Golf Writing Have you ever dreamed of turning a hobby into a vocation?
For me, writing about golf is a labor of love.
Golf evokes special memories and personal encounters that stamp a signature upon each 18-hole round.
If one word were to describe what is special about golf, it would be “camaraderie.” Golf is a sport where you compete, enjoy nature, and have the opportunity to really get to know someone.
Click the articles below to read about the world’s best golf courses.
Aviara Golf Course – Like Playing in a Botanical Garden
By Tim Cotroneo Renny Brown, the Director of Golf at Aviara Golf Course in Carlsbad, CA, offers a unique visual for what it’s like to golf 18 holes at the course he calls home. “It’s like playing in a botanical garden,” Brown said. The Arnold Palmer-designed Aviara’s lush playground of tree-lined fairways, rolling hills, and […]
The Masters: 10 Amazing Records You Never Knew
By Tim Cotroneo Since the first tournament back in 1934, The Masters has provided some of golf’s most memorable moments. April’s four days of Augusta National drama is watched annually by nearly 10 million television viewers around the world. The Augusta, GA, brainchild of Golf Hall of Famer Bobby Jones promises to deliver amazing highs […]
The Creek Club – Love Your Curves and All Your Edges
By Tim Cotroneo The Creek Club at Reynolds Lake Oconee could have been the inspiration for John Legend’s best-selling song “All of Me.” There may be no golf course in the world that so closely mirrors his lyrics, “Love your curves and all your edges. All your perfect imperfections.” Reynolds Lake Oconee tapped Innovative Golf […]
5 Extraordinary Gifts for the Golfer Who has Everything
By Tim Cotroneo How do you thrill a friend who lives and breathes golf? One way is by giving him or her a gift that is unexpected, uncompromising, and creates a memory to last a lifetime. Does your gift involve wheels, drip with good taste, or take your honored friend to a place that feels like […]
The Island of Nevis’ Golf Loving Dog
By Tim Cotroneo I lined up my golf shot looking straight in the face of Mount Nevis, a 3,200-foot potentially active volcano located on the Caribbean island of Nevis. About one second into my backswing on this 375-yard hole, out of the corner of my eye I noticed a speeding black object heading straight towards […]
La Cana in Punta Cana – Speaking the Language of Golf
By Tim Cotroneo In 2000, golf course designer P.B. Dye had an aerial game plan when he met with Frank Rainieri to discuss who would eventually design a new golf course on Rainieri’s Puntacana Resort. “I knew Frank was a pilot, and I had also been a pilot. I went into the meeting looking to […]
Greg Norman Talks Golf, Bahamas, and Australia’s Wildfires
In 1988, Greg Norman enjoyed one of his finest years on the world’s golf stage with seven victories covering four countries. This was the same year Norman discovered the 700 islands and cays that make up the Bahamas. Norman found the Bahamas to be a blissful scuba, fishing, and boating escape from the professional golf […]
Royal Isabela – Puerto Rico’s Golf Jewel
It’s rare to succeed on a world scale in two sports. Charlie and Stanley Pasarell not only thrived at the collegiate, Olympic, and professional levels in tennis, but their most lasting legacy may be found in a golf course perched on a cliff 200-feet above the Atlantic Ocean in Isabela, Puerto Rico. In 1988, years […]
Sand Hollow Golf Course: Greater Zion’s Red Rock Star
Surrendering to the beauty of Sand Hollow Golf Course in Hurricane, Utah, pulls golfers into the sport’s ongoing battle with slow play. On a course delivering amazing views from every vantage point, it’s hard to focus on the task at hand. This guilty pleasure rears its gorgeous head the deeper you delve into Sand Hollow’s […]
Just Wynn Baby – Golf is Back on the Las Vegas Strip
On October 11, 2019, Wynn Resort began offering something special for every Las Vegas-bound air passenger lucky enough to choose a window seat. For the first time since 2000, passengers observing the Vegas skyline witnessed an 18-hole championship golf course on The Strip…. all compliments of Wynn. After a mega-investment and a meticulous two-year construction […]
Corales Golf Course at
Puntacana Resort & Club
Riding the Waves in Punta Cana Imagine what Golf Architect Tom Fazio could design with 350 acres of prime Dominican oceanfront property. When experiencing Corales Golf Course in dreamy Punta Cana, the question is answered before you place your first tee in the grass. Within seconds of stepping inside the clubhouse, you spy giant white […]
Dreaming Bahamas Big at Ocean Club Golf
Gumbo Limbo, reef sharks, and Justin Rose are all woven into the fabric of an 18-hole round at the beautiful Ocean Club Golf Course on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. Ocean Club delivers non-stop landscape visuals, only in the Caribbean back stories, and an upscale island vibe that is pure Bahamian. Prepare to witness the […]
Golf’s Future is Now at Desert Mountain
The New Seven Golf Course at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, AZ Unless it’s attached to the words “under par,” seven is the last number you want emblazoned on your golf scorecard. That’s unless you are Desert Mountain’s Bill Brownlee or Wendell Pickett, and this number not only places you in the company of Jack Nicklaus, […]
Pacifico Golf Course in Punta Mita
