Author Archive

Short-game researcher and instructor Dave Pelz may have a few detractors, but the former NASA scientist is arguably golf's most influential short-game expert of our time. Two best-selling instruction books, a successful network of short-game schools and the trust of world's best players, including Phil Mickelson, have certainly validated his methods. I caught up with Pelz at his headquarters near Austin overlooking beautiful Lake ...
Full story

Major championship golf venues in the United States are more accessible than ever. No, Augusta National isn't going public, but you can play many recent and upcoming U.S. Open and PGA Championship host courses - as long as you know how to get a tee time, and can afford it. Brandon Tucker offers a bucket list of big-time courses for which you don't need ...
Full story

Topographically, No. 7 is the most severe of the golf courses at Pinehurst Resort and demands many uphill approach shots to elevated greens, while there are also numerous elevated tee shots as well. Originally built in 1986, the course reopened in 2003 after a 10-month closure to renovate the golf course, which included rebuilding green complexes and adding bunkers and length. ...
Full story

After playing a handful of upscale courses in Scottsdale, Ariz., a round at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa can provide a visual letdown. But like others around Mesa, it's one-half to one-third the price of Scottsdale's finest. Longbow offers good playing conditions and variety that offsets the wow factor of others. And it deserves its ranking among Arizona's top public courses, Brandon Tucker writes....
Full story

'Twas the night before our 9:30 a.m. tee time on famed Pinehurst No. 2, considered one of golf's deftest challenges of the short game. So my playing partner and I did what any respecting golfer would do: We went out boozing. The village of Pinehurst feels purposefully built for pub crawls, with a handful of watering holes mixed in with some golf shops and ...
Full story

Perhaps the fiercest of the Big Cat courses at Ocean Ridge Plantation, Leopard's Chase opened to the public in 2007. Designer Tim Cate promised the course would take the Ocean Ridge challenge to another level. Based on the reputation the course has gained, Josh Hoke writes, it's safe to say he achieved that goal. ...
Full story

For nearly two decades the Shivas Irons Society has worked to provide opportunities for learning, self-discovery and transformation through golf. We caught up with founder Steve Cohen for a chat about the history of the organization and its future goals. Cohen also lists some of the courses with qualities the society's namesake - Shivas Irons, the hero of Michael Murphy's seminal "Golf in the ...
Full story

Perhaps the biggest frustration golfers have when they practice is that they can't always feel what they're doing. Now there's a product called the DivotMat, which not only can help them immediately diagnose what is going on in their swings but also provide good training at home away from the golf course or range. The DivotMat is a hitting mat that leaves a mark, ...
Full story

The Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic will be played April 28-May 2 at Fallen Oak, the exclusive course for guests of the Beau Rivage. "This is a significant step in becoming a tier one vacation destination," says Anthony Topazi, chairman of the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic Foundation, Inc. "I hope this is the first of many events we can have that attract people to visit ...
Full story

Thai Country Club, one of Thailand's most well known golf clubs, is a host to the Asian Tour and where Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh have won events among others. The course plays mostly flat with artificial mounding on most holes, as well as hundreds of tropical trees and loads of water hazards, some of which are hidden behind mounds. ...
Full story