Articles by Stephen Hennessey

January 16th, 2026

Work is underway at Old Shores, Michael Keiser’s new course in Florida, where Tom Doak is working with features ‘unlike anything I’ve seen on a golf course’

A little over a year since Michael Keiser announced the development of his first project in Florida, Old Shores, he’s announcing the first course is officially under construction. Tom Doak is his designer—just like his project in Texas, Wild Spring Dunes, which opened for preview play at the end of 2025. The plan at Old Read more…

January 5th, 2026

6 new courses on our bucket list for 2026

There’s no stopping the boom in new golf course construction. Dozens and dozens of new projects deserve a spotlight, but here are 6 courses we’re excited to see in 2026. There are dozens if not hundreds of projects that would be worthy of highlighting in this space. But we chose six to discuss in the Read more…

December 11th, 2025

13 of the best holes our writers played this year

Great holes don’t just check a bunch of architectural boxes. Of course, strategy, risk/reward and beauty are all important, but more than anything else, great golf holes produce great memories. These are the holes you remember long after a round … or a season. That’s why when we asked our own staffers to identify their Read more…

December 9th, 2025

‘An almost supernatural backdrop for golf’: Inside the gates of Sleepy Hollow Country Club

Perched hundreds of feet above the lower Hudson River Valley, with never-ending views of the Hudson River and Golden Age architecture beckoning, Sleepy Hollow Country Club is one of golf’s most breathtaking settings. It’s likely your social-media feeds have flashed photos from the 16th tee with the iconic thumbprint green sitting in the fore of Read more…

November 30th, 2025

How anybody can play Trout National, Crystal Downs and other exclusive private golf courses

Most of us dream about securing tee times at exclusive private clubs like Trout National, Crystal Downs or Winged Foot. That opportunity is here—and the best part is, everything goes toward a great cause. There are a few more days left of the American Cancer Society’s Coaches vs. Cancer experiences auction, which includes packages at Read more…

November 29th, 2025

Panther National: A rare peek inside the gates of the Skins Game host with photos and reviews from our experts

Made-for-TV golf is back—and a venue new to most of us will host the players on Friday. Panther National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., will host the Skins Game on Amazon Prime with the likes of Tommy Fleetwood, Xander Schaufelle, Keegan Bradley and Shane Lowry. This’ll be a rare opportunity to get a peek inside Read more…

November 23rd, 2025

Trout National is one of the most hyped new courses in recent memory. And we got a first look

So many new golf courses are opening these days, it can be tough to keep track. Trout National has had the attention of the industry for more than two years since it was announced perennial MLB All-Star and three-time MVP Mike Trout and Tiger Woods were partnering together to build a new course. RELATED: America’s 25 Read more…

November 5th, 2025

Wild Spring Dunes is ready for public golfers—Michael Keiser’s latest golf destination to open for preview play

It’s been a big couple of weeks for those seeking out the next middle-of-nowhere golf destination. Just a few weeks after the preview opening of Rodeo Dunes in Colorado, the next project by Michael Keiser, co-owner of Sand Valley, has been announced with the soft opening of Wild Spring Dunes. RELATED: Texas is booming with some Read more…

October 23rd, 2025

Pebble Beach’s iconic Tap Room reopens after significant renovations

One of golf’s most iconic 19th holes has gotten a facelift. Pebble Beach’s Tap Room reopened this week after one of its most significant renovations since opening in 1949. Generations of golfers have retired to the iconic bar/steakhouse after battling historic Pebble Beach Golf Links, having a few pints and the resort’s renowned prime-rib chili. Read more…

October 9th, 2025

Rodeo Dunes will be golf’s next great resort, and I was one of the first people to play it

Bill Coore felt something familiar. As he walked Rodeo Dunes—a massive 2,000-acre site with six planned courses 30 minutes north of the Denver airport—the legendary architect couldn’t help but reminiscence on his first time exploring Sand Hills. Sand Hills, built by Coore and his design partner Ben Crenshaw 30 years ago on an incredibly natural Read more…

October 5th, 2025

I got a first look at Old Petty at Cabot Highlands, Tom Doak’s new course in the Scottish Highlands

