Pete Dye’s 9 Scariest Holes
Tiger Woods once asked me, “Has anybody ever built harder courses than Pete Dye?” I replied, “Nobody has ever built courses that are more visually intimidating than Pete Dye.” Tiger shot back, “Exactly.” Indeed, Dye himself stated, “My overall philosophy is to make the hole appear more difficult than it really is.” In reality, Pete […]
10 Great 18-hole Courses on Fewer Than 100 Acres
In January 1930, just 14 weeks after the Wall Street crash and the catastrophic collapse of the U.S. stock market, course architect Alister MacKenzie set sail from Hoboken, N.J., bound for Buenos Aires. During a roughly eight-week stay in South America, the Scotsman designed, or suggested improvements to, at least six courses in Argentina (including […]
The Most Resonating Courses in Golf
Some golf courses have a unique and unmistakable sense of place. The ancient Romans had an expression: genius loci, or sense of place. Their belief was that every city and town had its own spiritual identity, the way it was experienced, imagined, yearned for, and held in the heart and soul. Now, 3,000 years later, […]
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 […]
The 7 Best Alister MacKenzie Courses You Can Play
Whether it’s early April when the Masters rolls around at Augusta National or any time of year when somebody posts a jealousy-inducing tweet about their round at Cypress Point, the topic of Alister MacKenzie’s genius is front and center. Having said that, only the fortunate few can swing a tee time at Augusta or Cypress. […]
Golf’s Most Intimidating Courses
No course intimidates so thoroughly as Pine Valley Legendary scribe Bernard Darwin called Pine Valley “an examination in golf.” It’s been called far worse. Perennially ranked as the world’s best golf course, it is also likely the most intimidating, certainly for a middle handicap golfer. Its bunkers sport sinister names such as “Hell’s Half-acre” at […]
10 of Golf’s Top Single-Course Destinations
Mike Keiser is famous for saying one course is a curiosity, but two makes a destination. It’s hard to argue that assertion, as typically the most-celebrated golf destinations have multiple courses—from Pebble Beach, Pinehurst, Kohler, Kiawah, and Streamsong to the super-successful golf getaways Keiser himself has built, like Bandon Dunes and Sand Valley. That said, […]
6 Great Tom Weiskopf Courses You Can Play
Different generations will remember the great Tom Weiskopf for an impressive range of skills. Baby Boomers will likely recall his playing days best and forever savor the powerful, graceful swing the native Buckeye used to win 28 professional tournaments around the world, including 16 PGA Tour titles and the 1973 Open Championship at Royal Troon. […]
The 9 Best Twilight Golf Rounds You Can Play in the U.S.
Teeing off after prime time offers a mixed bag. On the one hand, you’ll get cooling breezes, artist-worthy color textures, and often reduced fees. On the other hand, your round might be called short on account of darkness. Courses to avoid when teeing it up at twilight are any that play through canyons—where daylight vanishes […]
10 of Golf’s Best Par-73 Courses
If you haven’t heard about Landmand Golf Club yet, one of the early takeaways is its massive scale. The course sits on 588 acres of Nebraska prairie land and boasts sprawling fairways and some of the largest greens in the game. It’s also oversized on the scorecard, with a relatively rare total par of 73. […]