Travel Special Features
Alabama
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Arizona
The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain -- Where elegance meets adventure
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeff Janas... MARANA, AZ – “This is a place where elegance meets adventure,” said Head Golf Professional Jeff McCormick, commenting on a golf resort that generously fits his description, the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain, near Tucson in southern Arizona.... Some might say Dove Mountain’s...
California
Black Gold Golf Club – Southern California’s Oil for Golf Program
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. RendallYORBA LINDA, CA – It seems odd, with the current state of global politics and exceedingly high oil prices, that someone would think it more profitable to trade crude oil for green grass.But that’s exactly what they’ve done at Black Gold Golf...
Classic Club -- Palm Desert's Oasis of Prestige
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... PALM DESERT, CA –Let’s just say that every golf environment comes along with its own set of expectations. When you play a seaside links course, you’d want to see something that looks like Scotland or Ireland. If you play a mountain course,...
Cross Creek Golf Club -- Pristine Golf, Served Old-Style Fancy
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... TEMECULA, CA – “The original plan was to create this pristine testament to the history of golf, in modern times. And, as it turned out, it exceeded our expectations,” remarked Dave Garner, Director of Golf at Cross Creek Golf Club, just west...
Desert Willow Golf Resort's Mountain View Course -- Catch The Running Water
Text and Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... PALM DESERT, CA -- "You don't see running streams in the desert very often," commented Desert Willow Golf Resort's General Manager, Rodney Young, when asked how he'd distinguish his Mountain View course from other desert layouts in the Coachella Valley.... ... That's certainly true, for if...
Desert Willow's Firecliff Course -- Beauty in Desert Places
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... PALM DESERT, CA -- It's strange how you'll find beauty in unusual places. Like when a volcano erupts, the entire landscape turns charred and gray -- but nature soon pokes up through the ash, and it's amazingly beautiful. Similarly, you'd probably never...
Eagle Falls Golf Course -- Little Bit of the Old Country in the California Desert
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Scot Rendall... INDIO, CA – “Eagle Falls can’t be described as a genuine Links golf course, but it does exhibit certain features that you will find on a Links, particularly the sandy dunes that enhance the rough around the course,” said Clive Clark, who designed...
Greg Norman Golf Course at PGA West -- Diversity in the Outback
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; photos by Scot and Charles Rendall... LA QUINTA, CA – If you ever thought building a golf course on the site of a former sod farm wouldn't constitute a major challenge, then you haven’t heard the story of how the PGA West Greg Norman Golf Course came...
Indian Wells Golf Resort's Celebrity Course -- What a 'Muni' Course Should Look Like
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeff Janas... INDIAN WELLS, CA – “It’s akin to letting a climber believe he has scaled Everest, whereas in reality he has conquered the foothills of Tibet...!” exclaimed Clive Clark, in describing what it’s like to design a course that looks really tough but plays...
Indian Wells Golf Resort’s Players Course – Giving new vigor to the desert
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... INDIAN WELLS, CA – The Encarta Dictionary defines renovation as “to make something new again – to bring something such as a building back to a former better state by means of repairs, redecoration or remodeling.”... The second definition reads: “to give new vigor...
La Quinta Resort Dunes Course -- A touch of links golf in the California desert
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Scot Rendall... LA QUINTA, CA – Driving onto the property at the La Quinta Resort and Club you wouldn’t necessarily envision that you’re far across the sea in Scotland or Ireland, but once you’re set up to play the Dunes Course you might just change...
Landmark Golf Club – Mental Recall in California
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos By Scot Rendall... ... INDIO, CA – The term ‘recall’ evokes vivid images in California. Recall in California means Gray Davis is a private citizen for the first time in decades; recall (as in ‘Total Recall’) was a screen acting role (1990) by the state’s new Governor,...
Lost Canyons -- Rescued From The Shadows At Lost Canyons
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... SIMI VALLEY, CA -- Getting lost in the mountains -- it's something Park Rangers caution us against, because of the potentially severe consequences. The prudent person heeds such warnings and packs for any eventuality -- extra food, water, batteries and a compass...
Lost Canyons Brings Big Sky Country To Southern California
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... You won't find much of Montana in Southern California. Anyone who's spent an appreciable amount of time in the Big Sky state knows the landscape is as devoid of humans as anywhere you'll encounter in the United States. There are probably plots...
Lost Canyons Golf Club -- Meeting nature head on, and winning
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Chuck Rendall... SIMI VALLEY, CA – Whenever I’m asked why southern California is such a popular place to live, I always answer, ‘it’s got a little bit of everything – beaches, warm weather, great entertainment, great food, and it’s also close to the mountains or...
Marriott Desert Springs Valley Course -- Balancing the Adversarial Relationship
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... PALM DESERT, CA – The late Ted Robinson’s golf design philosophy was pretty direct: “The golfer attacks, the designer defends. Such is the adversarial relationship that defines the creation of a golf course.”... ... At first glance, unless you’re playing in a tournament, you...
Marriott Desert Springs' Palms Course -- Masterpiece in Waterscapes Form
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... PALM DESERT, CA -- Golf architects are kind of like Renaissance artists - they use a variety of materials to create masterpieces.... ... 'Masterpiece' pretty much describes course architect Ted Robinson's Palms course at the Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm...
Marriott's Shadow Ridge -- Take An Aussie Holiday
Text and Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... PALM DESERT, CA -- It's not exactly the place you'd figure to look for it, but there's a little bit of Australia found in Palm Desert, California -- and we're not just talking about seeing kangaroos at the zoo, or chomping on a Bloomin'...
Oak Valley -- Spilling The Beans on Oak Valley
OaBy Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... Look close, or you'll miss it--and that would be a shame.... ... Palm Springs and its neighboring desert communities have long been known as great places to play golf. Making a jaunt to the sunny desert paradise introduces you to the lavish entertainment history of the area--where you'll be...
Omni La Costa Champions Course -- Moving on means getting better
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeff Janas... CARLSBAD, CA – “The playing surfaces had just degraded beyond repair. You had to start over,” said golf architect Damian Pascuzzo in describing the task he and design partner (and Tour pro) Steve Pate faced in redoing the famous Champions Course at the...
Park Hyatt Aviara Resort -- Exceptional Golf Journey Through a Botanical Garden
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... CARLSBAD, CA -- "I want people to leave here thinking they played exceptional golf through a botanical garden," said Renny Brown, Director of Golf at Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad, California.... ... Fortunately for Brown and the rest of his staff at Aviara, the vast...
PGA West Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course -- Memorable Piece of the Golden Bear
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Scot Rendall... LA QUINTA, CA – “As Jack often says, what ends up on the top of a piece of ground is a piece of him,” remarked Tom Pearson, Jack Nicklaus’ lead Design Associate at PGA West for the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course.... Any piece of...
PGA West Nicklaus Tournament Course -- Grin and Bear It
By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... K.C. Kinsey, Director of Marketing at PGA West (KSL Desert Resorts), said the idea for the Nicklaus Tournament Course at the Resort was to build a layout that was suitable for hosting a PGA Tour event.... ... Not only did Nicklaus design one that met the goal, he's created...
PGA West Stadium Course -- The Hardest Examination You'll Ever Love
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Scot Rendall... LA QUINTA, CA – It isn’t often you walk off a golf course having struggled mightily and subsequently learn your troubles were exactly what the owners had planned from the beginning, but it’s not every day you see a layout like the PGA...
PGA West Stadium Golf Course -- Complete With All The Calories
By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... Seven-Up bills itself as the "UnCola"; the PGA West Stadium Course should bill itself as the "UnResort Resort Course."... ... Many resort courses can be typified -- described without really looking at them. They'll have wide fairways, even wider rough areas, lots of water, lots of aesthetic beauty, fairly...
