Musings from the Jar
July 2021
The Bucket List vs The Rankings: How do things stack up?
Here are a few of our own takeaways... 1. At the top, it's no surprise that Augusta National punches well above its Rank of Ranks position, coming in at No 3 on the Bucket List ranking. In fact, the "I've seen it on TV so I wanna go there" sentiment (credit: Eric from The Fliers Club) runs throughout the Bucket List ranking. Other notables include Kiawah Island, Seminole (both of which perhaps benefit from some recency bias?), Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits and Riviera. 2. Not all US Open courses faired so well, and whilst Pinehurst seems to have cultivated a millennial-friendly brand (at No 8 on the Bucket List), we see other US Open venues fall short of their official ranking number - Oakmont, Merion and Brookline to name just three. 3. We don't know where people have voted from, but it's fair to assume based on web traffic [...]
May 2021
Bucket List Top 100
Which course would you prefer to play? Click here to see the current top 100
March 2021
Harry Colt – Words by Frank Pont
Harry Colt - Words by Frank Pont Harry Colt and his various partners were prodigious in their design and redesign of golf courses during what can best be described as the "classic" era for golf course architects. Despite a torrid economy immediately after WW1, whilst his competitors saw a diminution of commissions in the UK, Colt and his partners remained very active. Additionally, their travels were more widespread. Having focused international activities on Canada and the US before the war, later years brought opportunities in Ireland, France, The Netherlands and Spain. By that time, Colt himself was too infirm to travel but his partners Hugh Alison and John Morrison became intrepid trekkers, undertaking work all over Europe, North America and Japan. We have so far carefully examined over 120 Colt courses and are fortunate enough to count 31 of those as current or former clients. What can [...]
Should Golf be more Disney?
Firstly - Why do we need another newsletter? Perhaps it’s true that golf has always had an image problem and in the year 2021 it’s tempting to think the game is at a crossroads. Over the last year we’ve heard animated debates about a range of topics, all of which seem to relate to the very spirit of the game: the distance the ball is travelling, classic courses becoming obsolete, prize funds, choices of sponsor, pace of play, flexible memberships, hoodies and dress codes… We’re firm believers that one of golf’s great strengths is that there is space for different approaches. There’s no reason why pay-and-play courses with relaxed dress codes can’t coexist with more traditional clubs where the staple diet is foursomes matchplay under two hours. The growing number of indoor simulators and TopGolf venues in bustling cities also have much to offer, both for the time-strapped [...]
Why do we need another newsletter?
Perhaps it’s true that golf has always had an image problem, as a sport long viewed as the preserve of stuffy and wealthy white men. Yet in 2021 it’s tempting to think the game is at a crossroads. Over the last few months we’ve heard animated debates about a range of topics, all of which seem to relate to the very spirit of the game: the distance the ball is travelling, classic courses becoming obsolete, prize funds, choices of sponsor, pace of play, flexible memberships, hoodies and dress codes... It’s well-known that the covid-19 pandemic resulted in a golfing boom: more rounds being played, more people taking up the game or returning to it, and record equipment sales enjoyed by retailers. Such positive developments have unsurprisingly prompted an outpouring of commentary, with many asking how we can hope to maintain such broad interest beyond the expediency of golf as [...]
January 2021
Cleeve Hill Golf Club – New owners announced!
On the 22 September last year we released our #savegolfonthehill campaign, and within 24 hours the outpouring of emotion across the golfing community around the world was incredible.The phones were ringing thick and fast with enquiries from people all over the globe, including the press, golf course architects, interested parties and people who just happened to share a special connection with Cleeve Hill - so when we received a call into Cookie Jar HQ on Wednesday evening, much like Keyser Söze revealing his true identity, from the new owner soon to be announced, we couldn't wait to talk more about their plans for Cleeve Hill. The long awaited news on the future of Cleeve Hill is finally here, and the outcome could not be more positive. We were delighted to hear that Nick Hovey, Managing Director for MASHIE golf, and local businessman Sam Foyle will begin the newly [...]
The UK & Ireland Rank of Ranks
The UK&I Top 100 Rankings: The Cookie Jar’s Ultimate Rank of Ranks Back by popular demand, we bring you our amalgamation of the UK&I Top 100 rankings! A tool for you to play around with till your heart's content, a quick reference guide for architect info, individual rankings or even age of the course (visit on laptop browser for full version)! Much like the global rankings, the UK&I Top 100 lists are a guiding compass for the travelling golfer and a significant driver for golf clubs all over our blessed isles, and inclusion in those lists can (in the minds of the golfer and the clubs marketing committees at least), have a seismic impact on the green fee the course commands. As such it’s no surprise the rankings themselves are a hotly debated topic, so we wanted to combine them all and let you draw your own conclusions. Whether [...]
December 2020
The Rank of Ranks
The Top 100 Courses in the World: The Cookie Jar’s Ultimate Rank of Ranks The Ranking of the ‘100 Greatest Courses in World’ serves as a lodestar for many golfers - the unattainable, complete ‘Pokedex’ for our millennial readers. And whilst only a lucky few could hope to tick-off all 100 (or even a majority of those listed), the ranking undoubtedly informs the planning of many golfing trips and adventures across the globe. But as you may have been wondering: which ranking (if any) should you choose? We’ll begin this article with a few caveats. In no way is this an attempt to critique whether courses are under- or overrated, or whether a certain course deserves a higher or lower place in certain rankings. As a collective, we have played little more than a third of those listed below, and are simply unqualified to make such calls… Instead, we [...]
November 2020
Lockdown to Lockdown…. Life in 2020:
With the prospect of another month without golf courses, with another period of lockdown announced by the UK government running through the month of November, I can’t help but reflect on what’s different this time around. We’ve become conditioned to it all, and this time it doesn’t feel quite so severe as it did back in March. I remember when golf courses re-opened back in May this year…. The excitement in seeing the update from England Golf that courses would finally be reopened…. Pacing round the house ringing everyone at the club, hatching a plan for the next 3 weeks golfing binge, limitations on tee bookings for 2-balls only with no refreshments or clubhouse was a fair trade off to be able to walk the fairways with your pals again. Entering lockdown 2.0, what’s changed…. Yes, handicaps have been turned on their heads with the introduction of [...]
