The great courses of the world elevate golf to a level that surpasses sports—a realm that can only be compared to experiences. Who cares what your score might be as you stride the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach. Or marvel at the majesty of the Old Course at St. Andrews. Horse racing may be “the sport of kings” but the courses included in this book are what make golf a game for the immortals. So enjoy—allow yourself to marvel—and remember: Mark Twain was wrong. Nothing will ever spoil this walk.
BEAUTIFUL GOLF COURSES
A WALK UNSPOILED • SOME GOLF COURSES ARE MORE THAN JUST A PLACE TO PLAY THE GAME
What Will They Think of Next? • The sheltering sky over Oregon’s Bandon Dunes course.
IT ALL STARTED AT ST. ANDREWS • THE ORIGINAL “MODERN” GOLF COURSE HAD IT ALL—AND STILL DOES
BEAUTY, FORM & CHALLENGE • WHAT IT TAKES TO DESIGN A WORLD-CLASS GOLF COURSE
Made in America • The Pacific Ocean provides a dramatic backdrop at the par-3 17th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
WHISTLING STRAITS AT KOHLER • SHEBOYGAN, WISCONSIN
PEBBLE BEACH GOLF LINKS • PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA
JACK NICKLAUS
NATIONAL GOLF LINKS OF AMERICA • SOUTHAMPTON, NEW YORK
BANDON DUNES GOLF RESORT • BANDON, OREGON
PINEHURST NO. 2 • PINEHURST, NORTH CAROLINA
AUGUSTA NATIONAL • AUGUSTA, GEORGIA
TIGER WOODS
Cradle of the Game • The course at Kingsbarns Golf Links in Fife, Scotland, runs along the shore of the North Sea.
OLD HEAD OF KINSALE GOLF LINKS • KINSALE, IRELAND
KINGSBARNS GOLF LINKS • FIFE, SCOTLAND
ROYAL COUNTY DOWN GOLF CLUB • NEWCASTLE, NORTHERN IRELAND
MUIRFIELD • GULLANE, SCOTLAND
PHIL MICKELSON
New Growth • An aerial photograph shows some of the lushly wooded fairways at the Hong Kong Golf Club.
HIRONO GOLF CLUB • KOBE, JAPAN
NINE BRIDGES GOLF CLUB • JEJU ISLAND, SOUTH KOREA
HONG KONG GOLF COURSE • FANLING, HONG KONG
TAICHI KHO
KUALA LUMPUR GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB • KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
BARNBOUGLE DUNES GOLF COURSE • TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA
The World's Most Beautiful Golf Courses
PHOTO CREDITS:
PROMISED LANDS • Great golf courses are eternal—brilliantly conceived and intricately constructed settings in which the game, at once so simple and so challenging, is elevated, and a round becomes something more than just pencil scratches on a scorecard. And on the world’s best courses, golf rises to a level that surpasses sports.