Robinson Ranch -- Nature Takes Its Course(s) At Robinson Ranch
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... SANTA CLARITA, CA -- These days, most new golf facilities go out of their way to preserve the environment; not always by choice. Strict federal, state and local regulations often make it very difficult to take just any plot of land, put...
Stone Eagle Golf Club – The Big Island of Hawaii meets the Coast of Scotland
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall (with advice from ‘Mr. 59,’ Al Geiberger)... ... PALM DESERT, CA – For those familiar with golf in the California low desert, it’s all about the houses.... ... Face it, golf is an attractive draw for those living in the desert – it offers a...
The Weston Mission Hills Pete Dye Course -- Seeing a Gentle Side of the Master
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Scot Rendall... ... RANCHO MIRAGE, CA – Pete Dye is known for designing some brutishly difficult golf courses, but his creation at the Westin Mission Hills Resort isn’t one of them.... ... When you mention Dye’s name in conjunction with the Palm Springs area, you’ll probably think first...
Trump National Golf Club -- The Donald's inclusive exercise on the California coast
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA – “One thing I like to tell people about this layout is, it’s a very inclusive golf course,” remarked David Conforti, Director of Golf at Trump National Golf Club, Los Angeles, commenting on the nature of golf at...
Colorado
Highland Meadows Golf Course -- Golf in the Player's Hands
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Scot Rendall... WINDSOR, CO – “If the golf is in the player’s hands, and they are making their own decisions on how to approach each golf hole with a range of options available to them, the experience will be more enjoyable, more engaging, more rewarding...
Pelican Lakes Golf and Country Club -- Waterscapes courtesy of Mother Nature
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Scot Rendall... WINDSOR, CO – “Pelican Lakes boasts 7.5 miles of shoreline on its 18 holes which we believe to be the most of any golf course in North America,” remarked Stacy Kleve, Head Golf Professional at Pelican Lakes Golf and Country Club in Windsor,...
Delaware
Bayside Resort Golf Club – Golf from the inside looking out
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... SELBYVILLE, DE – It’s often the case in modern golf communities that the golf course serves merely as an amenity for the residents – a pleasant grassy environment providing a buffer between the houses and streets.... It’s less frequent that the golf course...
Bear Trap Dunes Golf Club – From phragmites to golf paradise
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... OCEAN VIEW, DE – It’s not easy to turn phragmites into gold, but it’s arguable that’s what they’ve done at Bear Trap Dunes Golf Club near the eastern shore in Delaware.... For those unfamiliar with phragmites (as I was), Wikipedia defines it for...
DuPont Country Club – Safely Back in Championship Form
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... WILMINGTON, DE – ‘Fore!’ A term we’re used to hearing in golf, an accepted custom of shouting towards players (or anyone else) who might possibly be in the estimated drop-zone of your golf ball.... ... Henceforth, watch them dart for cover.... ... Most of...
White Clay Creek Country Club at Delaware Park – Golf’s Call to the Post
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... WILMINGTON, DE – If you’re going to play ‘the track’ at Delaware Park, most people would probably believe you’re heading off to lay down some bets on the ponies.... ... But thanks to some forward looking people at the famous racetrack, you’re just...
Florida
Cozumel Country Club (Mexico) – Fertile ground for a good time
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... COZUMEL, MEXICO – “There isn’t much history to this particular piece of property, but the island itself has an interesting story,” remarked Benny Campos, Cozumel Country Club’s General Manager.... The island of Cozumel is located seven miles off the Atlantic coast of Mexico,...
Cruising and Golf – The Ultimate Aquatic Golf Trail
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos Courtesy of Elite Golf Cruises... ... SUNRISE, FL -- Trails are everywhere you go. There are hiking trails, shopping trails, historic home trails… heck, even ‘drinking’ trails, popularly referred to as ‘bar crawls.’ Then there’s a model being adopted by many localities and some states -- Golf...
Cruising Vacations – Shrinking the Globe and Having a Great Time Doing It
By Jeffrey A. and Shari Rendall; Photos by David Vier ... ... FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Probably the nicest thing about traveling in the twenty-first century is that the world has shrunk.... ... No, this isn’t some new pseudo-scientific theory that intellectuals and politicians will theorize over in scholarly treatises and Sunday morning...
Golf and Cruising – Vacation of a lifetime on the water
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Images courtesy of Marc Johnson and Elite Golf Cruises... SUNRISE, FL -- It may sound odd, but the golf vacation of a lifetime just might be found on the water.... Lots of people probably figure they can play golf while enjoying a cruising vacation, but not many would...
Iberostar’s (Mexico) Playa Paraiso Golf Club – The Best Laid Plans of PB Dye
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... PLAYA PARAISO, MEXICO – “Plans? What fun would that be?”... ... Imagine you’re the owner of an International luxury resort chain, and you’re meeting with an American golf architect who was recommended to you – to design the golf course at one of your...
La Cana Golf Course at Punta Cana Resort and Club
By William C. Denfeld; Photos By William C. Denfeld and Punta Cana Resort and Club... ... PUNTA CANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – How many golf resorts feature their own international airport on the property? The 15,000-acre Punta Cana Resort and Club, located on the east coast of the Dominican Republic, is such a...
Sandals Golf & Country Club in Jamaica – More Different than the Rest
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... OCHO RIOS, JAMAICA – Every golf experience is different, but some are more different than others. Such was the case at Sandals Golf & Country Club in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.... ... It’s much apart from what you’d see in the United States, that is...
Walt Disney World Resort – Mickey, Minnie and A World Class Golf Destination
By Doug Hollandsworth, Images and Captions Courtesy of Walt Disney World... ... ORLANDO, FL – Back in the fall of 1968, I remember sitting in front of my black-and-white television watching “The Wonderful World of Disney,” when Walt Disney described his plan for a new theme park in central Florida, set to...
Georgia
Great Waters at Reynolds Lake Oconee -- It just might get (a little) better than this
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... GREENSBORO, GA – If you’re set to play Great Waters and visiting Reynolds Lake Oconee for the first time you’ll quickly gather the course is located somewhat apart from the main resort accommodations and amenities.... In fact, on the drive over to Great...
Reynolds Lake Oconee Resort -- Golf, recreation and the royal treatment at The Kingdom
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... GREENSBORO, GA – Think about it – what makes a great golf destination?... Ask a hundred people the question and you might get a hundred different answers. Some avid golf nuts may only need a great golf course and they’re satisfied. Others require...
Sea Island Golf Club’s Plantation Course – Wrong Island, Right Experience
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. RendallNote: The Plantation Course was closed for overseeding during our visit – and the photos depict a course in transition.ST. SIMONS ISLAND, GA – “One of the things I’ve always found interesting about our location -- when you come to Sea Island...
Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course – Satisfying from Start to Finish
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. RendallST. SIMONS ISLAND, GA – Tom Fazio’s impressed with Sea Island Golf Club.“I’d say, in terms of strength and beauty and excitement -- the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club is probably as good a golf course as we’ve ever had...
Sea Island Resort’s Retreat Course – Local Boys’ Dream Design Becomes Reality
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall ST. SIMONS ISLAND, GA – How many times have you played your favorite golf course and thought, ‘If only I could have a shot at re-doing this course, I’d… make the driving areas bigger, eliminate the forced carries, design greens like...
The Landing Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee -- Bob Cupp's legacy, memorable golf and the buck that got away
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Amanda Rendall... GREENSBORO, GA – “Gus didn’t make it to work the next day…. Or the day after. He was laid up for about a week with multiple scrapes and contusions and at least one puncture wound and three broken ribs,” remarked Bobby Cupp, son...
The National Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee -- Fazio brand of variety in Georgia
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Bethany Rendall... GREENSBORO, GA – “I was never on either of those courses, so I can honestly say they didn’t influence me at all,” replied legendary golf course designer Tom Fazio when asked whether he tried to make The National at Reynolds Lake Oconee fit...
