Assigning Personalities to the Open Championship Venues

Old Course

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

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 […]

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

Lake Geneva 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

France courses

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

beach golf

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

Essex Country Club (Back Nine)

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

Bandon Dunes Photo

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 […]

5 of Canada’s Top Golf Resorts

canada golf

A glance at the top ranks of players on the PGA Tour these days brings many red Maple Leaf Flags to the forefront. Any given week, it’s likely that a good chunk of the Tour’s top 50 players will be Canadian born. Yes, the Canucks are coming on strong at the professional level, but when […]

Golf’s Most Exhilarating Courses

an overview of the beautiful old head golf links promontory basking in the morning light as captured from an inspire 2 drone.

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 […]