Ben Cowan-Dewar needed to see Castle Stuart. This was 2008, a year before Castle Stuart would open then go onto host four Scottish Opens and become a mainstay on most top-100 lists (it’s #51 on our most recent World 100). Cowan-Dewar admired Mark Parsinen’s work at Kingsbarns, and now Parsinen had partnered with Gil Hanse Read more…

September 29th, 2025

Ryder Cup 2025: Former athlete experienced in New York fan harassment speaks out on behaviour towards Rory McIlroy: ‘No way I’d expose my wife to that’

We expected New Yorkers to redefine what next-level obscenities and outrageousness could look like from golf fans at the Ryder Cup. No one could’ve predicted things escalating quite this far. Video of Rory McIlroy’s wife, Erica, being beaned with a beer can in the aftermath of Day 2 of the Ryder Cup went viral on Read more…

September 10th, 2025

America’s 75 best golf resorts

The global competition among golf resorts continues to accelerate with the popularity of golf. It’s dizzying but exciting to reflect on the development happening both at golf’s most popular destinations and also new ones popping up. Dozens of new courses have entered our ranking of America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses since the last time we Read more…

August 29th, 2025

Golf Debate Answered: Can you count something as a career-low score if you’re playing from a forward tee?

One screenshot of a posted score and the opinions came in hot!

August 20th, 2025

Tour Championship picks 2025: Our favorite bets for East Lake

Scottie Scheffler has changed the landscape of outright betting over his torrid stretch the past two seasons—winning at a 32.4 percent clip across his 12 wins, not even counting his victories at the Olympics and the Hero World Challenge. It might be tough to envision a scenario where Scheffler doesn’t cap off this five-victory, two-major Read more…

August 15th, 2025

Growing the game or doing too much? The BMW Championship is now announcing caddies on the first tee

Yes, we’re announcing caddies on the first tee this week at the 2025 BMW Championship at Caves Valley. No, we’re not sure how to feel about it.

August 14th, 2025

Megha Ganne on avenging food poisoning, her hilariously egregious top-five course list and the obvious reason she didn’t want to lose at Bandon Dunes

If it feels like Megha Ganne has been around for a long time, she kind of has. Four years ago, the then-17-year-old played in the final pairing of the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open, competing alongside eventual winner Yuka Saso while earning top amateur honors. Ganne has also competed at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur five Read more…

August 13th, 2025

BMW Championship picks 2025: Our PGA pro loves Rory McIlroy’s strategy this week

We have some great intel this week at Caves Valley. Keith Stewart, CEO of Read the Line and a member of our Golf Digest betting panel, travels to all the big PGA Tour events—getting boots-on-the-ground insights into how the players are prepping for the week. He’s had his eye on Rory McIlroy this week. He’s Read more…

August 6th, 2025

FedEx St. Jude Championship picks 2025: The 100-1 longshot who can take down Scottie Scheffler

Did somebody say playoffs? Before everyone’s attention shifts to football and the Ryder Cup, the PGA Tour will dish out a bunch of cash after this three-week run that will culminate in the Tour Championship at East Lake. First, we have the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind, which has been a mainstay host Read more…

August 2nd, 2025

How the crazy golf scenes in Happy Gilmore 2 were created on real golf courses … and on very tight deadlines

You probably assumed the over-the-top scenes during the Maxi Golf tournament in Happy Gilmore 2 were produced by artificial intelligence. Who could blame you? Who would think that a golf course would allow a film crew to cover a fairway with six inches of sand to create a desert golf scene that took up just Read more…

July 11th, 2025

6 affordable summer golf-trip destinations that need to be on your bucket list

Golf trips are good for the soul. They’re also getting harder on our wallets. Travel to any top-tier resort, and you expect to pay thousands of dollars for golf, lodging, food, etc.—and that’s before travel. The boom in golf post-COVID has led to green fees increasing by 20 percent since 2019, per the National Golf Read more…

June 26th, 2025

Bandon Dunes: 18 things you must know before planning your trip

A golf trip to Bandon Dunes is nirvana. It’s the only resort with five 18-hole courses ranked among our 100 Greatest Public Courses, and getting here is so coveted, Bandon Dunes recently instituted a lottery system just for the chance to make reservations. Once you do secure time at one of golf’s greatest locales, what Read more…