The Oconee Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee - Golf's Hippocratic Oath taken to its logical extreme
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Matthew Rendall... GREENSBORO, GA – When a medical student is ready to embark on a career as a physician, he or she must first take the Hippocratic oath, which originated in ancient Greece and roughly translated today means “First, do no harm.”... As far as I...
Hawaii
Kaanapali Golf Courses -- More than just back on the map
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Chuck Rendall... KA’ANAPALI BEACH, MAUI – Hearing the story of Ka’anapali Golf Courses made me think back to an old saying my grandfather used to use: “Even a Rolls Royce needs a tune-up.”... It’s true, the very best of the best eventually can use some fine-tuning,...
Kaanapali Golf Courses Royal Kaanapali Course -- Ancient Royal Retreat, Contemporary Golf Paradise
LAHAINA, HI (Maui) – “During royal times on the Island of Maui, the Hawaiian rulers treasured Kaanapali as their savored retreat and ‘playground,’” remarked Melissa Ludwig, Sales and Marketing Manager for Kaanapali Golf Courses, located just across the road from the famous beach resort of the same name.... Ludwig continues, “Three...
Kapalua Bay Course -- Not Just the 'Other' Course in Town
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Chuck Rendall... KAPALUA, MAUI, HI – “The term Kapalua means ‘arms embracing the sea’….that can been seen from aerial photos with the rock outcroppings resembling two arms reaching out to hug the sea,” remarked Kapalua Director of Golf Mike Jones, in describing the story behind...
Lanai Golf � The Challenge at Manele � Desert Style on the Ocean
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... LANAI, HAWAII � One common misconception about the Hawaiian Islands is that they�re entirely tropical. Seeing the advertisements, you really can�t blame people for believing the entire state looks like the Amazon jungle with lush foliage and palm trees, sparkling waterfalls and...
Lanai Golf – The Experience at Koele – A Taste of the Blue Ridge in Hawaii
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... LANAI CITY, HI – I’m not sure why you’d travel thousands of miles to play at a ‘local’ feeling golf course, but if you’re an East Coaster looking for a little bit of Blue Ridge ambiance and charm far from home, try...
Makena and Wailea as seen through the eyes of Robert Trent Jones Jr.
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... MAKENA/WAILEA MAUI, HI – “I love Hawaii, it’s my favorite place on earth,” remarked Robert Trent Jones, Jr., in commenting on his work at Makena and Wailea – both of which occupy a beautiful piece of the Aloha State on the island...
Makena’s North Course – Bountifully Delicious
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall and Chuck Rendall... ... MAKENA, MAUI, HI – “I’ve had lots of people tell me they enjoyed the North Course,” remarked Kirk Nelson, Makena Golf Courses’ Head Golf Professional. “But then one time there was this English chap who described a trip around...
Maui Nui Golf Club -- A Hawaii golf experience that won't break your wallet
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Charles Rendall... KIHEI, MAUI, HI – I don’t know about you, but one of the things I dread most about traveling to a touristy destination like Hawaii is the prospect of paying supersized prices for products and activities that just don’t justify the expenditure.... $25 for...
Princeville Makai Golf Club on the Island of Kauai -- Golf by the Sea
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos by Scot and Chuck Rendall... PRINCEVILLE, KAUAI, HI – “Everyone comes to Hawaii to enjoy the views of the ocean. No one would travel here just to look at the mountains and not enjoy that ocean,” remarked Doug Sutter, Sales & Marketing Manager for Makai Golf...
Puakea Golf Course -- A Place to Call Home on Kauai
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Charles and Matthew Rendall... LIHUE, KAUAI, HI – “Playing the course so often enabled me to better understand how the wind came into play,” said Robin Nelson, course designer for Puakea Golf Course on the beautiful island of Kauai.... “As a result, I was able to...
The Plantation Course at Kapalua -- Defying description in Hawaii
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Chuck Rendall... KAPALUA, MAUI, HI – “Bill, it rises gently from the sea,” remembered Bill Coore, in thinking back to how partner Ben Crenshaw described the nature of the land on a potential new golf course venture at Kapalua on the west side of Maui...
Wailea's Gold Course -- Champions Skins Game and Vintage Hawaiian Golf
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... WAILEA, MAUI, HI – When Wailea Golf Club’s Gold Course was completed in 1994, I doubt anyone could say for sure that one day Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus would make it famous.... But that’s exactly what’s happened to this 7,078 yard,...
Maryland
Easton Club – Leave The Cookie Cutter Expectations at Home
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... EASTON, MD – When it comes to playing golf, we’re hardly creatures of habit.... ... There’s nothing quite as boring or un-interesting as playing the same course over and over again, with the same basic pin positions, the same playing strategy and the same...
Harbourtowne Resort – No Lighthouse, But Plenty of Dye Inspired Delights
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos By David Vier... ... ST. MICHAELS, MD – Here’s a question for you golf trivia aficionados: name a state where there’s a Pete Dye designed golf course named Harbourtowne, which is well respected and was one of his very first projects?... ... A no-brainer, right?... ... Well, if you guessed...
River Marsh – Non-Fiction Golf on the Choptank River
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... CAMBRIDGE, MD – As the title would imply, James Michener’s epic novel ‘Chesapeake’ tells the story (through historical narrative fiction) of life on the great bay, but specifically focuses on a much smaller piece of it, the mouth of the Choptank River.... ... The...
Rocky Gap Resort Offers a Golden Bear Alternative to the Beach
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall ... FLINTSTONE, MD -- It's amazing the difference, between the coastal regions of the Mid-Atlantic, and a couple hundred miles inland. Where the former is largely flat and sandy, the latter's rugged and mountainous.... There's also quite a difference in populations, with the...
Wisp Resort – Golfing the Slopes of Western Maryland
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall and Scot Rendall... ... MCHENRY, MD – There’s one school of thought in golf architecture that emphasizes the ‘natural’ state of the land when laying out the golf holes – in other words, leave it up to God’s good imagination and creation to...
Nevada
Bear’s Best – Nicklaus’s Greatest Hits Act Performing In Las Vegas
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... LAS VEGAS, NV – Compilations. We see ‘em in all walks of life. A compilation of great songs makes an anthology; a compilation of scenes (or acts) is a movie or a play; and a compilation of chapters adds up to a...
Cascata -- The 8th Wonder of the Golfing World
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... BOULDER CITY, NV – It may seem strange to name a golf course in the middle of a bone-dry desert after flowing water, but somehow, Cascata (near Las Vegas) fits the term nicely.... Perhaps it’s because the term ‘Cascata’ is an Italian word...
Desert Pines Changes Your Expectations
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... LAS VEGAS, NV -- There's a certain set of expectations you carry with you wherever you go.... ... When you head towards the ocean, you're probably expecting to find sand. When you head to Hawaii, you're going to see palm trees and lava. And...
Las Vegas Paiute Resort's Snow Mountain Course -- Peaceful Escape From Glitter
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... LAS VEGAS, NV (Jan. 3, 2002) – When I was a kid, I heard someone mention ‘The City of Lights,’ and immediately thought they were talking about Las Vegas. After all, I’d never been to Paris, and what city could possibly have...
Las Vegas Paiute Resort’s Wolf Course – Monster In Sheep’s Clothing
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... LAS VEGAS, NV – In any avid golfer’s sporting life, there will be continuous challenge – that’s one of the beauties of the game, and keeps us interested and motivated to try and improve every time there’s an opportunity to do so.... ... And...
Primm Valley Golf Club -- Fazio Masterpiece Found on Nevada Border
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall (Lakes Course only)... PRIMM, NV – If you’ve ever driven through the desert from the Los Angeles area to Las Vegas, you know it’s one of the most rugged, desolate places in the United States. Whereas many deserts in the southwest have...