When you’re Jack Nicklaus, the greatest name in golf, you tend to hold all the cards. In 1999, the DINE Real Estate development team in Mexico’s exclusive Punta Mita region tugged at Jack Nicklaus’ sleeve and requested, “Please design our new golf course.” The DINE developers quietly held a bit of leverage with the Golden […]
Valencia, Spain Golf – What a
Wonderful World
Play 18 holes in Spain and you’ll meet golfers from all over the world. Enthusiasts from Sweden, Norway, United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, France, Ireland, Iceland, Belgium, Finland, Holland, and all points in between come to play in a land dating back to 138 B.C.. Speak with the golf professionals at the courses in Valencia, Spain, […]
Harbour Town Golf Links
Two Stars are Born
In 1968, two of golf’s fledgling superstars converged on Hilton Head, SC, to discuss designing a new 18-hole course. One phenom was at the beginning of his Hall of Fame architectural career. The other was making headlines as golf’s hottest new superstar. When Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus met with Sea Pines Resort’s real estate […]
Provo Golf Club – The Caribbean Cheers
Your introduction to Turks and Caicos golf begins long before you blast a drive between the unique conch shell tee markers. As you step from the course’s palm tree lined parking lot, you hear John Donatien’s smooth as spiced rum voice say,
Buenaventura Golf – Jack Meets Panama’s Wild Horses
Jack Nicklaus has long been considered one of the gentlemen in golf’s storied history. Never have you heard the word “two-faced” when describing the Golden Bear. That is until the 16-time major winner designed Buenaventura Golf Course on the heels of Santa Maria, it’s city-bound sister course in 2012. Santa Maria sits in the heart […]
Caribbean’s 12 Best Golf Communities
Your childlike wonder has reawakened since becoming a home owner in a Caribbean golf course community. Maybe this has something to do with your morning ritual of sipping freshly-squeezed fruit juice as you pull back the sliding glass door for the day’s grand unveiling. Your heart leaps a bit as you step out on your […]
Turks and Caicos – Beach & Golf Paradise
What if someone said your Turks and Caicos next door neighbor was voted to be the best in the world? What if that someone was TripAdvisor, and their 305 million monthly readers chose Grace Bay Beach as the number one-ranked beach on the planet? Knowing what you know about your neighbor, if you’re going to […]
Omni Lacosta – New Look Big Finish
Golf’s most dramatic victories often occur when a champion makes a winning charge on the finishing holes. Like a Rory McElroy
Riviera Maya Golf Course in Akumal
Joy. That’s what Golf Professional Joseba Romero exudes when he’s asked about his job teaching golfers from around the world at the Riviera Maya Golf Course in Akumal, Mexico. During his first eight years teaching in his native country of Spain, Romero had a chance to play with and learn from the best of the […]
El Camaleon Golf Course in Riviera Maya
El Camaleon Golf Course is one part jungle, one part mangrove forest, and one part Caribbean Sea. This 7,100-yard ecological trilogy is a once in a lifetime golf thriller comprised of landscape freaks of nature, exotic people-friendly wildlife, and oceanfront vistas that are worthy of the Louvre. Golf legend Greg Norman shattered a myth when […]
Punta Espada Golf – Nicklaus’ Best Ever?
Imagine lush fairways, the bluest water, and a course designed by the greatest golfer the world has ever known. If your golf bucket-list didn’t already include Punta Espada in Punta Cana, then keep reading.
LaCana Golf Course in Punta Cana
“Punta Cana is the nearest point to paradise in the middle of nowhere.” That’s how Olivier Brizon describes his
A Golf Storyteller’s Dream Job
For as long as he can remember, Tony Parker burned with a passion for history and a passion for golf. Parker’s twin loves drove him to study and work in St. Andrews, the Scottish Holy Grail for someone enthralled with the complexities of the game, its most revered players, and the courses where golf originated. […]
Sawgrass- The Golf Course That Never Sleeps
Tom Vlach, the TPC Sawgrass’ Director of Agronomy, is guaranteed six hours of nightly sleep during the week of The Players Championship. That’s if he decides to not go home and sleep in his office. The breakneck pace of Sawgrass’ Agronomy team leading up to the week of the tournament culminates with Vlach arriving each […]
Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg
It’s not hard to imagine Thomas Jefferson’s formative years occurring just a block from the first tee box at the freshly redesigned Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, VA. This patriotic flashback is triggered once you catch the revolutionary costumes, muskets, and Fife and Drum team standing less than a chip shot away. You’re immediately […]
Sky’s the Limit for Panama Golf
For golfers who arrive from destinations other than Dubai, playing at The Santa Maria Golf Course in downtown Panama City is unlike any 18-hole experience in the world. From the first tee box to your last putt on 18, expect to be “wowed” by vertical architecture stretching up to 75 stories in the sky. Stories […]
Four Seasons Nevis Golf Course
When was the last time your retelling of a round of golf included the words volcano, vervet monkeys, and Robert Trent Jones? Those once-in-a-lifetime utterances will all come spilling out after playing 18 holes at the Four Seasons Nevis Golf Course.
