How Ping Became a Driver Company
At the U.S. Open in June, 13 players in the field put the Ping G400 driver in play during the first week the club was available. Pros tend to be somewhere between picky and “don’t bother asking” about switching equipment during golf’s biggest events, which made this mass switch all the more remarkable. “It was […]
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, […]
5 Questions with Golf Course Architect Brandon Johnson
Brandon Johnson earned a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Harvard in 1999, before becoming Manager of Design for The First Tee, where he oversaw design and construction of 250 facilities. In 2006, he joined Arnold Palmer’s course design firm and, seven years later, was made a Senior Architect and Vice President of the company. […]
5 Small Golf Brands That You Need to Know
Big brands budget big bucks to ensure media saturation. Lost sometimes are smaller brands which don’t have much spending power, but which still create excellent products. Here are five brands you may not be aware of, but should be. Carbon Putters Colorado’s Carbon Putters has enjoyed critical acclaim without hitting the big time… yet. The […]
Can A Golf Course Be Too Natural?
Can a golf course be too natural? That question has been rattling around in my head for a while as I’ve been bouncing around looking at and playing courses new and old.No one course prompted this thought. And I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have a definitive answer. But the more I […]
Is a Club Champion Club Fitting Worth the Money?
I started playing golf at the age of seven, and as one of six sons I naturally started with an older brother’s hand-me-down clubs. Over the years, my clubs gradually lengthened and changed, but I never owned a set fit for my swing. Despite this, I hit my irons pretty well, on a good day […]
Five Questions for Mike Keiser, Founder of Bandon Dunes
If you were building Bandon Dunes today, would you do anything differently given what you now know? Bigger kitchens and dining room. Simple as that. We had no idea how popular it was going to be. It was perfectly possible that no one was going to turn up. And being the cheapskate that I am, […]
100 Years of Pebble Beach: 17-Mile Drive
By James A. Frank 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. Those articles will also be shared here on our website. […]
Morgan Hoffmann Announces He Has Muscular Dystrophy
In a post on The Players’ Tribune Monday, PGA Tour pro Morgan Hoffmann announced that he has been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. Muscular dystrophy is an incurable disease that results in the progressive loss of muscle mass. Per the Mayo Clinic, “some people who have muscular dystrophy will eventually lose the ability to walk. […]
Mongoose and Snake Go At It At Nedbank
If you have played enough golf, especially in Florida, you have probably seen your fair share of animals on the golf course. Alligators, birds, and squirrels are all pretty common on golf courses throughout the United States. But what about a snake and a mongoose? Well, that’s what former professional golfer Andrew Coltart came […]