New Jersey
Atlantic City Golf Is A Great Bet
By Alan B. Nichols, Special Contributor to GolfTheMidAtlantic.com. ... ... ATLANTIC CITY, NJ -- As the summer season approaches, tourists and vacationing golfers are well advised to investigate the charms and allures of Atlantic City, perhaps the most exciting seaside resort area in the Mid-Atlantic Region.... ... Downtown Atlantic City is, of course, dominated...
North Carolina
Bayonet at Puppy Creek -- Lay the turf and they will come
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... FAYETTEVILLE, NC – It’s a hard thing to contemplate – but when you go to a golf course, how often do you really stop to think about the turf (unless it’s bad, of course)?... Turf grass is far from a dispensable commodity on a...
Carolina Club (OBX) -- The Carolina Club -- Former Potato Field Yields A Bumper Crop Of Golf
By Mike Tanner, Photos By Steve Dandy... GRANDY, NC -- The road to North Carolina's Outer Banks is lined with piney woodlands and farm fields, along with numerous produce stands promising a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables to passersby. In the town of Grandy, right next to a particularly well-stocked...
Currituck Club (OBX) -- Variety Adds Spice at This Coastal Golf Course
By Mike Tanner, Photos By John Stackpole... ... COROLLA, NC -- Turning off Highway 12 in the far northern reaches of North Carolina's Outer Banks, you get the idea that The Currituck Club isn't your typical pancake flat coastal golf course.... ... The handsome beige clubhouse, highlighted by a stone foundation and white-painted window...
Cypress Lakes Golf Course -- Fayetteville's warmest welcome from the 'Home of the Floyds'
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... HOPE MILLS, NC – Everybody’s got to be from somewhere, and it’s always a bonus when that ‘somewhere’ happens to be someplace pretty nice – and that’s certainly the case for golf legend Raymond Floyd, who hails from a region of North Carolina...
Dormie Club Near Pinehurst -- Less Is More
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... PINEHURST, NC – “I think that was it,” said a member of our group as we passed by a cedar fence with a driveway opening and a simple wooden sign (with a red flagstick symbol on it) adjacent to a rural road a...
Duke University Golf Club -- Blue Devil for a Day
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... DURHAM, NC – I think you’ll agree, one of the best things about American colleges and universities is their unique mascots. When you hear “Wolverines,” you think Michigan. When you hear “Ducks,” you think Oregon. And when you hear “Blue Devils,” you think...
Kilmarlic Golf Club -- Newly Minted Legendary Course Quickly Making A Name For Itself
By Mike Tanner, Photos By Steve Dandy... ... HARBINGER, NC -- According to the printed card displayed on the front of my golf cart, I was about to "Play the Legend." Quite the boast for a course that opened less than a year ago, in the fall of 2002.... ... But as I found...
Little River Golf & Resort – Crossing the finish line a winner
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... CARTHAGE, NC – Dan Maples has been involved with golf course design his entire life (let’s just say it runs in the family), so when he says a project was probably the most unique to build that he’s ever been associated with, it...
Mid Pines Golf Club – Donald Ross in His Original Form
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos By Kevin Gaydosh and Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... SOUTHERN PINES, NC – “You could easily say that Mid Pines is the only truly original Donald Ross golf course in the Pinehurst area,” said Chip King, Director of Golf at the Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club.... ... Does...
Mid Pines Restored -- Donald Ross is back in Southern Pines
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; photos by Kevin Gaydosh and Jeff Rendall... SOUTHERN PINES, NC – “It was really a dream come true to work on and be a part of the restoration of Mid Pines,” remarked course architect Kyle Franz, the lead mind behind returning the Donald Ross-designed Mid Pines Golf...
Mid South Club -- The King's Crown Jewel in Pinehurst
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... PINEHURST, NC – When you’re Arnold Palmer – and your nickname is “The King” – it would only be natural for folks to talk about a crown jewel.... Since Palmer is known for his golf course designs as well as his fabulous playing career...
Nags Head Golf Links -- Blowin' in the Wind
By Mike Tanner, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... ... NAGS HEAD, NC -- There's an old saying among golfers in Scotland, "Nae wind, nae gowf." The same can be said about playing Nags Head Golf Links on North Carolina's Outer Banks.... ... Just a few miles south of the place where the Wright Brothers followed...
NC State's Lonnie Poole Golf Course -- Building One for the Home Team
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... RALEIGH, NC – We probably all would like to have a little “home field advantage” when we play golf. After all, the game is hard enough as it is – and knowing all the bumps, swales and prevailing wind directions can only be...
Pine Needles Golf Club – Donald Ross and a Restored Legacy
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh and Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... SOUTHERN PINES, NC – You can fix it, you can maintain it, but you can’t really restore it to what it once was. When it comes to owning a golf course, change is inevitable, and you can’t do much...
Pinehurst No. 6 -- Golf's revival begins at Pinehurst
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... PINEHURST, NC – Many people would say the golf industry’s gone through a rough stretch the past couple years, but golf architect Tom Fazio says it was just as bad, if not worse, in the mid-to-late seventies.... Seeing as Fazio’s a historian in the...
Pinehurst Resort -- Significance Onto Itself
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... PINEHURST, NC -- Significance onto itself -- that's golf at Pinehurst.... When wealthy New Englander James Walker Tufts purchased 5,000 acres of North Carolina Sandhills land in 1895 (for $1 an acre), people thought he was wasting his money. After all, this particular section...
Pinehurst Resort's Centennial Course Number 8 -- Take the 'Pinehurst Spirit' Home With You
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... PINEHURST, NC -- Practically every step you take at Pinehurst Resort exudes golf. You could literally spend hours just walking down the hallway of the main clubhouse, reading the news clippings from tournaments long past, examining the photos from decades of golf's greatest...
Pinehurst Resort's Course Number 4 -- Harmonic Marriage of the Elements
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... PINEHURST, NC -- Ever wish you could just start over again?... We've all had the feeling. You go through years of the doldrums, devolving into the same old habits, looking for more patchwork solutions, not really coming, not really going. But then some bit...
Pinehurst Resort's Historic Course 2 -- Exceeding Expectations
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... (Ed Note: This story was written in June of 2003 -- it tells the tale of the historic Pinehurst #2, and provides some insight into what the pros will face during the US Open in 2005. For an update on the course after...
Pinehurst's Course 7 Adds Luster to the Concept of Working at Home
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... PINEHURST, NC -- And you thought working at home could never be prestigious. But it very well can be, if the 'home' you're talking about is Pinehurst Resort, which truly is the 'Home of Golf.'... Rees Jones, course designer for Pinehurst Resort's #7 Course,...
Pointe GC -- Playability is the Name of the Game at The Pointe Golf Club
By Mike Tanner, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... ... POWELL'S POINT, NC -- In this age of supersized golf courses that stretch out to well over 7,000 yards of tortuous fairways, cavernous bunkers and humpbacked roller coaster greens, it's nice to know that places like The Pointe Golf Club are out there.... ... Located a...
Seascape Golf Links -- A Masters Champion's One-And-Done Legacy on the Outer Banks
By Mike Tanner, Photos By Dale Banks... ... KITTY HAWK, NC -- How many of you have ever heard of Art Wall? Unless you're a relative, eligible for the Champions Tour or the historian at Augusta National Golf Club, you probably didn't know that Art Wall won the Masters Tournament in 1959.... ... On...
St. James Plantation's Members Club – You May Even Get a Member Bounce
By William C. Denfeld, Photos By William C. Denfeld... ... SOUTHPORT, NC – Membership means belonging; being a part of something exclusive to the members. Many memberships require an individual to pay for the privilege of membership. While The Members Club at St. James Plantation has many dues-paying members, the general public...
