I’ve been writing about golf courses and resorts for nearly 30 years. It was this March on my way to my room at the Temecula Creek Inn in Temecula, California, when I experienced a first: A team from the Coroner’s Office loading a cadaver into their van right in front of my room. I tookContinue reading “Temecula Creek Inn: Three Distinct Nines + Wine”
Category Archives: Travel
New South Wales Golf Club: Fourth Leg of Dr. MacKenzie’s Grand Slam
Dr. Alister MacKenzie was a civilian surgeon in the British military before turning to golf course architecture. He designed around 50 courses world-wide, with three immediately recognizable to most avid players: Augusta National, Cypress Point, and Royal Melbourne. A strong case can be made that the good doctor’s 1928-vintage New South Wales Golf Club roundsContinue reading “New South Wales Golf Club: Fourth Leg of Dr. MacKenzie’s Grand Slam”
Cape Kidnappers in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Ask avid golfers in the US for opinions about “dream golf trips” – you know, those bucket-list destinations dotted with bucket-list courses – and Scotland and Ireland will naturally be mentioned first. Beyond those iconic venues, it’s hard to predict responses. The savviest of sticks might surprise you by casting their covetous eyes southward –Continue reading “Cape Kidnappers in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand”
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”
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”
Royal County Down: A Bucket-list Golf Experience
Imagine this: You’re playing golf. It is 38 degrees Fahrenheit. You are hitting off of a little plastic mat you’re carrying around with you. You are playing very, very badly. Yet, when you hole out on the 18th green, you can barely hold back tears because you’re so sad that the round is over. ThereContinue reading “Royal County Down: A Bucket-list Golf Experience”
Kona Country Club is a Big Island Gem
Each Hawai’ian island has its own vibe. The Big Island, Hawai’i, is my favorite. It is the biggest and ecologically most diverse, with 11 of the planet’s 13 climate zones represented on the island. (Yes, you can even ski on Mauna Kea.) Also thanks to its size, it is the one island that doesn’t feelContinue reading “Kona Country Club is a Big Island Gem”
Omni Tucson National boasts 36 golf holes and rich golf history
Tucson, Arizona, is a long-time PGA Tour and Champions Tour stop. The Tucson Open was played (under various monikers) from 1945 to 2006. From 2015 onward, the Cologuard Classic (again, under multiple names) has been played against the backdrop of the lovely Santa Catalina Mountains. For around 35 years, the venue for these prestigious eventsContinue reading “Omni Tucson National boasts 36 golf holes and rich golf history”
Golf in the Midnight Sun at Iceland’s Brautarholt Golf Course
The clubhouse at Brautarholt Golf Course outside of Reykjavik, 2 a.m. on the Summer Solstice 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. WeContinue reading “Golf in the Midnight Sun at Iceland’s Brautarholt Golf Course”
Midwestern Golf 