Courses

Though it’s only January, the biggest golf course news of 2021 might have already dropped. Virtually any mint-new golf course project is notable these days, but the news of The Lido hit with particular force. Unlike previous samples from the novelty category of “replica courses”—those all-star cornucopias of imitation holes tossed together like chef’s salads,

The Stadium Course at PGA West was conceived as a California version of the Players Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass—but harder. The course opened in 1984, an era when difficulty was often conflated with greatness, and with PGA West, Pete Dye was evidently trying to build the greatest course on earth. He emptied the toolbox

34. Southern Hills Country Club Perry Maxwell (1936)/Gil Hanse (2018) A product of the Great Depression, funded by Phillips Petroleum money and constructed by hundreds of workers who stood at the gate each morning hoping for a 25-cents-per-hour job that day, Southern Hills is architect Perry Maxwell’s great achievement. Nearly every hole bends left or

The PGA Tour returns to Waialae Country Club, which hosts this week’s Sony Open for a 51st consecutive time, dating back to 1965. It’s special for many reasons, not the least of which because it’s the only Seth Raynor original design played on the PGA Tour (now with the Greenbrier’s Old White TPC course not

All of this got us to thinking—which other notable munys around the country are worthy of similar treatment? Of course, all of our munys are deserving of some TLC, but these have the potential to be truly significant efforts. COBBS CREEK GOLF COURSE Philadelphia This list must start with Cobbs Creek—which is getting the facelift

There are enough things in golf to scare us: Forced carries, downhill five-footers and fried-egg lies to name a few. The last thing golfers want in the back of their minds are terrifying animals ready to attack you after you pipe one down the middle. A member of our Golf Digest Places to Play courses

Golf is remarkable in the way it brings together people from different cultures and climates, uniting them for a period of time in mission and experience while remaining an entirely individualistic pursuit. It is social and solitary, as all good travel is, and in this regard is also a passport, a ticket. Golf is the

Back-yard football is the unofficial sport of Thanksgiving, but pick-up pigskin works better in theory than practice. Half the crew is out of shape or hungover, there’s always one guy delivering cheap shots to atone for unresolved childhood drama, and the quarterbacks are so bad they make Mitchell Trubisky look competent. Fun times! Which is

A confession here: Golf Digest’s course-ranking process has never been perfect, but it has always been transparent. So in the interest of full disclosure, let it be known that in past years our eight course-evaluation criteria were a bit cumbersome and confusing, not just to readers but to some of the 1,800 low-handicap male and

In a year riven with change, with ground shifting weekly and everything from offices to school to food and safety and the very bonds of society open to re-examination, finding consistency in the world of golf-course design is notable. In golf architecture at least, the advent of this decade resembles the beginning of the last.

Sheep Ranch, the Best New Course of 2020, is an embodiment of the old choreographies of links golf. It is also an expression of a new movement—a revival, actually—toward creating increased width and spaciousness. Though Sheep Ranch sits on a relatively small site—fewer than 150 acres—the playing fields are enormous, with fairways 60 to 100

Ever since animals first dug into the sides of sandhills in search of shelter from chilly winds, golf links have had deep, dark, foreboding bunkers. Naturally, golf architects soon began imitating nature, and the results are classic hazards like the Road Hole Bunker at St. Andrews in Scotland. Today, it’s a rare golf course that

The original Hogan’s Alley was a newspaper comic strip that dated back to the 1890s, but beginning in the late 1940s the name would be conveniently appropriated by sportswriters to describe various tournament venues where famed golfer Ben Hogan dominated. Riviera Country Club, in Pacific Palisades, Calif., south of Los Angeles, is golf’s original Hogan’s Alley.

Every two years the American Society of Golf Course Architects elects a new president to lead the organization. Seventy-four men and women have previously held the position since its inception in 1947, including luminaries such as Donald Ross, Stanley Thompson, Robert Trent Jones and William Langford. Forrest Richardson, elected in Fall 2020, is now the

You likely know that TPC Sawgrass started the Tournament Players Club movement in the 1980s as the first PGA Tour-owned and operated club. But do you know the origin of the concept of stadium golf, and how the TPC golf courses network grew since Sawgrass’ debut 38 years ago? Much credit is due to Deane

Golf has a history with dogs that dates back to the origins of the game in Scotland. In the U.S., we’ve been a little slower to adapt dogs into our golf culture, at least as we play the game. Superintendents and golf professionals, though, have realized that work can be so much more enjoyable with

PEBBLE BEACH—Golf’s best are at Pebble Beach. One of its best deals is down the road. Pebble Beach Golf Links, hosting this week’s U.S. Open, is said to be the finest convergence of land and sea known to man, a proclamation that brings little argument. Pebble Beach is also a public track, and on that

Stephen Szurlej 1 . (1) Shinnecock Hills G.C. (pictured above), Southampton •2. (2) National G. Links of America, Southampton •3. (4) Fishers Island Club • 4. (3) Winged Foot G.C. (West), Mamaroneck •5. (5) Friar’s Head G.C., Baiting Hollow •6. (6) Oak Hill C.C. (East), Rochester •7. (7) Bethpage State Park (Black), Farmingdale •^8. (8)