St. James Plantation’s Founders Club – Throwing Down The Gauntlet
By William C. Denfeld, Photos By William C. Denfeld... ... SOUTHPORT, NC - In medieval times, knights wore heavy gloves, or gauntlets, to protect their hands and wrists from damage in battle. These were noble times when challenges were issued to test the strength of one’s adversaries. To issue a challenge to...
St. James Plantation’s Players Course – Can You Give Me an Amen!
By William C. Denfeld, Photos By William C. Denfeld ... ... Ed Note: Photos were taken during an overseed period, so the course may appear a bit less green than normal.... ... SOUTHPORT, NC – There are many recognizable nicknames in golf. Fans of the game have heard of “the Shark”, “the Walrus”, “the...
Talamore Golf Club -- Uncovering the Land of Great Value
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... PINEHURST, NC – “Talamore is a Gaelic word that means ‘land of great value,’” explained John McDougald, Director of Golf at the resort of the same name.... Great value indeed, because if you’ve got a Rees Jones-designed golf course with a lot of money...
The Outer Banks In North Carolina -- A Golf Destination That Is Just Right
By Mike Tanner, Photos by Mike Tanner... Imagine if Goldilocks had been a traveling golfer. She might have looked at Myrtle Beach’s cornucopia of golf courses and said, “Too many.” She might have considered the paucity of choices at typical resorts and said, “Too few.” But if she had looked at the half-dozen...
The Pit Golf Links -- Purgatory at its best
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... PINEHURST, NC – Golf courses acquire all sorts of reputations, some for historic value, some for conditioning (good or bad), some for great service, and some for nothing at all (meaning they’re not worth remembering).... And it’s not often that an infamous reputation acts...
The Restored Pinehurst No. 2 -- New Identity With Truly Classic Looks
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... PINEHURST, NC -- “This will either be the smartest thing I’ve ever done, or the dumbest,” remarked Pinehurst Resort owner Bob Dedman, upon deciding to go ahead with a complete restoration of the venerable Pinehurst 2 golf course, home to numerous championships and...
The U.S. Open Golf Championships Return to the Home of Golf -- Pinehurst
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos by Jeff Rendall and Kevin Gaydosh... Note: Congratulations to Martin Kaymer and Michelle Wie for their dominating victories in the 2014 men's and women's U.S. Opens. In the overview below, we're happy to say we mentioned both Kaymer and Wie as players to watch! Pinehurst proved...
Tobacco Road Golf Club -- An acquired taste you'll learn to love
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... SANFORD, NC – It could be said that architect Mike Strantz’s golf courses are an “acquired taste.”... An “acquired taste” is something you may not like the first or second time you try it, but after a while, you become accustomed to it and...
UNC Finley Golf Course – A great place to show a little school spirit
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... CHAPEL HILL, NC – School pride – it’s just something that goes along with a university.... It’s natural for people to want the best for their school, and that certainly extends to its sports facilities. Such was the thinking behind bringing in Tom Fazio...
Oregon
Nike VR_S Forged Irons and 20XI Golf Balls – Satisfying the Need for Speed on the Golf Links
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Images Courtesy of Nike Golf... BEAVERTON, OR – Mention the word “speed” in conjunction with most athletic endeavors, and you’re envisioning something positive. You can’t win a NASCAR race, catch a touchdown pass or strike out a batter on a high hard one without it.... But curiously enough,...
The Bandon Dunes Course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort – Purists Prevail Without ‘Style’
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall and Charles Rendall... ... BANDON, OR – “There’s nothing ‘style’ about this at all,” remarked Scottish Golf Architect David McLay Kidd, commenting on his first and only American design, Bandon Dunes, which resides at the resort of the same name along the cold...
The Bandon Trails Course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort – Complimenting the Extraordinary
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall and Chuck Rendall... ... BANDON, OR – It’s never easy when following in someone’s footsteps, and doubly hard when the imprints are made by large and successful feet. It’s almost like playing quarterback on a college team the year after a Heisman Trophy...
The Pacific Dunes Course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort – Golf’s Quasi Religious Awakening
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall and Charles Rendall... ... BANDON, OR – Many have portrayed golf in the most personal of terms, and many others have described its greatest golf courses using religious terminology – at times, borrowing words like ‘shrine’ and employing concepts such as ‘pilgrimage’ in...
Pennsylvania
Carroll Valley Resort – Close Enough, But Definitely Far Away
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... CARROLL VALLEY, PA – There’s a lot to be said for relaxing environments, and there’s quite a bit more to verbalize when talking up the game of golf. Put these two together, and you’ve got a pretty desirable product – and that’s...
Great Bear Golf Club -- Rock n' roll in the Poconos
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... EAST STROUDSBURG, PA – Everyone knows some things get off to a rocky start, but this was ridiculous.... In pinpointing the one aspect of building Great Bear Golf Club (in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania) that sticks out the most in his mind,...
Hershey Golf Club’s East Course – Built for Pros, Enjoyed by All
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... HERSHEY, PA – Golf courses are built for a variety of reasons. Some are for fun, some are for challenge, some for looks, others for practicality – your guests need something to do, right?... ... Some special courses are built specifically to host professional...
Hershey Golf Club’s West Course – Feeling at Home with Golf
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... HERSHEY, PA – Lots of people own homes next to golf courses – there’s certainly no need to extol the popularity of golf course real estate in the 21st century. For some reason, even people who don’t play the game still want...
In the 21st Century, All Roads Still Lead to The Links At Gettysburg
Text and Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... GETTYSBURG, PA -- Some things happen by chance -- you could call it luck, or you might just as easily call it fate. Having two 19th century armies meet in this small town in the middle of Pennsylvania farm country just across the Mason-Dixon...
Nemacolin Resort’s Mystic Rock – Pete Dye’s Rocky Horror To Riches Story
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... FARMINGTON, PA – “I can’t build a golf course here,” replied Pete Dye, after looking over a piece of property owned by Joe Hardy at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. Hardy was collecting Dye’s thoughts on the land’s potential to build a world-class golf...
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort – Attitudes and Latitudes Collide in Pennsylvania
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos Courtesy of Nemacolin Resort... ... FARMINGTON, PA – Nemacolin Woodlands Resort’s slogan is ‘West Coast Attitude. East Coast Latitude.’... ... By the sound of it, that means Nemacolin’s close to most of the population of the United States, yet carries with it the aura of ‘free-spirit’ that you’d find...
Seven Springs Mountain Resort’s Golf Course – Mountain Setting, Flatland Feel
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... CHAMPION, PA – There are times when you’ll read about a golf destination, start formulating a set of assumptions, then when you get there, it turns out completely differently.... ... That’s the situation at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands – an...
The Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort -- Pilgrimage to the Classic Island of Golf
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin and Christine Gaydosh... SHAWNEE on DELAWARE, PA – Wouldn’t you love an entire island devoted just to golf?... No, it’s not your in your dreams – it’s reality at the Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort, located along the Delaware River in northeastern Pennsylvania, just across...
The Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort -- Where History and Golf Converge
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... SHAWNEE on DELAWARE, PA – Compile a collection of entrepreneurs with a vision and a zeal for golf, and you get something special.... That’s certainly the case at the Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort, located along the Delaware River in northeastern Pennsylvania, just across...
Tom’s Run at Chestnut Ridge Golf Resort – A Good Thing Gets Even Better
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... BLAIRSVILLE, PA – It’s always nice when someone takes a good thing and makes it better.... You have to admire the American entrepreneurial spirit – the sense that ‘good enough’ isn’t always the end-all when it comes to a product you’re offering to...
South Carolina
Crescent Pointe Helps Cure The Pancake Flat Blues
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... BLUFFTON, SC -- One thing's for sure, when you come to Hilton Head Island, you'll notice the topographical variation -- or lack of it. Hilton Head's flatter than the panhandle 'o Texas. At the same time, you certainly wouldn't expect a great deal...
