Our trip to North Yorkshire’s Ganton Golf Club was a great day filled with history and enjoyable golf. The trip down south was paired with a round at Woodhall Spa, and, as with that review, you will see me draw comparisons between the two clubs.Ganton’s beautiful clubhouse and locker room typify a traditional old golf club within the UK. The … Read More
Woodhall Spa Golf Club Review
My visit to Woodhall Spa Golf Club marked my first taste of English golf. It is also my latest check mark on the world top 100 list, on which the Hotchkin course is ranked #62. It has taken me three years to make the trip south from Scotland with my golf clubs in tow. This trip included rounds at Woodhall … Read More
Pinehurst No. 8 Review
Pinehurst is one of my favorite areas in North Carolina to play golf. On one of my most recent trips to the area, I played both Pinehurst no. 2 and no. 8. The resort has a total of eight courses, and more information on the overall features of the resort can be found in the no. 2 post linked above. Pinehurst 8 … Read More
Forest Creek Golf Club (North Course) Review
I was fortunate enough to stay two nights in the clubhouse at Forest Creek Golf Club. I played both their North and South courses with the owner and two founders of the club. Forest Creek is one of two private clubs in the Pinehurst area of North Carolina. The vision for the club began in the early 90’s when the … Read More
Pinehurst No. 2 Review
In the same vein as St Andrews, a golfer’s life isn’t complete until he has made the journey to play golf at Pinehurst. The entire experience is unique, from the lodgings to the golf and people. Bobby Jones is quoted saying, “There is something about Pinehurst that tops even the position which it naturally occupies as the St Andrews of … Read More
Sleepy Hollow Country Club Review
Sleep Hollow Country Club marked the last round of golf during my time in New York City. The summer of northeast golf ended on a great note. Sleepy Hollow is one of the great under recognized courses in the northeast US. In his book, The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses, Tom Doak refers to Sleepy Hollow as, “Westchester’s best unknown … Read More
Winged Foot (East & West) Review
My invitation to play Winged Foot came unexpectedly. I received an email from a friend at my home club reading simply, “When can you play Winged Foot?” From that point, everything fell into place. A quick phone call lined up a morning to play the very next week. My host member for the day insisted that we play 36 holes, … Read More
Fishers Island Club Review
Fishers Island is located just off the coast of Connecticut, but it is technically located in New York. The island serves as a summer getaway for the upper tier of society. It is a place of understated wealth, the “anti-Hamptons.” You do not see any overt statements of wealth on Fishers. Most of the families who spend summers on the … Read More
Bethpage Black Review
I played two rounds on back-to-back days on the Black course at Bethpage State Park. The course was built in 1936 by A.W. Tillinghast and, since its inception, it has hosted two U.S. Open Championships (2002, 2009) among a slew of other tournaments. Tillinghast built the course to compete with its fellow northeast neighbors (read Pine Valley and Winged Foot), … Read More
Loch Lomond Golf Club Review
Loch Lomond Golf Club proved to be one of the most enjoyable and memorable experiences that I have had at a golf club. The level of luxury and service rivals any top club in the world. Loch Lomond is arguably the most exclusive golf club in the UK, and it proved extremely difficult to arrange a round. After two and … Read More
St Andrews Castle Course Review
The St Andrews Castle Course draws mixed reactions from those who have played the course. David Kidd designed the Castle, which opened in 2008. The course is set just outside of St Andrews, a short eight-minute drive south down the coast towards Crail. The views at the course are second to none. The sea is visible from nearly every hole, … Read More
Dunbar Golf Club Review
East Lothian is one of my favorite golfing areas in the world. Ever since I played my first round on “Scotland’s Golf Coast,” I have made it my goal to knock off every note-worthy course in East Lothian. I have been lucky enough at this point to have played North Berwick, Archerfield (Fidra), Renaissance Club, Muirfield, and Gullane (1, 2 … Read More
Crail Golfing Society (Balcomie) Review
For the past two years I’ve been saying to myself, “I’ll go play Crail soon. Not today, but soon.” It was a very spontaneous decision to hop on the bus to Crail yesterday with my good buddy Matt, and I only wish we had made the short journey sooner. After taking the bus along the coast to the village of … Read More
Ireland Golf Trip
The 2012 Ireland Golf Trip was my first visit to Ireland, my first taste of Irish golf, and my first time experiencing the “package” golf trip. I was eager to compare the great Scottish courses to their Irish contemporaries. Our trip lasted one week and included six rounds of golf.Those on the trip included my ever-present golf buddy Matt, his … Read More
Renaissance Club Review
This review covers Renaissance Club from my first round before the clubhouse was completed all the way to my latest round, with the addition of three new holes. While the review begins with the original story, scroll to the bottom to see the three new holes! While sitting on the train to North Berwick on my way to Renaissance Club, … Read More
Muirfield Review
This latest round at Muirfield, or the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (HCEG), marks the second time that I have played the course. The first time we played the exclusive track, the wind was blowing 40 mph+, which made for a frankly unenjoyable round. With this second visit, we were able to fully experience Muirfield for everything that it offers, … Read More
Archerfield Links Review
When I received the invitation to play at Archerfield Links, I knew very little about the course, and had only heard the name in conjunction with other East Lothian courses. After doing some research, I found that Archerfield was a private member’s club that catered to wealthy golfers looking for full five star treatment. I was eager to play the … Read More
Machrihanish Dunes Review
“An un-aged whisky…” Machrihanish Dunes is a David McLay Kidd design. The course is extremely remote and is located directly next to Machrihanish Golf Club. Machrihanish Dunes is very new, having been built in 2007-9. Herein lies the biggest problem with Machrihanish Dunes: It is too young. The course had an unfinished feel and many attribute this problem to a pre-mature … Read More
Machrihanish Golf Club Review
“If there is a golfing heaven somewhere, Machrihanish will have to be passed to gain entry.” Machrihanish Golf Club is an Old Tom Morris design located on the Mull of Kintyre. It is one of the most rural golf clubs that I have played, and is also one of the hardest to reach. I travelled to the course with my … Read More
Kingsbarns Golf Links Review
Kingsbarns Golf Links is located a short fifteen minute drive from St Andrews. It is a young course, being slightly more than ten years old, but it has been met with great praise. Kingsbarns is a Kyle Phillips design and is absolutely stunning. It is currently ranked #54 in the world and it unquestionably deserves that ranking. This latest round … Read More