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
Father’s Day Gift Guide 2026: Doing the best we can
Father’s Day 2026 approaches. This will be the first Father’s Day since my daughter was born in 1998 that neither she nor our son will be both out of the house and far beyond the range of a day’s drive. To say that I am melancholy would be like saying that Scottie Scheffler is “aContinue reading “Father’s Day Gift Guide 2026: Doing the best we can”
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”
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”
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””
2025 Holiday Gift Guide: Don’t let the Grinch play through!
In last year’s Holiday Gift Guide, I fretted about prices increasing. According to The Budget Lab at Yale University, the concern was warranted. The lab’s research shows that leather products, wearing apparel, and metal products – categories central to the golf industry – are three of the top four that have been hit hardest byContinue reading “2025 Holiday Gift Guide: Don’t let the Grinch play through!”
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”
Midwestern Golf 