Daufuskie Island -- Turning Yourself Around On Impressions Of Bloody Point
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... DAUFUSKIE ISLAND, SC -- Sometimes you'll garner quite a bit through first impressions, and I'll admit I wasn't the least bit impressed by my first thoughts of Bloody Point. Just hearing the name conjured up images of gore that really didn't taste very...
Don't Save All Your Popcorn For The Closing Holes at The Melrose Course
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... DAUFUSKIE ISLAND, SC -- It's amazing to discover how much goes on behind the scenes. When you go to a movie, see a sporting event or even listen to a speech, the players in front of you are the headliners. They're the ones...
Eagle's Pointe Golf Club Blends All The Right Ingredients
Text and Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... BLUFFTON, SC -- If you think about it, golf courses are really like gourmet recipes - they require mixing several different elements to become 'whole.' Similarly, when you're preparing your favorite meal, you might take a pound of something, mix in a half-cup of...
Fripp Island -- It's Love's First Site At Fripp Island Resort's Ocean Creek Golf Club
Text and Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... FRIPP ISLAND, SC -- I think we're all familiar with the playing career of Davis Love III, having watched him grow from an over-swinging but incredibly talented college kid at North Carolina to eventual PGA champion and perennial Ryder Cup participant. We've also seen...
Fripp Island -- Pleasant Surprises Found At Fripp Island Resort's Ocean Point Course
Text and Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... FRIPP ISLAND RESORT, SC -- There's a famous line from the movie Forrest Gump that I hear over and over again -- in clips from the film, but also from general use in everyday vernacular (since the movie): "Life is like a box of...
Harbour Town Golf Links Provides All The Break You'll Need
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall and Jeff Janas... ... ... HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC -- Congratulations to Jordan Spieth for winning his second consecutive Easter Sunday finish! "What a great tournament to win," Spieth said. "It's an amazing golf course."... ... Yes indeed. Harbour Town is amazing. I have a theory, 'if you...
Heron Point by Pete Dye -- It's not what you remember, it's better
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by David Vier... HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC – Have you ever been someplace and thought, ‘I’m sure I’ve been here before, but it looks nothing like what I remember’?... If so, you could experience a very similar feeling upon visiting Heron Point by Pete Dye, a relatively...
Hilton Head Island -- No Need For Luck
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC -- Travelers are lucky. Luck comes with its own connotations -- after all, it can be bad just as well as good -- but when you're talking about a place like Hilton Head Island, the luck's most definitely all...
Hilton Head National -- Blazing The Trail For Mainland Golf
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... BLUFFTON, SC -- It takes guts to blaze a trail into the unknown. I've often wondered what it felt like to be the first human beings to set sail across an ocean; or the first person to jump out of an airplane, or...
Kiawah Island Golf Resort's Ocean Course -- An Exhilarating Pounding
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... ... CONGRATULATIONS to Phil Mickelson for winning the 2021 PGA Championship. It's often said that golf is the sport of a lifetime, and Mickelson proved it. If a 50-year-old can compete with the best a sport has to offer, it makes golf immortal. The...
Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Cougar Point Course – Gary Player’s Architectural Mulligan
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... ... KIAWAH ISLAND, SC – Everybody’s done it – something in life that you knew was a mistake at the time, yet did it anyway, and regretted it for years.... ... If only we could relive the past, plaster over the blunder, and re-write history –...
Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Osprey Point Course – Member Favorite, Resort Experience
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... ... KIAWAH ISLAND, SC – Kiawah Island Golf Resort is known for many things, probably the most notable being its hosting of the 1991 Ryder Cup matches – the famous ‘War by the Shore,’ where the United States Team dramatically captured the Cup when European...
Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Turtle Point Course – Best of Both Worlds
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... ... KIAWAH ISLAND, SC – When talking about golf courses, much has been written about how a golf architect does his best work when he’s friendly to the high handicapper, yet demanding to the better players.... ... It’s the ultimate design challenge, to leave enough room...
Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s ‘The Sanctuary’ – Haven to Lavish Relaxation
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos Courtesy of Kiawah Island Golf Resort and Kevin Gaydosh... ... KIAWAH ISLAND, SC – If there’s one thing to be said about all of the east coast’s super-luxury golf resorts, it’s that they’ve got first-class sleeping accommodations and fine dining to go along with their pristine links...
Memorable Moments At Sea Pines' Ocean Course
Text and Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC -- It's hard to imagine these days, but Hilton Head Island was once a sparsely populated and little known coastal island -- inhabited mainly by descendents of freed slaves and a variety of wild creatures.... ... In contrast, today it's a thoroughly...
Roger Warren – The PGA of America’s Strong Leader
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos of Tom Lehman by Larry Lambrecht... ... KIAWAH ISLAND, SC – Everyone agrees, it takes guts to be a leader.... ... By its nature, a leadership role involves risks, and inevitably, criticisms, because a leader makes decisions on controversial topics where unanimous opinion is nearly impossible to achieve. And...
The Robert Trent Jones Course at Palmetto Dunes -- A Smooth, Playable Ride
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC -- It's strange how little things affect your confidence, especially in golf -- and I think this factors into the mind-game many a golf architect plays when scribing a layout. I sometimes wonder if course designers really think about...
Variety of Images Found At Old South Golf Links
Text and Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... BLUFFTON, SC -- Just say the words 'Old South' and many thoughts quickly come to mind. You might flash to the opening sequence from 'Gone With The Wind' where Scarlett O'Hara sits a spell on the front porch of her antebellum mansion with two...
Virginia
2014: Reflections on the lost season
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by David Vier... The 2014-15 PGA Tour season begins this week and here’s to hoping it’s a cut above the previous one. It still feels strange to have the Tour season start in October, but on balance, more golf that matters is a good thing.... It’s not...
Bay Creek Golf Club’s Nicklaus Course – Doubling the Classics on Virginia’s Eastern Shore
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... ... CAPE CHARLES, VA – It’s a writer’s worst nightmare, basically needing to tell the same story twice, yet trying to find ways to make it sound different. Many a lonely soul has retreated into the bottle or the realm of plagiarism when faced...
Birdwood Golf Course – College Golf, Virginia Style
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... ... CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – Ah, reflecting back on college. For most of us, it was a time for taking classes on stuff we’ll probably never think about again, pulling all-nighters when papers were due and celebrating good times with friends (not necessarily in that...
Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Club – Sometimes New Really is Better
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... FRONT ROYAL, VA – If you’ve played golf for a long time, you’ve probably learned just because something’s new doesn’t always make it better.... How many times have you tried a new golf course or bought new equipment only to discover there was...
Colonial Heritage Club – Conquering the Hills of Williamsburg
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos by Kevin Gaydosh... WILLIAMSBURG, VA – “This used to be called ‘Windy Hill Farm,’ which is very appropriate, since there always seems to be a breeze here,” remarked Jon Sandelin, the Head Golf Professional at Colonial Heritage Club, one of Williamsburg’s newest golf offerings.... Traces of the...
Colonial Williamsburg -- Where History, Golf And Fun Are All-Inclusive
By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... WILLIAMSBURG, VA -- Traveling the country, there are lots of different types of golf resorts. Some, like Pinehurst, are practically shrines to the game. Others, like Pebble Beach, are set in such stunning visual settings that the golf is almost dwarfed by the region's natural beauty.... ... But it's...
Colonial Williamsburg and the Golden Horseshoe -- Come Shatter Your Pre-Conceived Notions
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... WILLIAMSBURG, VA – Fifty years is a long time for a golf course, but just a drop in the bucket when talking about history.... 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Golden Horseshoe Gold Course, the Robert Trent Jones designed...
