Mizzou’s Gustin Golf Course Surprises at Every Turn

Columbia, Missouri, is known as the location of the state’s flagship public university. And to its faithful fans and alumni, The University of Missouri is known as MIZZOU. During the Tigers’ sold-out SEC football games at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium, you can hear half the avid fans cheering “M-I-Z” and answered by the otherContinue reading “Mizzou’s Gustin Golf Course Surprises at Every Turn”

Dubsdread: Cog Hill #4 is Perennial Top Public Course in Illinois

Since the mid-1990s, golf has witnessed the widespread development of far-flung golf resorts constructed according to a “build it and they will come” philosophy. The idea is that dedicated golfers will travel to the ends of the earth to play great layouts. Today’s golfing public sometimes forgets, however, that the best courses are often withinContinue reading “Dubsdread: Cog Hill #4 is Perennial Top Public Course in Illinois”

The Cullan at Mineral Mound: Gem of the Kentucky State Parks

Long before the land on the shores of Lake Barkley, Kentucky, was a golf course – or even before it was a state park – it was the family farm of Willis B. Machen, grandfather of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald. The tempestuous Zelda was a celebrated writer and the wife of author F. Scott Fitzgerald. OneContinue reading “The Cullan at Mineral Mound: Gem of the Kentucky State Parks”

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”

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”

Rock Hollow Golf Club in Peru, Indiana, ROCKS!

Rock Hollow Golf Club is owned and operated by the Smith family, as in former PGA Tour Pro Chris Smith. The 7,005-yard Tim Liddy design is proof that a course doesn’t need a fancy clubhouse or hoity-toity staff to be one of the best in a golf-crazy state. Perennially ranked among Indiana’s top-10 public courses,Continue reading “Rock Hollow Golf Club in Peru, Indiana, ROCKS!”

Don’t run, GALLOP to Sultan’s Run in Jasper, Indiana

Indiana is perhaps the most under-the-radar great golf state in the nation. Avid golfers can find top-notch courses not only at the state’s best universities and luxury resorts, but also scattered across the rolling countryside. North to south, east to west, you can tee it up at these hidden gems for a fraction of theContinue reading “Don’t run, GALLOP to Sultan’s Run in Jasper, Indiana”

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”