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”
Tag Archives: golf-course
First stop on the Tennessee Golf Trail: Henry Horton State Park
Henry Hollis Horton was the 36th governor of Tennessee, serving from 1927-1933. Upon his death in 1934, the state procured a portion of his large estate with the intention of preserving it as a state park. The sprawling park opened in 1961, and in 1962 the park’s Buford Ellington Championship Golf Course debuted. The 7,060-yard,Continue reading “First stop on the Tennessee Golf Trail: Henry Horton State Park”
Towhee Club: New owners, new name, new greens, same creek
In 2013, I reviewed King’s Creek Golf Club, located in Spring Hill, TN. The two most memorable aspects of the 2005 Arnold Palmer design were the namesake creek and my first (and still only) hole-in-one. Upon returning to the area in 2026, I discovered that King’s Creek, which had closed several years earlier, was re-openedContinue reading “Towhee Club: New owners, new name, new greens, same creek”
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”
L.A.B. Golf’s DF3.i – A Classic Boy-Meets-Putter Story
Over the years, I have tested and reviewed hundreds of putters. A substantial number of those putters have subsequently stayed in my bag for a time – from a month to a full season, sometimes longer. Every time I think I have found my “forever putter,” a new one comes along and…fireworks! Am I aContinue reading “L.A.B. Golf’s DF3.i – A Classic Boy-Meets-Putter Story”
Foresight Sports: Winter “Blahs” Alleviated by Simulator “Aahs”
I grew up on a horse-boarding farm in Minnesota. Winters could be brutal – back in the day (yeah, I’m old), -20F was typical even without windchill. And always so much snow! But to be honest, aside from the physical discomfort, there were plusses. First of all, horse manure doesn’t smell when it’s frozen. Second,Continue reading “Foresight Sports: Winter “Blahs” Alleviated by Simulator “Aahs””
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”
Sub70 JB Sugar Skull Wedges: Scary-good
If you’ve never heard of Sub70 Golf, you’re in for a treat. This boutique clubmaker based in Sycamore, Illinois, has been producing clubs that are of the highest quality, but at a very reasonable price-point. As I detailed in the profile linked above, the philosophy at Sub70 is “If it isn’t better, don’t release it.”Continue reading “Sub70 JB Sugar Skull Wedges: Scary-good”
Cragun’s Resort in Brainerd Unveils The Dutch Red Nine
In 1955, Dutch Cragun graduated from the University of Minnesota. He called his father and asked if he could make a living running the family’s small fishing resort on the shores of Gull Lake in the heart of the Brainerd lakes region. His dad said, “Hell no.” Nevertheless, Dutch headed north and began a legendaryContinue reading “Cragun’s Resort in Brainerd Unveils The Dutch Red Nine”
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”
Midwestern Golf 