Ford's Colony -- Whispering Down A Well At Ford's Colony's Marsh Hawk Course
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... WILLIAMSBURG, VA -- Secrets, everybody hates 'em. Let's face it, you can't stand it when someone's got the dirt on you, and it's equally hard trying to keep it to yourself when you've got a juicy clip on someone else. When the...
Fredericksburg Area Golf – Still Geographically Desirable
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall and Jeff Janas... ... FREDERICKSBURG, VA – By a trick of fate, Fredericksburg was stuck in the middle. The year was 1862, and this small city in north central Virginia just happened to lie halfway between the capitals of warring ‘foreign’ nations (in...
Golden Horseshoe's Gold Course -- 50 Years of Excellence
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh and Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... WILLIAMSBURG, VA – Everyone knows, milestones aren’t really worth much unless they really signify something special. After all, age is just a number when you’re talking about most things – and especially in the case of a golf course.... But one...
Golden Horseshoe's Green Course -- If the Slipper Fits, It Just Might Be the Green Course
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... WILLIAMSBURG, VA -- Jeff Winters, Head Golf Professional at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club, said “We have a tremendous golf course here on the Green Course,” then paused. “But we still can’t get the respect that the Gold Course does.” After seeing...
Golden Horseshoe’s 40th Anniversary – Milestones on the Road to Excellence
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... WILLIAMSBURG, VA – Henry Fonda delivered one of the all-time classic movie lines in On Golden Pond, when his birthday celebrating character, Norman Thayer, was asked how it felt turning eighty years old: “Twice as bad as it did turning forty,” Thayer grumpily...
Hanging Rock Golf Club – New Thoughts of Southwestern Virginia
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... SALEM, VA – If you mention ‘Virginia’ to people on the street, and asked them to give you thoughts about the state that come to mind, you’ll invariably get the famous stuff as answers – Monticello, George Washington, Colonial Williamsburg, the Confederacy,...
Homestead -- Starting Off At The Homestead's Old Course Couldn't Be Finer
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... HOT SPRINGS, VA – Everyone’s got to start somewhere. Certainly a well-worn cliché’, but one that’s inherently true and not even that ridiculous when you really think about it. And it’s definitely gospel when you’re talking about the Old Course at The Homestead,...
Homestead -- The Cascades Course At The Homestead -- Living Up To Number One
By Jeffrey A. Rendall... HOT SPRINGS, VA -- It's hard being #1 -- just ask Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky, or any other legend, and I'm sure they'll tell you it ain't always wine and roses at the top. But there are certainly some perks that go along with the honored place...
Homestead -- The Homestead Resort -- If You're In Hot Water, Don't Forget The Champagne
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... HOT SPRINGS, VA -- It all started with seven people in hot water. Such a simple and basic statement only suggests what it then became -- but what we now call The Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia, began with a traveling physician's...
Homestead -- The Lower Cascades at The Homestead -- Legacy In The Making
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... HOT SPRINGS, VA -- Babe Ruth; Lou Gehrig; Joe Dimaggio; Mickey Mantle; Reggie Jackson; Derek Jeter -- all Yankees, and a murderer's row that spans decades and numerous World Series championships. An undeniable winning legacy, even to non-baseball fans or Yankee haters (I'd...
Homestead Golf Advantage School – GAS and Much More
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... HOT SPRINGS, VA – If there’s one thing you’ll take from golf school, it’s that next time you head to the golf course, you won’t forget your GAS.... ... We’re not talking about the stuff you put in your car’s fuel tank, and it has...
Keswick Club -- Partake In The Pursuit of Happiness At Keswick Club
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... KESWICK, VA -- I've always surmised being around crowds is over-rated, but now I'm sure of it. Every time I journey to Costco or the supermarket, it's always the same -- playing 'cart chicken' to make it down any of the spatially challenged...
Kingsmill Resort -- Way Ahead Of Its Times
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... WILLIAMSBURG, VA -- Kingsmill Resort would've looked awful strange to them -- meaning, the first group of English settlers sailing up the James River to establish a foothold in the New World. Jamestown Settlement, North America's first permanent European colony, is just a...
Kingsmill Resort's Plantation Course -- The King Finds A Home In Virginia
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... WILLIAMSBURG, VA -- Only in America would a King end up building a Plantation in Virginia. No, I'm not talking about King George III and Mount Vernon. That particular King and that particular Plantation probably wouldn't have gelled very well. But when it...
Kingsmill Resort's River Course -- Like No Other In Virginia
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... WILLIAMSBURG, VA -- The River Course at Kingsmill is one of a kind in Virginia. Sure, it’s got green grass like every other golf course -- with eighteen holes, tees, fairways, rough, bunkers, water and a nice clubhouse. But it’s not a stretch...
Kingsmill Resort's Woods Course -- Good Things Come To Those Who Wait
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... WILLIAMSBURG, VA -- It's often said that good things come to those who wait. I used to think the saying was just a ploy utilized by mothers to help keep kids from opening their presents before Christmas morning -- or as a rationalized...
Kingsmill’s Renovated River Course – Correcting the Mistakes of Time
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... WILLIAMSBURG, VA – Pete Dye’s a candid man. When I asked why he went in and renovated Kingsmill Resort’s River Course (starting) in May of 2004, he replied: “Because Anheuser-Busch (Kingsmill’s owner) had screwed it up for the last twenty years. How’s...
Kiskiack Golf Club -- Half Trash-Dump, Half Sand Pit, Half Pristine Forest
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall and Jerry Jutras... WILLIAMSBURG, VA – “I’m a golf architect, not a math major,” said golf architect John LaFoy, after he’d estimated his Kiskiack Golf Club creation was made up of 1 ½ parts – half former trash-dump, half former sand pit...
Mountain Lake Hotel – Old Time Fun in Virginia
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall and Mountain Lake Hotel... ... PEMBROKE, VA – It doesn’t have a golf course, but I’d send golfers there. From the Washington DC area, it’s also a half a day’s drive, yet it’s worth the trip.... ... I’m speaking of the Mountain Lake Hotel, in...
Packsaddle Ridge Golf Club – Rock Solid Legacy with Some Grass on Top
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... KEEZLETOWN, VA – There’s something about fulfilling a lifelong dream that adds a special quality to finishing a project, once that ‘vision’ turns into reality.... ... In Virginia, we’re fortunate to have many golf clubs that started out as the inspiration of their individual...
Primland Resort -- The Sound of Silence was never so sweet
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Kevin Gaydosh and Primland Resort... MEADOWS OF DAN, VA – “Primland’s overwhelming attraction is its sound of silence, and escape from the real world,” remarked Primland Resort’s Head Golf Professional, Jeff Fraim, in touching on what sets his resort apart from the rest.... It might take...
Primland Resort – Leading the Search for Adjectives
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... MEADOWS OF DAN, VA – ‘Searching for adjectives,’ I thought, as someone asked me recently to describe my trip to the brand new Primland Resort in Southwestern Virginia, and that’s exactly what I told them – it’s hard to find the words.... ... The...
Rees Jones Keeps The Golden Horseshoe All In The Family
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... WILLIAMSBURG, VA -- Most people would agree, golf's the sport of a lifetime. You can learn it as a child, refine your skills over the years, and God-willing, enjoy it 'til your dying day.... Part of what makes the sport special and unique is...
Riverfront Golf Club – Feeding Yourself on Golf
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... SUFFOLK, VA – Ever walk out of an eatery wondering why you paid a hefty some for a half empty stomach full of blah tasting slop?... ... That ‘walk away empty’ feeling equally applies to golf, and it’s something you’ll avoid when playing...
Spring Creek Golf Club – Monument to the value of teamwork
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... GORDONSVILLE, VA – Golf Architect Ed Carton said there were many things that stood out about his work at Spring Creek Golf Club, but what he’ll always remember was the team effort needed to bring it into being.... “I’ll always look back on...
