Deciphering the Hole Names at Royal Troon
The five Scottish courses that made it into the first edition of the World Atlas of Golf, published in 1976, were the Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie, Royal Dornoch, Muirfield, and Turnberry. Royal Troon didn’t make the cut. The 2008 edition, published by Hamlyn, did include Royal Troon, but the first couple of sentences […]
How Would You Rank These Golf Destinations: Scotland, Ireland, and England?
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 […]
Great Courses of Britain & Ireland: Royal Dornoch Golf Club
History and mystique distinguish the most natural links in the world Dornoch is a supernatural place. It was here in the 18th century that Janet Horne, “the last witch in Scotland,” was summarily executed. Ever since, Royal Dornoch has cast a spell over golfers. Situated in the far north of Scotland, Dornoch is 600 miles […]
Hyperscapes: A Member Club Built Around Virtual Golf Courses
Would you pay $50,000 to join a golf club without an actual course? Hyperscapes Golf Club is the first members-only club built around fully virtual courses, and the first layout—crafted by Nicklaus Design on a stunning Scottish landscape within a recreated Caledonian forest from 6,000 years ago—will be available for member play on golf simulators […]
Reversible Courses: A Returning Golf Fad?
It’s not like they were the only thing golfers could talk about, but from June 2016 when Michigan’s The Loop opened to July 2017 when Silvies Valley Ranch in Oregon welcomed its first guests, reversible courses certainly enjoyed their moment in the spotlight. Inspired by the reverse, or “left-hand,” routing on the Old Course at […]
Golf Cruises Are Growing in Popularity
The day Ernie Els captured the Claret Jug in the gloaming at the 2002 Open at Muirfield, he’d barely tipped his cap before my wife, Sue, and I were making our way back down the 18th fairway to the beach. “Hurry,” I said. “Our hotel’s leaving in 30 minutes.” At the shoreline, we stepped into […]
7 Destinations that Combine Golf and the Northern Lights
I’m sometimes told that “man does not live by golf alone.” Granted, the people who say that aren’t the rabid golfer that I am, but it’s true that including other activities in a golf trip can make it an even more rewarding adventure. Seeing the Northern Lights (a.k.a. the Aurora Borealis) is a bucket-list experience […]
10 Top Courses on the DP World Tour
Though Europe gave the world the game of golf, for the past 75 years or so, professional golf on the continent has lived in the shadow of its brasher and younger American counterpart. The European Tour kicked off without much fanfare in 1972 with the Open de España at Pals Golf Club in Girona, Spain. But as […]
