Q&A: Golf Course Architect David McLay Kidd
It’s almost 25 years since David McLay Kidd burst onto the scene with the design of Bandon Dunes’s original and eponymous course. Since then, the Scot, who now calls Bend, Ore., home, has established himself as one of the leading architects of his generation with a number of top-ranked designs both public and private. At […]
10 Great Risk/Reward Holes
The label “risk/reward” is applied liberally to golf holes these days. Probably too liberally. Look at any course’s hole descriptions and you’re likely to see it appear at least a handful of times. In reality, there’s risk involved in every swing, and reward to be earned anytime a shot is successfully executed. Strategy comes into […]
Bandon Dunes Set to Add a 19-hole Par-3 as Its 7th Course
Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is adding even more golf to a resort already home to five 18-hole courses and a 13-hole par-3. Set on an inland dunescape between the first hole of Bandon Trails and the Pacific Ocean, development is proceeding on a second par-3 layout (this one spanning 19 holes) affectionately being referred to […]
5 Unique Events at U.S. Golf Resorts
Every year, I anxiously await the mid-summer member/guest tournament at my buddy’s club. The format, camaraderie, and competition spread over several days is an annual highlight, and I know I’m not alone in circling that type of event on the golf calendar. Just over a year ago, in celebration of a milestone birthday, I took […]
10 Courses with Great Collections of Par Threes
Nearly 30 years ago in the pages of LINKS Magazine, author/broadcaster Ben Wright opined that the Golden Horseshoe’s Gold course in Colonial Williamsburg, Va., featured the best set of par threes on a single course of any he knew. Bentley was a shrewd, well-traveled judge—and a designer himself—so I’ll give him his due. I also […]
10 of Golf’s Most Dramatic Cliffside Courses
When you think of the elements that create drama on a golf course routing, two of the first that jump to mind are probably “on the water” and “significant elevation change.” So, it’s small surprise that cliffside golf holes elicit such interest and fascination. Some courses fully embrace their cliffside location, putting the perched prominence […]
8 Great Courses with Gigantic Greens
Jumbo-sized greens have been around forever—or at least since the beginning. The oldest course on earth, St. Andrews, sports a fistful of the largest greens in creation. Golden Age masters from C.B. Macdonald to Alister MacKenzie, both enamored with the Old Course, crafted vast putting surfaces to emulate St. Andrews. In mid-century, Robert Trent Jones […]
The Biggest Putting Courses in the U.S.
The biggest putting course the world of golf has ever seen is coming to the sand dunes of central Wisconsin. Sand Valley Golf Resort already has four golf courses (three 18-hole championship courses and a 17-hole Par-3 layout), and one more in the works (Sedge Valley). As audacious as Sand Valley’s growth is, so are […]
Golf’s 18 Most Famous Holes (Front Nine)
Over the years, we’ve all seen a thousand lists ranking golf’s 18 “best” holes. But seldom have we come across any naming the best-known holes in the game. Whether it be by TV exposure, social media fandom, or just plain old reputation, certain holes acquire a measure of fame over time. They may not be […]
10 of the Top Redan Holes in the U.S.
Golf architect Tom Doak has suggested the most-imitated hole in the world is the par-three 15th hole at North Berwick in Scotland, a hole known as “Redan”—a French word for a projecting feature in a fortification. The Redan is a popular template typically featuring a plateau green that’s higher on the front right, slopes away […]
