Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw have made a handsome career for themselves designing golf courses following a “Minimalist” philosophy. Hand these two artists a topographically interesting and well-drained canvas, and they will deliver a masterpiece. Sand Hills Golf Club in Nebraska, Streamsong Red in Florida, and both Bandon Trails and The Sheep Ranch at BandonContinue reading “Sand Valley anchors the growing Sand Valley Golf Resort”
Tag Archives: Golf Resort
Wisconsin’s Sand Valley Golf Resort: “Best Golf Resort in the Midwest?”
Some say Sand Valley Golf Resort’s history dates to 2016, when its eponymous course, Sand Valley, opened for preview play. Others might say it began in 1999, when legendary golf developer Mike Keiser unveiled Bandon Dunes in Oregon, spurring a golf resort development boom in remote, topographically ideal locations with a “Field of Dreams” philosophy:Continue reading “Wisconsin’s Sand Valley Golf Resort: “Best Golf Resort in the Midwest?””
Temecula Creek Inn: Three Distinct Nines + Wine
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”
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”
Bunker Hill Farms: Your Own Course for the Day (or Week)
What’s your golf fantasy? Ask most golfers this question, and the list will probably be predictable: A membership at Augusta National? A round with Tiger? Your very own private golf course? I can’t help you with the first two, but I do have advice about attaining the third, at least for a day or twoContinue reading “Bunker Hill Farms: Your Own Course for the Day (or Week)”
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”
Forest Dunes, The Loop, and more! Destination golf in Roscommon, MI
Every once in a while, you pass through the entrance to a golf course or resort, and something suddenly changes. You feel the buzz and hum of the world die out behind you, and the destination envelops you in peacefulness. Erin Hills in Wisconsin is one of those places. I imagine Bandon Dunes in OregonContinue reading “Forest Dunes, The Loop, and more! Destination golf in Roscommon, MI”
Midwestern Golf 