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 […]
Classic Courses: Essex County Club
For well more than a century, this Donald Ross gem has required having the full repertoire of shotmaking skills When Essex County Club hosted the 1938 Curtis Cup match, it represented a homecoming of sorts. Harriot and Margaret Curtis began their golfing lives at Essex, in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., about 30 miles north of Boston. The […]
5 Reasons to Love Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
Twenty-five years later, the resort that sparked the trend of modern destination golf continues to grow and evolve You’ve surely read the accolades by now, so even if you haven’t yet made the trek to Oregon’s southern coast, the appeal of Mike Keiser’s flagship golf resort is understandable. Twenty-five years in, Bandon Dunes is still […]
Golf’s Most Exhilarating Courses
Ireland’s Old Head is golf’s most exhilarating experience There are moments in golf that you wish could be frozen in time: Stepping onto the first tee of the Old Course at St. Andrews; emerging from the trees to greet 15, 16, and 17 at Cypress Point; staring down the daunting approach over the Pacific at […]
Golf’s Best Rain Gear
As a wise Irish caddie once told me when I was waffling on whether to bring my rain gear to the course: “I’d rather have ya looking at it than looking for it.” But where to turn for truly good waterproof golf rain gear? A recent buddy trip to Bandon Dunes—and ill-advised choices by several […]
Legends: Richard Tufts
This scion of the family that owned Pinehurst dedicated his life to the game he loved Credit 18th-century Boston businessman James W. Tufts—who made a fortune inventing the automatic soda fountain—with two significant contributions to American golf. First, the creation of Pinehurst, widely acknowledged as the first golf resort, which he founded in 1895. Second, […]
The Legacy of Sand Greens
Donald Ross’s original greens for Pinehurst No. 2 lacked one critical component—grass Only a dozen years old yet already a burgeoning golf mecca, the Pinehurst Resort saw its reputation soar soon after Donald Ross expanded and redesigned Pinehurst No. 2 in 1907. Dozens of golf ’s most influential figures praised the layout in reverential terms. […]
