George Peper: Red Zones
Golf and football have more in common than gaudy outfits, writes George Peper in the Fall 2024 issue of LINKS Magazine.
Geoff Shackelford: Sand Blasting
In his column for the Fall 2024 issue of LINKS Magazine, Geoff Shackelford writes that bunkers are supposed to be hazards, not hell holes.
Golf Courses with the Highest Tree Appeal
When deployed properly, trees adds definition, character, beauty, and strategic interest. These golf courses have the highest tree appeal.
Top Mountain Courses in 10 American West States
Mountain golf is different. It’s three-dimensional chess, with elevation changes that factor into the way you approach just about every shot. America’s western states are blessed with dozens of superb mountain tracks, from hillside bucking-bronco rides to others that are gentler canters through quiet valleys surrounded by towering peaks. Many of the west’s more impressive […]
9 Best Par Threes on the Open Championship Rota
Ever since eight competitors first encountered Prestwick’s 167-yard 3rd hole—called Tunnel (Red)—at the inaugural Open Championship in 1860, par threes have played a significant role in the outcome of golf’s oldest major tournament. Only 12 holes then, Prestwick expanded to 18 holes in 1882, then fell off the Open Rota after 1925, but its challenging […]
Is Royal Troon the Weakest of the Open Rota Courses?
Let’s make one thing clear from the start: the Old Course at Royal Troon Golf Club is one of western Scotland’s premier links. It wasn’t chosen to host the Open Championship 10 times for nothing. Its seaside location in Ayrshire, its long and proud history, the warmth of the club’s welcome, and the number of […]
Top 10 Fun Facts About Royal Troon
Since its earliest days in the 1870s, Royal Troon has epitomized a traditional club environment and proper championship golf. Yet, as this storied venue on the west coast of Scotland prepares to host its 10th Open Championship, the one constant has been change, in a desire for improvement. With an eye on the soon approaching […]
Geoff Shackelford: A Plea for the Wee Par Three
No hole in golf offers a richer combination of fun and fright for pros and amateurs alike than the short one-shotter The wee par three is having a moment. Surprising as it is to believe, the little knee-knocking, heart-stopping thrillers had fallen out of favor, one-shotters under 155-or-so yards becoming victims as developers and architects […]
6 Historical Public Golf Courses Across New England
Across much of New England, you’ll find a bevy of golf courses that are steeped in history. Recent U.S. Opens provide proof of that—The Country Club in Brookline enjoyed its latest time in the spotlight a few years ago and, more recently, Newport Country Club took front-and-center as the Tillinghast classic hosted the world’s best […]
10 Top Golf and Beach Options for Summer
I’m often told that man does not live by golf alone (usually by non-golfers). And in the summertime, one of the chief non-golf activities that I and other golfers enjoy is spending time swimming and lounging by the sea. Lakes and ponds can have beaches—and some rivers do, too. But they can’t compare to going […]