Play Golf and Paraglide at Torrey Pines
At Torrey Pines, it is possible to pack two life experiences in a single day: playing a U.S. Open course and enjoying the exhilaration of paragliding at the Torrey Pines Gliderport, the self-proclaimed mecca of free flight in the U.S. Every year, during coverage of the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines, CBS’ cameras always catch shots of the […]
The Honors Course, Tennessee
By Lee Pace The entrance to one of the nation’s finest golf clubs sits anonymously off a state highway about 10 miles northeast of Chattanooga, Tennessee, down the road from a strip of burger joints and convenience stores. Only a keycard properly inserted or a call via speaker box to the front desk—and someone has […]
Bully Pulpit Golf Course, Medora, North Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt fed his wilderness craving in the North Dakota Badlands, hunting buffalo and ranching cattle among these stark sandstone hills. The Badlands golf experience is similarly untamed, thanks to Michael Hurdzan’s inspired 2005 design, Bully Pulpit. So captivated was Hurdzan by the dramatic property, he ditched his staff and went solo here, visiting […]
Caves Valley Golf Club, Maryland
The dream to build a world-class club in the rolling hills outside of Baltimore began in 1977 when Les Disharoon, then CEO of Monumental Corporation, moved to the area and quickly discovered that with the exception of Baltimore Country Club, the area was lacking a certain kind of club—one devoted strictly to enjoying golf at its best. So […]
Huntsville Golf Club, Pennsylvania
More than any single redesign project in U.S. history, Jones’ work on The Country Club displayed the virtues of turning back the clock to an era of natural looking mounds, swales and flow lines. Rather than imposing himself on the course, Jones allowed the site and its original features to set the tone for his work. Indeed, he was most successful at The Country […]
Sonoma Golf Club, California
You would expect a golfer with a classic swing to recognize a classic course when he sees one, and sure enough, when Sam Snead was asked to name the best course design he’d ever encountered, the Slammer answered: “One you probably never heard of—the Sonoma Golf Course in California.” Something in the sinewy twists […]
White Bear Yacht Club, Minnesota
By Josh Karp In 1921 F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, spent the summer—or at least part of it—living in a rented room at White Bear Yacht Club. Located 20 miles northeast of St. Paul, Minnesota, Fitzgerald’s hometown, the club seemed a perfect place to swim, relax and play golf in a quiet […]
River Oaks Country Club, Texas
River Oaks Country Club illustrates two of the main themes in the evolution of course design in America. Donald Ross’ original layout of 1923 was a classical example of his strategic style of design, while Joe Finger’s redesign of the late 1960s combined modern engineering with elements of the penal style to stiffen the […]
Rich Harvest Farms, Illinois
Whereas a lot of wealthy individuals have built golf clubs, very few of them have actually designed the courses. But Jerry Rich, inspired by the late architect Dick Wilson, bought 1,820 acres of farmland 50 miles west of Chicago and with the guidance of course architect Greg Martin, built 18 of the most demanding holes—playing […]
Wykagyl Country Club
Measuring a mere 6,702 yards, Wykagyl Country Club does not intimidate on paper, but since it was built more than a century ago, its relentlessly hilly, rocky terrain has provided a worthy challenge for the game’s best. And if not for a location in the heart of New York’s golf-rich Westchester County, where neighbors […]