9 Best Par Threes on the Open Championship Rota
Ever since eight competitors first encountered Prestwick’s 167-yard 3rd hole—called Tunnel (Red)—at the inaugural Open Championship in 1860, par threes have played a significant role in the outcome of golf’s oldest major tournament. Only 12 holes then, Prestwick expanded to 18 holes in 1882, then fell off the Open Rota after 1925, but its challenging […]
Is Royal Troon the Weakest of the Open Rota Courses?
Let’s make one thing clear from the start: the Old Course at Royal Troon Golf Club is one of western Scotland’s premier links. It wasn’t chosen to host the Open Championship 10 times for nothing. Its seaside location in Ayrshire, its long and proud history, the warmth of the club’s welcome, and the number of […]
Top 10 Fun Facts About Royal Troon
Since its earliest days in the 1870s, Royal Troon has epitomized a traditional club environment and proper championship golf. Yet, as this storied venue on the west coast of Scotland prepares to host its 10th Open Championship, the one constant has been change, in a desire for improvement. With an eye on the soon approaching […]
Assigning Personalities to the Open Championship Venues
Examining the courses of the Open Championship, let’s view them not from best to worst but rather as unique examples of different personalities In a recent interview, rock icon Nick Cave revealed an unexpected interest in the Enneagram, a system of inter-connected personality types linked to the early-20th century mystic Gurdjieff. This interest in psychological […]
Geoff Shackelford: A Plea for the Wee Par Three
No hole in golf offers a richer combination of fun and fright for pros and amateurs alike than the short one-shotter The wee par three is having a moment. Surprising as it is to believe, the little knee-knocking, heart-stopping thrillers had fallen out of favor, one-shotters under 155-or-so yards becoming victims as developers and architects […]
6 Historical Public Golf Courses Across New England
Across much of New England, you’ll find a bevy of golf courses that are steeped in history. Recent U.S. Opens provide proof of that—The Country Club in Brookline enjoyed its latest time in the spotlight a few years ago and, more recently, Newport Country Club took front-and-center as the Tillinghast classic hosted the world’s best […]
Great Courses of Britain & Ireland: Royal Dornoch Golf Club
History and mystique distinguish the most natural links in the world Dornoch is a supernatural place. It was here in the 18th century that Janet Horne, “the last witch in Scotland,” was summarily executed. Ever since, Royal Dornoch has cast a spell over golfers. Situated in the far north of Scotland, Dornoch is 600 miles […]
A Golf Trip to Switzerland
It’s a small country, about the size of Maryland. How do you know when golf season starts in Switzerland? Just follow the cows.
Top 10 Courses: France
Here’s our list of the top 10 courses in France 1. MORFONTAINE (GRAND PARCOURS), Mortefontaine Arguably the finest (and most exclusive) course in Europe, this 1927 masterpiece by flamboyant Englishman Tom Simpson unfurls in an idyllic forest an hour north of Paris, its holes weaving artfully through tall pines. 2. LES BORDES (NEW), Saint-Laurent-Nouan […]
10 Top Golf and Beach Options for Summer
I’m often told that man does not live by golf alone (usually by non-golfers). And in the summertime, one of the chief non-golf activities that I and other golfers enjoy is spending time swimming and lounging by the sea. Lakes and ponds can have beaches—and some rivers do, too. But they can’t compare to going […]
