Discover Exceptional Golf Experiences and Reviews
‘The Road Less Traveled’ is not solely focused on rankings and ratings (but a top 100 course is always a special experience). The primary goal of these golf adventures is about taking the road less traveled: discovering great golf courses that are off the beaten path.
First, the chronological list of new golf course experiences ( as in first time played ), to wit; Second, condensed observations on each course, commencing with the wonderfully unique golf experience at Pepper Pike Club. PPC shuns the rankings and other intrusions from the golfpaparazzi. If such attention was sought, PPC would be hailed among … Read more
During my Rollins College years of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, the area of Orlando on Orange Blossom Trail between Colonial and Princeton Drives was known for its seedier style offerings. Unbeknownst to me in those occasional visits to the “Trail” was the fact that a 1911 Donald Ross beauty was mere steps from … Read more
If by mid-week of your Jersey Shore vacation you need a change of pace, grab an early tee slot at Atlantic City C.C. and enjoy an incredibly pleasant and memorable experience. Despite having played ACCC several times, each visit provides new discoverers and reinforces past marvels. The Club checks all the boxes, namely, history, design … Read more
In order to condense a five day golf trip running for some thirty plus years with as many as 24 guys to a three day trip with eight players, the drive time best be manageable, the venues strong and the amenities first class. For our 2017 and 2018 outings, check, check and check. The four … Read more
In the course of researching the life and times of architect Henry Rogers, I made an astonishing discovery as to the inspirational source for his design of the clubhouse at Sunnehanna Country Club (1923). Tucked away in a desk drawer in Henry Rogers’ grandson’s lumber mill, hundreds of clippings from The Western Architect and The … Read more
Just outside of the Cleveland city limits at the northwest edge of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Cleveland Metroparks owned Sleepy Hollow Golf Course unfolds over an ideal tract of land for golf. Never one to try and outdo natural beauty, Stanley Thompson melded Sleepy Hollow into the contours, crevices, creeks and craters of the … Read more
In so many varied aspects, Milton Hershey was an unparalleled visionary. The fact that the Hershey Companies remain governed by his Trust created in 1918 speaks for itself as the 99 year old document has fended of such multi-national suitors as Mondelez’s 23 billion dollar bid in 2016, frequent overtures by Cadbury and scuttled auction … Read more
Tucked between the former boom towns of Oil City and Franklin, Pennsylvania, Wanango Country Club boasts the following byline, “Original Front Nine by Donald Ross, Second Nine Thomas Bendelow and redesigned by A.W. Tillinghast.” The tireless contributors to Golf Club Atlas’ Discussion Group would take some issue with the design heritage, but the GCA researchers … Read more
The major golf road trip of 2017 was tabbed “The Wonders of Wisconsin” many months before we actually experienced the beauty and charms of the Badger State. We kicked off our four day tour with a blazingly hot afternoon round at Blue Mound Golf and Country Club. Despite the encroachment of the Wauwatosa sprawl and the … Read more
First the superlatives; Second, full disclosure on conditions, costs and other devilish details; Third, Bandon Dunes Resort Takeaways;
In March of 1969, the golf development visionary E. Llwyd Eccelstone acquired 3,200 acres just north of Vero beach proper that encompassed a vast swath of beachfront, Indian Riverfront and over a thousand acres of wetlands. Despite Vero’s old Florida feel that was literally and figuratively miles from Miami and the Palm Beaches, Eccelstone’s trailblazing … Read more
Rolling Rock Club in Ligonier, Pennsylvania remains the absolute embodiment of class and elegance as when Richard Beatty Mellon founded it in 1917. Rolling Rock is an hours drive from the Mellon’s home city of Pittsburgh, but the Club is world’s away. Secluded over 10,000 acres in the gorgeous Laurel Highlands of Western Pennsylvania, Rolling Rock … Read more
Old Elm Club in Highland Park, IL is a top flight hidden gem. Having undergone a meticulous and thoroughly informed restoration at the hands of J. Drew Rogers, ASGCA, Old Elm is an unmitigated delight. Superb routing, interesting sight lines, wide corridors crossed and flanked by craggly bunkers and wonderful conditioning culminate in an overall … Read more
The notion of building golf courses in remote areas free of real estate subdivisions and unnatural intrusions has been the most welcomed concept in the modern age of the sport with such bold designs as Sand Hills, Bandon Dunes, Sutton Bay, Bully Pulpit and, more recently, Streamsong. On a much more discreet level, clubs have … Read more
Pete Dye and Tom Fazio have designed hundreds of courses since their 51st birthdays. At 87 years old, Pete Dye continues to design courses and tinker with some of his most famous designs. Tom Fazio, having just celebrated his 68th birthday, is one of the few golf architects that designed and opened new courses through the recent … Read more