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80th U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills

I covered the 2004 U.S. Women’s Open at The Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley, MA, on the campus of Mount Holyoke College. There were a lot of legendary veterans in that field – Hall of Fame types: Laura Davies, Julie Inkster, Annika Sorenstam, Karie Webb, Lorena Ochoa, and eventual winner, Meg Mallon. Two thingsContinue reading “80th U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills”

Father’s Day 2025: Gifting up to par

If you’re a golfer, but others in your family are not golfers, you have doubtlessly received numerous golf gifts that were well-intentioned and given with great love but which were – let’s be honest – completely and utterly useless. I just ran across one of these of my own in the back of a drawer.Continue reading “Father’s Day 2025: Gifting up to par”

Sandals Emerald Bay Resort and Golf Course are out of this world

The water around Great Exuma Island in the Bahamas is one of the most recognizable landmarks to astronauts 249 miles overhead. The irradiant blue-green hues are unrivalled elsewhere on the plant, as tides rush in and out through shallow channels between Exuma’s 365 islands and cays. The ocean seems to glow, as if lit fromContinue reading “Sandals Emerald Bay Resort and Golf Course are out of this world”

Golf in the Midnight Sun at Iceland’s Brautarholt Golf Course

It was 9:30 p.m., June 21—Summer Solstice, 2019—when Gunnar Pálsson picked me up at Hotel Frón in Reykjavik. Soon joining us in the Brautarholt Golf Course shuttle were four test pilots from Phoenix and a couple from outside Toronto. We were all heading to the course to play a round of golf under Iceland’s never-settingContinue reading “Golf in the Midnight Sun at Iceland’s Brautarholt Golf Course”

Bay Harbor Golf Club: Top of the mitten, top of the MI must-play list

The 1990s were heady times for golf in Michigan. I lived in The Great Lakes State from 1996-2002 and recall a year or two when one new course was opening every week during the summer months. This was still before the terms “destination golf” or “bucket-list course” had been coined, but the volume and qualityContinue reading “Bay Harbor Golf Club: Top of the mitten, top of the MI must-play list”

Boyne Highlands Resort: A four-course feast of golf

Summer is admittedly short, but if, say, you own a ski resort, and your hotel and sprawling grounds feel abandoned during the long, sun-drenched yet temperate days from May through October in the northern reaches of the state’s southern peninsula, you might well consider expanding your warm-weather offerings. After all, ski season is also onlyContinue reading “Boyne Highlands Resort: A four-course feast of golf”

Kingsmill Resort: Where American History and Golf History Converge

The final two holes on The River Course at Kingsmill Resort, outside of Williamsburg, Virgina, feature several historical markers. One of these describes how the first English settlers in North America landed near the escarpment above the wide James River that is now the elevated tee box of the par-3 17th hole. Those settlers movedContinue reading “Kingsmill Resort: Where American History and Golf History Converge”

2025 Season Opener Gift Guide

For golf fanatics, The Masters counts as a holiday. Like, a MAJOR holiday (pun intended). And for golfers who live in northernly climes, it also marks the start of the golf season. Or close to it anyway, depending on how far north you live. Given this auspicious time of year, when hope for lowered handicaps,Continue reading “2025 Season Opener Gift Guide”

Cleveland HiBore XL Driver: All-in on AI

Golf equipment companies known for their drivers – like Callaway, TaylorMade, and Ping – have turned in recent years to AI applications to rethink and redesign their big sticks. Now Cleveland, a legendary equipment company traditionally known more for wedges and putters, has entered the AI arena. Released December 6, 2024, the Cleveland HiBore XLContinue reading “Cleveland HiBore XL Driver: All-in on AI”

Get ‘em before they go (up): Holiday Golf Gift Guide 2024

Another year is almost done. I hope it was full of memorable golf, camaraderie, and fun. I have no idea what’s in store for 2025, but if certain widely promoted plans come to fruition, I do know that the vast majority of golf clubs, balls, gadgets, and apparel will be significantly more expensive next holidayContinue reading “Get ‘em before they go (up): Holiday Golf Gift Guide 2024”