Each year, the American Society of Golf Course Architects conducts our annual meetings – always at a different venue. In April, we held our event at The Woodlands in Houston. Each day is a mixture of business meetings, continuing education, formal dinners and….golf. Golf is always a welcomed activity by our members – imagine that! Some are very […]
Maybe the title got your attention … Just talking golf holes here – mainly the short-ish ones… especially the 4’s under 340 yards and the 3’s under 120 yards. And when I think of some of the best I’ve played… and a few that I’ve designed… it’s these shorter ones that always seem to be […]
I’ve certainly enjoyed my share of “perks” while working in the golf industry. And while work often supersedes many of the opportunities presented, once in a while I get to take in some really unique golfing experiences. One such opportunity came about this past season when I was invited to visit Lake Zurich Golf Club […]
In an era where golf courses have fallen defenseless to the almighty length of touring professionals, we’ve seen fairways narrowed, bunkers added, trees planted, higher rough, conditions firmed up and green speeds lowered to the point that balls roll well beyond the tolerance of designed contours. Why? Because yes, “these guys are THAT good”. So […]
As you might imagine, architects get pressed quite often to profess our opinions about what makes one golf course better than another. And while I think that is more an individual preference (or left to magazines), there are some courses that stand out among the rest. But why? Is it their great beauty? Is […]
It seems that golf is at least somewhat inherently fun for most of us, right? Maybe because of the challenge it presents – man against golf course. Perhaps it is the camaraderie one can enjoy with friends. For some it might be the competitive encounters. It could also be because it is an outdoor activity […]
Surely by now the word is out….there is a world class golf resort on the coast of southern Oregon? It’s called Bandon Dunes. There are four 18-hole courses on the property and they’re all ranked among the Top 100 in the US. Yes, you say? You’ve heard of it? Oh, you’ve been there? Great! […]
Several weeks ago, I joined up with nearly 100 of my golf course architect friends from Europe, Australia and the US for five days of golf, architectural study and camaraderie on some of our country’s finest venues. Our destination: Long Island, NY. Our final day of golf took us into New Jersey and to […]
Several weeks ago, I joined up with nearly 100 of my golf course architect friends from Europe, Australia and the US for five days of golf, architectural study and camaraderie on some of our country’s finest venues. Our destination: Long Island, NY. Day three found us at Maidstone Club, again on the east end […]
Several weeks ago, I joined up with nearly 100 of my golf course architect friends from Europe, Australia and the US for five days of golf, architectural study and camaraderie on some of our country’s finest venues. Our destination: Long Island, NY. This is the second installment of four entries, or otherwise the second […]
I’m not attempting to be trite here! The subject of “fun” has become a trendy topic of late and, in all seriousness, FUN is something that has frankly been overlooked in our fine game for some time. Not because of lack of interest, but because the game became perhaps a bit too serious on […]
This afternoon, I watched from our deck as my 8 year old son marched through the backyard lugging over his shoulder a bag of mismatched golf clubs, an oversized glove on the wrong hand and a fist full of bright colored pin flags. I slumped in my chair so I could watch his event […]