How Bobby Jones Won His First U.S. Open a Century Ago
When it comes to figuring out how Bobby Jones won his first United States Open Championship a century ago this year—in July of 1923—one would benefit in reviewing what a 56-year-old Jones said about his greatest golfing weakness during several interviews with sports reporters and a few of his golfing articles penned on the subject. […]
False Fronts: History, Evolution, and 10 of the Best
When a serious green jacket contender sees his ball land on the false front short of the flag at Augusta National’s 9th hole on Sunday afternoon and reverse 20, 30, even 40 yards back down the hill toward him, the patrons can barely stifle their groans. They’ve probably witnessed the same distressing sequence befall a […]
Notable U.S. Courses Turning 100 in 2023
A lot was going on in 1923. Despite Prohibition, the “Roaring Twenties” were in full swing. Calvin Coolidge became the 30th president. Hank Williams was born, along with Charlton Heston and George Patton. The iconic Hollywood sign made its Tinseltown debut. And the New York Yankees played their first game at Yankee Stadium, just months […]
The Oldest Course in Every State
Identifying the oldest and still operating course in each of the 50 states has all the makings of a good detective story WHAT: I thought it would be easy to identify the oldest golf course in each state. Silly me. The first step was defining what we were looking for, which is a course that […]
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 Greatest Course Never Built
Beverly Hills Country Club had it all—except an opening date The script was straight out of Hollywood. Crooked lawyers. Mob money. Politicians on the take. L.A. nightclubs. Legendary entertainers. All set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, and the toniest enclave in the City of Angels. This is […]
A Timeline of Golf’s Most Important Dates
After more than five centuries, here’s how the game we play today got that way Given that golf has been played for more than 500 years, it’s had more than its share of important moments. But some were more important—or interesting, or amusing—than others, and their effects are still being felt today. The following timeline […]
Ben Wright: Buttered and Bunkered
Of all the great golfers I have seen in more than half a century of covering the game, I believe the best never to win a major was the majestic Irishman Christy O’Connor Sr. A two-time winner of the European Tour’s Order of Merit (1961, ’62) and a member of the Great Britain and […]
Ben Wright: Sneak Preview
The 1965 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale
Tommy Aaron: I Was There—The Collapse at The 1968 Masters
The true story—and an incredible, never-before-told admission—of golf’s most famous mistake It’s been half a century since the strangest day of my playing career—the final round of the 1968 Masters—but even in my 80s I can remember every detail as if it were yesterday. What a battle. Sixteen players were within four strokes of Gary […]
