The revamped Ailsa Course at Trump Turnberry is world class. Getting the inside scoop on the course alterations from Jamie Darling of Ayrshire Golf Scotland while playing with him was very insightful. The holes closing out the outward nine and the first two on the back blow you away with ocean views. Stand on the…
If you have not had the pleasure of visiting Dornoch you should. The town in the Scottish Highlands is one of the most charming ones you will encounter. Indeed there is spectacular Royal Dornoch Golf Club that draws golfers from far and wide. I get why writer Lorne Rubenstein raves about it in his book….
It was a privilege to have dinner with David McLay Kidd in his hometown of Bend, Oregon last year. This well known course designer and son of a Scottish Greenkeeper has created fine tests at Bandon Dunes, Tetherow (above), Castle Course and the newer Gamble Sands among others. I found it interesting to hear his…
I had been told about the magnificent opening hole at Portstewart Golf Club. After exiting the clubhouse with mini-sandwich in hand I stepped on the square and tiered teeing grounds that were immaculately manicured in Northern Irish precision. This most memorable of holes unfolds below you and the long par 4 veers to the right….
I had a good chat with Darren, the GM of Kananaskis Country Golf Course in Alberta. These two terrific courses were destroyed by the huge flood of 2013 that was the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history http://kananaskisgolf.com. Many golfers were devastated and wondered if they would be resurrected because of the huge costs involved….
Irregular and terrific back to back Par 3’s. How about a short iron and then a monstrous driver into the wind on the back nine at Ballybunion in Ireland? Crail near St Andrews offers you a long and difficult blind shot over gunk before following with a pleasant downhiller and a glistening water back drop….
We purposely drove the incredible B.C. backroads from Kelowna, through the old Gold Rush era town of Lillooet, down the Duffey Lake Road to approach Whistler on Hwy 99. I had wanted to play Big Sky Golf Course http://www.bigskygolf.cain in nearby Pemberton. Hitting balls that disappear into nearby Mount Currie, evading water and watching several…
As my ball trickled off the green again on one of the turtleback greens at Pinehurst No. 2 this week during the IAGTO NAC Conference, it reminded me of playing here over 10 years ago. The new Crenshaw/Coore updated design is a pleasure to play but scores soar when managaing these billiard table like fast…
American golf writer, Matt Ward and his photographer, Maureen Vaccaro are guests in the Okanagan Valley and Vancouver Island this week. Matt and I originally met at the IGTM Conference in Tenerife last fall. He was intrigued by my interior B.C. golf story including Sagebrush and Tobiano and other aspects of this beautiful region. Thanks…
Coeur d’Alene sounds more like a French-Canadian place in the traditions of Coureur des bois, those famous unlicensed fur traders from New France. But this beautiful and small city resides in the sliver of land in northern Idaho right on the border of Washington State at Spokane and not far from the Canadian border. I…