The Conundrum of Centerline Bunkers
Redundant and poorly managed trees cop most of the criticism aimed at golf courses these days, but another feature many don’t care for is the bunker located in the middle of the fairway, known nowadays as “centerline” bunkers. Professionals regard them with total disdain because they swallow apparently good shots. Architect Bill Coore remembers the […]
Top 10 Donald Ross Courses You Can Play
Donald Ross strongly advocated golf as a game of the people. Many of Ross’s finest layouts were sketched with the common man in mind as public and municipal. He also designed dozens of outstanding resort courses across the length and breadth of America. Here are 10 classic Donald Ross courses that you can play. 10. Manakiki […]
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 […]
Classic Courses: Plainfield Country Club
From revolution to evolution, this more than 100-year-old Donald Ross layout has stood the test of time On the spot where the Revolutionary War’s Battle of The Short Hills was fought in 1777, it is fitting that Plainfield Country Club has given golfers all the fight they can handle since it opened in 1921. However, […]
Golf’s Ultimate Tests of Patience
In the first in a series about the attributes that are central to the design, challenge, and joy of the game’s most cherished courses, we identify the “Ultimate Test of Patience”: Pinehurst No. 2 Anyone who warms to the mention of golf’s greatest courses cannot help but engage in the time-honored grill room discourse on […]
Classic Courses: Mid Pines Golf Course
Donald Ross’s compact gem celebrates 100 years precisely as the architect built it Amidst the abundance of beautifully constructed courses in the Sandhills of North Carolina rests a club that has stood the test of time without bowing to the pressures of the modern game. Opened in 1921, Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club—five miles […]
Personal Bests
The big-name architects designed courses that anyone-including you-can play. Here are the best from each of them. One of the great things about golf is how many courses are open to the public. Another terrific feature is that so many different individuals brought their aesthetics and expertise to the task of designing courses. Put those […]
Top 10 Courses: North Carolina
From the courses in Pinehurst to the host venue of the 2025 PGA Championship—here are our top 10 golf courses in North Carolina 1. PINEHURST NO. 2, Pinehurst Donald Ross’s masterpiece continues to top the list, thanks to a dramatic Coore & Crenshaw renovation that eliminated acres of Bermudagrass rough, allowing the course’s best asset—its […]
10 Things Pinehurst Gets Right
There’s a reason why Pinehurst has earned the moniker “Cradle of American Golf.” With nine courses on property and new amenities constantly sprouting, the historic golf resort continues to affirm itself as a must-go destination for any fan of the past, present, and future of the game. Here are 10 things that Pinehurst gets right. […]
The Hardest Round of Your Life
Of all of the rounds you’ve played in your golf lifetime, there are but a few that seem to be etched in your memory in permanent ink. There’s the story of your career-low round, that your friends and family could recite back to you word-for-word. Then there are probably one or two courses you checked […]
