Q&A with Mark King on Honma Golf, TaylorMade’s Shortcomings, and More
Through relentless innovation and unrelenting product launches, Mark King guided TaylorMade-adidasGolf to more than 50 percent market share in the metalwoods category and $1.7 billion in annual sales in 2013. It was a remarkable run, but one that ultimately couldn’t last as customers grew confused by the rapid driver launches and left the market flooded […]
Brown is the New Green—But it May Not Work for You
It’s early fall and it has barely rained in my hometown of Bellingham, Wash., since April. There may have been a few sprinkles under cover of darkness, but according to weather.com, a grand total of 1.05 inches fell here over a period of 84 days this summer. Daytime temperatures, usually in the mid-70s, have averaged […]
Every Top 100 Course in a Year: The Story of Jimmie James
As golf nuts go, Jimmie James qualifies as extra nutty. In candy bar terms, he’s somewhere between a Snickers and an Oh Henry! James, 59, accomplished a rare feat, playing the entire 2017–18 Golf Digest Top 100 U.S. course list in a single year. James spent 33 years at ExxonMobil, retiring May 31, 2017 as […]
100 Years of Pebble Beach: The Spa
In 2019, Pebble Beach Golf Links will celebrate its 100th birthday and host its sixth U.S. Open. To commemorate these milestones, each issue of Links Magazine and LINKSdigital between now and then will tell the unique story that is Pebble Beach. It isn’t only the golf courses at the Pebble Beach Resorts that earn top […]
5 Most Expensive Golf Companies
As we move into a New Year, eagerness and opportunity abound for golfers. The PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando later this month is always an annual hotbed of new releases, and the beauty of golf is that there’s a wide range of price points for entry into the game. It’s why you can go to […]
5 of the Hardest Tee Times in Golf
By Graylyn Loomis Some of the most exclusive courses in the world are also the most famous. Think Augusta National, Cypress Point, Shinnecock Hills, and others. Thanks to “best lists” and hosting major championships, those courses are well known even if extremely difficult to get on. But then there’s another level of exclusive courses—those so […]
How McConnell Golf Saved Some of the South’s Oldest Clubs
By Erik Matuszewski The Country Club of Asheville has a rich history as one of the first 100 private clubs founded in America and lays claim to be the oldest of its kind in North Carolina. It’s anchored by a championship Donald Ross golf course and boasts a bucolic setting in the Blue Ridge Mountains. […]
Testing Bridgestone’s TOUR B JGR Woods
By Graylyn Loomis A few months ago, a box of clubs arrived at the LINKS office. Not an unusual occurrence, but this package contained a driver, 3-wood, and 5-wood from Bridgestone’s new line, the TOUR B JGR Series. Right now, if you’re like most golfers, you’re thinking, “Bridgestone makes woods? I thought they only made […]
Gracefully Growing Older with Golf
Tired of watching his game decline, this golfer of a certain age found there’s still lots of golf life in the old boy yet A man’s relationship with his golf game is a lot like a marriage: When things are going well, you love the game with all your heart. The birdie putts that topple […]
One Man Designs Almost All of the Best Hitting Bays
By Graylyn Loomis High-tech learning centers are all the rage at high-end clubs and communities across the country. Amazingly, one man is responsible for most of them. Over the last few years, the image of the golf pro standing on the range giving a lesson has become less and less common. At many clubs and […]