In the swampy marshlands of North Florida, Pete Dye was tasked with the impossible: creating architectural theatre from a site once home only to alligators and rattlesnakes. The result was the Stadium Course, a modern temple of golf that felt entirely alien to the "pretty" aesthetic of its era. While other courses sought to find beauty in nature, Dye embraced a "mean pretty" philosophy. Using a primitive but brilliant method of moving muck and reclaiming sand, he and his wife, Alice, manufactured a landscape defined by visual intimidation and psychological warfare. His "switchback" design ensures that no two consecutive holes [...]

We’ve been admirers of West Sussex Golf Club – affectionately known as Pulborough – for some time now. Not only a fierce proponent of two-ball golf and a brisk pace of play, its exceptional heathland course also carries a rich history and, for generations, has been lauded among the finest courses in the world. A par 68 that may look modest on the scorecard, it provides a searching test for the scratch player while remaining relevant and enjoyable for the higher handicapper or older golfer. Every time we drive away from West Sussex, it’s hard to understand why golf ever [...]

Sam & Tom made the trip back to Kington Golf Club, 12 months after being completely fogged off, to visit one of the highest 18-hole courses in England. While Kington might sit alongside other hilltop courses, there is a genuine and lasting sense of quality throughout — both in its setting and in the way the golf asks questions of you. The course was originally laid out by Major Cecil Key Hutchison, part of a broader Golden Age cohort that will feature in another video in the coming weeks, with later revisions attributed to the great James Braid. The result [...]