Geoff Shackelford: Golf Architecture is Getting its Due
Golf architecture is having a moment. Finally! From the public-course world up to the elitest of the elite, golfers are bonding over a shared affinity for course design. To the small legion of geeks out there—guilty as charged—we’ve long wondered why the masses failed to share our passion even as architecture has long been golf’s […]
Classic Courses: Cherry Hills Country Club
In time for its centennial—and the upcoming U.S. Amateur—this Denver nugget unveils an aesthetic and strategic renovation Cherry Hills Country Club, on the outskirts of Denver, has firmly established itself over the past century as one of the true classic courses in American golf. The William Flynn design was the first course west of Minneapolis […]
Jay Blasi Puts Me Right on Chambers Bay
Oh, Chambers Bay, how I love thee, let me count the ways… For starters, after several decades of use as a rock quarry, lumber yard, railroad depot, bus barn, paper mill, wastewater treatment plant, and sand/gravel mine, the site was eventually developed for what would become a top 100 golf course (golfers can get behind […]
Pete Dye’s 9 Scariest Holes
Tiger Woods once asked me, “Has anybody ever built harder courses than Pete Dye?” I replied, “Nobody has ever built courses that are more visually intimidating than Pete Dye.” Tiger shot back, “Exactly.” Indeed, Dye himself stated, “My overall philosophy is to make the hole appear more difficult than it really is.” In reality, Pete […]
6 Things to Know: The Lido at Sand Valley
The Lido at Sand Valley Golf Resort is a faithful recreation of a long-gone layout once celebrated as the best in the world. The original version was built on New York’s Long Island in the early 1900s by renowned architects C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor but demolished by the U.S. Navy during World War II […]
The Best Blind Shots in the British Isles
Golf is a hard game—a ruinous game. Making a 1.68-inch ball arrive somewhere near its intended target is often an exercise in futility even for the best of players. When you can’t see that target, or even if it’s just partially obscured, your task can become that much more unnerving. Some golfers accept the challenge […]
6 Great Tom Weiskopf Courses You Can Play
Different generations will remember the great Tom Weiskopf for an impressive range of skills. Baby Boomers will likely recall his playing days best and forever savor the powerful, graceful swing the native Buckeye used to win 28 professional tournaments around the world, including 16 PGA Tour titles and the 1973 Open Championship at Royal Troon. […]
7 Golf Destinations Loyal to One Architect
When Gamble Sands announced that David McLay Kidd was returning to build on his successes in Eastern Washington, it went against the grain—at least somewhat—in terms of golf-centric getaways: A single golf architect designing three or more courses at one property. Perhaps not unlike the way resorts seek a diverse lineup of restaurant offerings, destination […]
Great Uphill Golf Holes
The uphill golf hole is not one we remember with any great fondness or affection. Frequently a grueling test, there’s usually at least one to be faced during a round, and we aren’t upset when it’s over. Course architect Thad Layton says great ones are like unicorns. Fellow architect Mike Hurdzan avoids them as best […]
Tom Doak: What I Learned From the Home of Golf
Forty years ago, the then-student of course architecture received his most important lessons at the Home of Golf The first thing I learned in the golf business was to find good mentors. There is no way Cornell University would have given me a scholarship to spend a year touring the golf courses of Great Britain […]