The Golf Club at Viniterra -- Come Share the Bountiful Harvest
By Jeffrey A. Rendall. Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... NEW KENT, VA -- Viniterra means “earth wines” or “land of grapes,” said Matt O’Grady, Head Golf Professional at The Golf Club at Viniterra, Virginia’s newest public golf offering on the historic peninsula (located between Richmond and Williamsburg) in the southeastern part...
The River Course of Virginia Tech – Splendid way to consume time
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Mike Tanner... RADFORD, VA – John Norton is the Head Golf Professional at the River Course of Virginia Tech, but he’s also a philosopher. “There’s a saying in the golf business,” Norton waxed poetically – “that we’re not consuming anything except time, and time is...
Virginia Beach -- For More Than Just A Great Tan
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... VIRGINIA BEACH, VA -- There’s something about sand and saltwater that draws people in. One only needs to try and find an undeveloped stretch of coastline on the mainland United States to discover that’s the truth. Human beings are naturally drawn to the...
Vista Links – Worthwhile Journey to Affordable Golf
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... BUENA VISTA, VA – “We believe people will travel an hour to play affordable golf,” remarked the Vista Links’ Head Golf Professional, Edward Armentrout.... ... In covering golf in the Mid-Atlantic region, there’ve been many occasions to proclaim ‘if you build it, they will...
Williamsburg National’s Yorktown Course – Worthwhile effort equals satisfaction
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... WILLIAMSBURG – There’s an old saying that goes, ‘Nothing in life that’s worthwhile is ever easy,’ which has certainly been proven true in nearly every instance, even if we’d all prefer a path that’s simple and satisfying without much sweat and toil.... The...
Wintergreen -- The Devil Be Damned At Wintergreen Resort's Devil's Knob
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall and Jeff Janas... WINTERGREEN, VA -- Wintergreen Resort's original golf course is an Ellis Maples design that opened in 1976, known then and today as Devil's Knob. It's a curious title, in that hell is supposedly hot and excruciatingly painful -- and...
Wintergreen Golf Academy and Resort -- Delivering The Personal Touches
By Jeffrey A. Rendall... WINTERGREEN, VA -- The personal touch, it's underrated. Most businesses claim to offer it, but few truly deliver. That's why it's refreshing when it's promised and delivered, like at Wintergreen Resort's Golf Academy.... Wintergreen guarantees an instructor-to-student ratio of no more than 3-to-1, which means you won't be...
Wintergreen Golf Academy – Finally, a school modeled to your needs
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... Note: This article, featuring former Wintergreen Director of Golf Sean Taylor, was written in 2009. The Wintergreen Golf Academy is now run by Taylor's colleague, Geoff Redgrave. The Wintergreen Golf Academy remains a great place to learn the game, or sharpen your...
Wintergreen Resort -- A Healthy Pinch of Mountain Seasoning
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... WINTERGREEN, VA -- Looking back, when you think of childhood trips to the mountains, you probably remember skiing, hiking -- or maybe camping. ... You recall the days of yore when Mom & Dad packed you, your siblings and all your camping knick-knacks in...
Wintergreen Resort -- Fostering the Golfing Family
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall and family... WINTERGREEN, VA – Everyone knows golf is a terrific way to spend time with friends and colleagues, but rarely is it mentioned as the means to get in quality hours with your family.... The good folks at Wintergreen Resort are intent...
Wintergreen Resort – A Place to Go Back to
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... WINTERGREEN, VA – Some places you just hate to leave.... Going on vacation is something we all look forward to, an opportunity to get away from the daily routine and experience some different surroundings. It’s a way to shut things off for a...
Wintergreen Resort – Preparing for the Canadian Invasion
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ... WINTERGREEN, VA – In June, a little bit ‘o Canada’s coming to central Virginia, and we’re not just talking about vacationing NHL players invading after the Stanley Cup’s been fought over and won.... ... For the second consecutive year, Wintergreen Resort will host the Canadian...
Wintergreen Resort's Stoney Creek Golf Club -- Natural Splendor In The Valley
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... WINTERGREEN, VA -- "If you're standing on the tee, and can't see precisely what's called for on the shot, then you're not on a Rees Jones designed golf course" said Wintergreen Resort's Stoney Creek Golf Club's Director of Golf, Geoff Redgrave. "Visibility...
West Virginia
Glade Springs Resort’s Cobb Course – Lone Star State of Mind in West Virginia
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... DANIELS, WV – At Glade Springs Resort, George Cobb must’ve thought he was in Texas.... ... Vernacular included, there ain’t much that’s small in the Lone Star State. Big ranches, big steaks, big politics, big sports, big talk – when you’re thinking Texas, better...
Greenbrier Meadows – Synthesis of Artistic Influences
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... ... WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV – I think you’d agree, many of the world’s greatest artistic creations were solo endeavors. The old saying goes… too many chefs spoil the broth, and that’s probably because they can’t all agree on the recipe.... ... Art is inspiration, by...
Greenbrier Old White – A Century Old, Yet Looking Fresh
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... ... WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV – “The best stuff is yet to come,” remarked Golf Architect Lester George, when describing his restoration plans for one of the Mid-Atlantic’s oldest and most storied golf courses, the Old White Course at The Greenbrier.... ... Strange that George should...
Greenbrier Resort's Greenbrier Course -- Taking One for the Team(s)
By Jeffrey A. Rendall; Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... ... WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV – There’s little doubt, in contemporary times, professional golf’s team competitions have taken on lofty meanings – and almost by default, the venues they’re contested at earn legendary reputations.... ... The Ryder Cup for men, and the Solheim Cup for women,...
Greenbrier Sporting Club’s ‘The Snead’ – Legend For Many Hearts
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... ... WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV – In the history of golf, there’s never been a celebrity so revered as Sam Snead. Perhaps because of it, the lasting ‘ownership’ of his legend has never been more in dispute -- amongst the many people and places...
Pete Dye Golf Club -- Turning Gob To Golf
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... BRIDGEPORT, WV -- "If someone asked me if there was anything unusual about the Pete Dye Golf Club project, I'd say it was dealing with all the gob," remarked the club's namesake, Pete Dye, when questioned on the layout's soft spot in his...
Raven Golf Club at Snowshoe Mountain – Hours from Somewhere
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... SNOWSHOE, WV – “Three hours from nowhere,” I heard them say when talking about the Raven at Snowshoe, rated by several publications as West Virginia’s top public-access course.... ... “But you must go there,” they said in the same breath.... ... Taking the advice,...
Stonehaven Golf Course at Glade Springs Resort -- More Than They Bargained For
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeffrey A. Rendall... ... DANIELS, WV – Traveling around Glade Springs Resort’s new Stonehaven Course, you can’t help but marvel at its impressive scale, as well as its incredible natural beauty. True to its name, the course offers continuing glimpses of the rocky sub-surfaces that support...
Stonewall Resort -- Delightful Sensory Overload
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Jeff Janas... ROANOKE, WV -- It's easy to get sensory overload these days. Face it, there's a lot to see, hear, taste, smell and touch -- and these sensations, when added to the everyday stimulations of caffeinated coffee and the stressful morning commute, can be...
The Greenbrier – Defying Categorization
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos By Kevin Gaydosh... ... WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV – Mineral waters, railroads, General Robert E. Lee, WWII ‘Enemy Alien Diplomats,’ Sam Snead, Dorothy Draper and the Cold War Bunker – that’s The Greenbrier, or should it be said, a small sampling of the things that went into...
The Resort at Glade Springs Woodhaven Golf Course -- A Story Like None Other
By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeffrey A. Rendall... DANIELS, WV – “There’s a story with every golf course as you know, but this one has more than any,” remarked golf course architect Tom Clark, in referring to his recently opened Woodhaven golf layout at the Resort at Glade Springs in...
