George Peper: The PGA Tour’s Big Bet is No Sure Thing
Gambling on the pros may now be legal, but the biggest bet in golf is on the future of the PGA Tour We recently published a feature article on the explosive growth of gambling on professional golf, a practice that’s now legal in all but about 10 states. The author of the piece is Jason […]
Inside the 2024 Winter Issue of LINKS – LINKS Golf Podcast Ep. 164
LINKS Editor George Peper is back to break down our latest issue in this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast. Topics discussed include changes in the magazine in 2024, George’s column on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, the next group of course architects to step up to the A-List, and more. You can subscribe […]
George Peper: On Taking a Break from Golf
Golf and I are currently separated. No pity, please—I haven’t missed a shot in months. The last time I played golf was March. Okay, maybe I did sneak in three rounds in June (a member-guest with my son), but other than that, not so much as a chip shot in the past six months. That’s […]
Fall 2023 Issue Preview – LINKS Golf Podcast Ep. 148
LINKS Editor George Peper returns to the podcast to preview the upcoming Fall issue. We discuss George’s column and what he has learned during a six-month hiatus from golf. Other topics include the game’s most perilous courses, golf’s nightlife scene, a comparison of American and European Ryder Cup venues, and more. This episode is presented […]
George Peper: Let’s Put the Pros on the Clock
It’s time for the PGA Tour to identify, embarrass, and punish its worst offenders If you’re a major league baseball fan, you’re likely loving the game more than ever this year thanks to a number of innovations, most notably a pitch clock that forces pitchers to deliver their fastballs faster. The result has been a […]
George Peper: The Ultimate Driving Machine
The walk-on player filling out your foursome may soon be a robot Roughly 30 years ago, I had a nutty idea. Actually, I had a bunch of nutty ideas back then, but this was one of the more colossally nutty ones. As editor of GOLF Magazine, one of my duties was to act as sort […]
George Peper: A Call for Kinder Golf Courses
Having suffered through a generation that produced some regrettably brutish golf courses, we may now be in remission Thirty-five years ago, when George Bush famously called for a “kinder, gentler nation,” at the 1988 Republican Convention he was referring to the overall state of American society, but he could just as well have been talking […]
Winter 2023 Issue Preview – LINKS Golf Podcast Ep. 131
LINKS Editor George Peper returns to break down his column in the upcoming Winter 2023 Issue, including behind-the-scenes insights on course rankings, on this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast. Later, George introduces the newest contributor to LINKS, Geoff Shackelford, and chats with co-hosts Al Lunsford and Joe Passov about the rest of the issue—from […]
George Peper: 50 Years in St. Andrews
My half century of memories of the world’s greatest town The 150th playing of the world’s oldest golf event, the Open Championship, is now upon us as the competition returns to the Old Course at St. Andrews for a record 30th time. I count among the greatest blessings of my life that I’ve been able […]
How to Play the Old Course: An 18-Hole Guide
She’s wily and demanding, but if you treat her right, she’ll reward you If you haven’t played the Old Course it’s surely on your bucket list; and when you get your chance, you’ll want to play well. If you’ve had a crack or two at it, you’ve likely walked off the 18th green thinking, “Yeesh, […]