Great Downhill Golf Holes
Jack Nicklaus said golf is a better game when played downhill. The Golden Bear doesn’t speak for everyone of course, but he’s won more of the really big tournaments than anyone and is one of just a handful of architects to have worked on 300 courses or more. It doesn’t take a multi-major champion or […]
9 Noteworthy Bridges in Golf
From burns and creeks to lakes and ponds, golf courses are full of water hazards. Consequently, they’re also home to bridges of all shapes, sizes, and significance. Here, we spotlight nine noteworthy examples chosen for their history, their appearance, or simply for how a golfer is likely to feel when crossing it. The Old Course […]
Great Courses of Britain & Ireland: County Louth
Overshadowed by big-name neighbors, Tom Simpson’s Baltray links deserves more attention Whenever golf course architecture enthusiasts discuss the contributions of the so-called “Golden Age” designers, a handful of names invariably come to the fore. Tom Simpson is rarely one of these—although he surely deserves inclusion. And whenever those who rate golf courses debate the finest links […]
Great Holes of the British Isles: 17th, Prestwick, “Alps”
The story of Prestwick Golf Club begins in 1851, when a group of friends gathered at the Red Lion Inn decided to create a golf club. Old Tom Morris was hired to be its first greenkeeper, and he competed in the first 12 Open Championships held on his then 12-hole home course, winning four times. […]
15 Great Golf Books of the 21st Century
When I was assigned the task of listing “15 Important Golf Books of the 21st Century,” I could have simply reproduced the roster of winners of the USGA’s Herbert Warren Wind Award or identified some of Amazon’s bestsellers. But while all of them were no doubt worthy, I felt there were a number of books […]
The Brilliance and Beauty of Bland Golf Holes
Last year, Colton Craig learned an important lesson about golf course architecture in the most unlikely of places. Walking through the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, full of what he calls “wild exhibits that stimulated the artistic side of my brain,” the Oklahoma City-based designer came to an empty room with white walls. “The vacant […]
12 Golf Course Architects Reveal the Holes They Wish They Designed
Ask any golf course architect what course or hole he or she is most proud of having designed, and most will demur. Typically, they don’t want to single out one as being any better than another. But they do have opinions on the work of others. For this story, I asked 12 course architects to […]
7 of the Strangest Bunkers in Golf
For almost 50 years, golfers have encountered (or avoided) a greenside bunker at the par-three 6th hole at Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course that’s shaped like Mickey Mouse’s head. It is, quite literally, “Mickey Mouse golf.” The iconic and ironic bunker was completely rebuilt in 2017 and shortly thereafter two more Mickey-shaped bunkers were added at […]
10 Top Volcano Holes in the U.S.
The most fearsome tee shots in golf are those where the golfer has nowhere to miss. The Volcano green certainly qualifies. A bit of a rarity in the golf design world, Volcano holes have a green that is built up on at least three sides, often appears to be raised above the tee box, and […]
10 of the Top Punchbowl Holes in the U.S.
There’s something to be said for the anticipation created by an approach shot into a Punchbowl green—some golfers love it… others, not so much. The Punchbowl is one of golf’s best known template holes: A green surrounded by mounding that gives it a bowl shape and funnels balls toward the center of the putting surface, […]