Summer brings out the best Milwaukee has to offer–from traveling beer gardens to trout fishing to golf. The season is short but sweet, with golf fever spanning May through October. The city itself has tournament-caliber municipal courses in its portfolio, and within an hour’s drive there’s a whole lot more to explore in the area

1 . (1) Augusta National G.C. (12th hole pictured above) •2. (2) Peachtree G.C., Atlanta •3. (3) East Lake G.C., Atlanta ≈4. (4) Atlanta Athletic Club (Highlands), Johns Creek ≈5. (5) Ocean Forest G.C., Sea Island ≈6. (6) Sea Island G.C. (Seaside), St. Simons Island ≈ ^7. (7) Atlanta C.C., Marietta ≈8. (8) Hawks Ridge

Golf Digest has been publishing a Best in State ranking every other year since 1977, making this the 22nd edition. Deploying our trained panel of more than 1,700 low-handicap golfers to continually assess the courses of this nation is a mission whose main obstacle is daylight. “Indeed, most courses ranked in any state are legitimate

Stephen Szurlej 1 . (1) Pikewood National G.C. (9th hole pictured above), Morgantown •2. (2) Pete Dye G.C., Bridgeport •3. (3) The Greenbrier (Old White TPC), White Sulphur Springs ≈^4. (4) The Greenbrier Sporting Club (The Snead), White Sulphur Springs5. (5) The Resort At Glade Springs (Cobb), Daniels ^ KEY TO SYMBOLS(2017-’18 ranking in parentheses)•

Dom Furore 1 . (1) Pine Valley G.C. (15th hole pictured above) •2. (2) Baltusrol G.C. (Lower), Springfield •3. (3) Baltusrol G.C. (Upper), Springfield •4. (4) Somerset Hills C.C., Bernardsville •5. (5) Plainfield C.C., Edison •6. (7) Galloway National G.C. ≈7. (6) Ridgewood C.C. (East/West), Paramus8. (8) Bayonne G.C. ≈9. (13) Trump National G.C. Bedminster

Dom Furore 1 . (1) Sand Hills G.C. (pictured above), Mullen •2. (2) Dismal River G.C. (Red), Mullen ≍3. (3) The Prairie Club (Dunes), Valentine ≍ ^4. (4) Omaha C.C.5. (5) Dismal River Club (White), Mullen6. (6) Wild Horse G.C., Gothenburg ^7. (7) The Prairie Club (Pines), Valentine ^8. (8) Arborlinks, Nebraska City9. (9) Firethorn

1 . (2) Ballyneal G.C., Holyoke •2. (1) Castle Pines G.C. (pictured above), Castle Rock •3. (3) Cherry Hills C.C., Cherry Hills Village •4. (4) Colorado G.C., Parker ≈5. (5) Sanctuary, Sedalia ≈6. (6) The Broadmoor G.C. (East), Colorado Springs ≈ ^7. (7) Maroon Creek Club, Aspen8. (9) Red Sky Ranch & G.C. (Fazio), Wolcott

Hugh Hargrave/Courtesy of Whispering Pines CC 1 . (2) Whispering Pines G.C. (15th hole pictured above), Trinity •2. (1) Dallas National G.C., Dallas •3. (3) Bluejack National, Montgomery4. (5) Colonial C.C., Fort Worth ≈5. (4) Preston Trail G.C., Dallas6. (NR) Trinity Forest G.C., Dallas7. (6) Spanish Oaks G.C., Bee Cave8. (9) Miramont C.C., Bryan9. (22)

1 . (1) Gozzer Ranch G. & Lake Club (15th hole pictured above), Harrison •2. (2) The G.C. At Black Rock, Coeur d’Alene •3. (3) Huntsman Springs G.C., Driggs ≈4. (4) The Club At Rock Creek, Coeur d’Alene5. (5) Headwaters Club At Teton Springs, Victor6. (6) The Coeur d’Alene Resort G. Cse. ^7. (7) Circling

Courtesy of Portsmouth Country Club 1 . (1) Baker Hill G.C., Newbury2. (2) The G.C. of New England, Stratham3. (3) Lake Winnipesaukee G.C., New Durham4. (5) Portsmouth C.C., Greenland ^5. (4) Lake Sunapee C.C., New London KEY(2017-’18 ranking in parentheses)• America’s 100 Greatest Course≍ America’s Second 100 Greatest Course^ Public courseNR Not rated in 2017-’18

1 . (1) The Stanwich Club (pictured above), Greenwich ≈2. (2) C.C. Of Fairfield ≈3. (3) The Course At Yale, New Haven4. (4) Wee Burn C.C., Darien5. (5) Tamarack C.C., Greenwich6. (7) Bull’s Bridge G.C., South Kent7. (8) Round Hill Club, Greenwich8. (6) Lake Of Isles G.C. (South), North Stonington9. (10) Hartford G.C. (Red/Blue), West

1 . (1) Shadow Creek (18th hole pictured above), North Las Vegas •^2. (2) Clear Creek, Tahoe3. (3) Southern Highlands G.C., Las Vegas ≈4. (4) The G.C. at Southshore, Henderson5. (5) Wolf Creek G.C., Mesquite ≈ ^6. (6) Cascata, Boulder City ^7. (7) Montreux G. & C.C., Reno8. (8) Edgewood Tahoe G. Cse., Lake Tahoe9.