Augusta National Women’s Amateur and Champion’s Retreat
By Adam Schupak When former Augusta National Golf Club chairman Billy Payne was asked his thoughts on the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur to be played ahead of the Masters in April, he made the boldest of predictions. “I think it will be the most-watched women’s golf event in history,” he said. With apologies to Babe […]
Characters: Golf Telecast Spotter Greg Parker
Greg Parker has walked more final rounds in the final group at PGA Tour events than Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Ernie Els combined. You may have noticed Parker in the background on your TV screen with his shock of blond hair, shades, and a look more suited to surfing. Who is this golf-junkie mainstay […]
PeperCare: Affordable Course Act
When I’m appointed Czar of Golf, my first order of business will be to address the game’s three big weaknesses—its glacial pace, extortionate expense, and damnable difficulty—and I will do so with my signature decree: the Affordable Course Act. The ACA will at last bring high-quality golf to the millions of U.S. citizens who currently […]
I Was There: 1984 Open Championship
I will never forget the last time I had the good fortune to meet the great Severiano Ballesteros. Back in the fall of 2007, I was standing on the first tee of the Old Course at St. Andrews, waiting to start a round, when he arrived unannounced to do some filming and somewhat to my […]
Who Deserves Credit for a Golf Course Design?
The recent publication of Golf Digest’s top-100 course ranking raised eyebrows and set tongues wagging. And rightly so, raising eyebrows and stirring debate is precisely what rankings are for, though cynics might insist there are less philanthropic reasons. As all credible grading is apt to do, this list launched a million conversations over the relative […]
7 Golf Apparel, Shoe, and Accessory Companies You Need to Know
It’s no secret that the PGA Merchandise Show is mecca for golf equipment enthusiasts. From the OEMs releasing their newest product lines to the tiny startups looking to make a name for themselves, nearly every golf brand is represented somewhere in Orange County Convention Center during the week. For this article my goal was to […]