Mystical Golf in Myrtle Beach
Born into a golf architecture family dating back to the late 1800s, Dan Maples has designed and seen his share of spectacular golf holes. That’s why it’s fascinating to note the very first golf photo greeting visitors on Maples’ captivating website. The initial www.maplesdesign.com photo that jumps off your computer screen is the par 3, […]
Princeville Makai Golf Course in Kauai
There’s a golf course on the northern shore of Kauai where sunrises are celebrated by the unlikeliest of golf ceremonies. On Mondays and Wednesdays, a dozen people gather on Princeville Makai Golf Course’s most famous Par 3 to
Manele Golf Course on Lanai
In 1992, the Dole Food Company left Lanai, Hawaii’s most sparsely populated island. The pineapple company’s departure meant the loss of employment for almost a third of the island’s population. The Four Seasons Resort and Jack Nicklaus arrived that same year. As they say on Lanai, “When one door closes, another opens.” Today, the Four […]
Top 5 Reasons to Play TPC Sawgrass
If you’re a golfer, there are certain courses around the world that are considered sacred ground. One such layout is the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra, FL. This Pete Dye-design is where
Innisbrook Golf Resort and Spa
What would your trip include if you were in charge of creating a golf dream vacation? Does your dream feature a resort with a golf course that is extraordinary enough to make the professionals salivate? Do you imagine a resort with a culinary flair and a menu of delights that are specific to your tastes […]
Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo
For the golf purist, to play a course where the pro hails from Scotland has a certain mystical quality to it. After meeting the Ocean Reef Club’s Director of Golf and learning he is from the sport’s birthplace, the mystical factor begins to skyrocket. Scott Kirkwood, a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, has a family tree […]
Reserva Conchal Golf Course in Costa Rica
The Central American country of Costa Rica has a unusual way of helping golfers get over first hole jitters. At the plush Westin Golf Resort and Spa, newcomers to the Reserva Conchal Golf Course are often greeted by the startling roar of howler monkeys perched in the treetops above the first tee. Whether this sound […]
Ocean Course Peninsula Papagayo Costa Rica
The Ocean Course Peninsula Papagayo in Costa Rica adheres to the commandment that the world’s best golf courses grab your attention before the first tee box. At the Ocean Course’s gated entrance your first case of admiration whiplash is generated by a commissioned sculpture made from imported Italian marble. Anticipation builds as you drive a […]
Canadian Rockies Golf
Beatles John, Paul, George, and Ringo will forever be known as the Fab Four. But did you know there was a fifth Beatle? In the Canadian Rockies of western Alberta, there are five golf courses whose mountain backdrops are so
Quivira Golf Course in Los Cabos
The Jack Nicklaus-designed Quivira Golf Course in Los Cabos is so scenic, it’s hard to stay focused on the task at hand. With more ocean holes than any course in all of Los Cabos, you may have to
Danzante Bay Golf Course in Loreto, Mexico
Rees Jones is listening. The man known internationally as “The U.S. Open Doctor” paid homage to golf industry pushback by designing a Baja peninsula masterpiece that he considers one of his finest creations. Jones sees his dance in the desert design to be a rare best-of-both-worlds golf communion. The 7,400-yard Danzante Bay Golf Course in […]
Sandals Emerald Bay Golf Course
There’s a colorful rum cocktail on the island of Great Exuma called the Goombay Smash. The first one tastes as good as it looks. By the time you finish the second, you realize that some beauties can also be beasts. The same can be said for Great Exuma’s spectacular Greg-Norman designed golf course. Sandals Emerald […]
Abaco Club at Winding Bay
Scotland’s Old Tom Morris would love the ocean views, the plunging pot bunkers, and the balmy weather at The Abaco Club at Winding Bay. Old Tom would be proud to see how his rolling Scottish links thumbprint found its way to a Bahamian setting of palm trees, parrots, and pristine paspalum fairways. In 2004, Golf […]
Cuisinart Golf Course in Anguilla
Like the prettiest girl at the dance, the tiny island of Anguilla takes its time picking a partner. Just 16 miles long and three miles wide, Anguilla makes up for its size with a shoreline that is a Caribbean postcard waiting to happen. Already an island paradise, Anguilla can afford to be selective when suitors […]
Boot Ranch Golf in Fredericksburg, Texas
King of Texas Hill Country Golf You feel the anticipation building as you take the 78-mile trek from Austin/ Bergstrom International Airport to Boot Ranch Golf Course in Fredericksburg, TX. The landmarks are plentiful as you pass President Johnson’s
