Golfing News & Blog Articles

The medium of the artist is paint, and he becomes its master; but the medium of the golf architect is the surface of the earth over which the forces of Nature alone are master. Therefore, in the prosecution of his designs, if the architect correctly uses the forces of nature to express them and thus succeeds in hiding his hand, then, only, has he created that illusion which can still all criticism. MAX BEHR

I think people watching golf want to see the unexpected, but we, too, often get the opposite…a blast off the tee, the ball doesn't bounce more than a few metros after it lands and the next one sticks in the green like a dart in the dartboard. That's boring; not like getting a bad lie and watching them get out of the predicament they themselves got into. That gives joy to people. PETER THOMSON

I think people watching golf want to see the unexpected, but we, too, often get the opposite…a blast off the tee, the ball doesn't bounce more than a few metros after it lands and the next one sticks in the green like a dart in the dartboard. That's boring; not like getting a bad lie and watching them get out of the predicament they themselves got into. That gives joy to people. PETER THOMSON

I also love Royal Melbourne, in the sand belt region of Melbourne – one of the greatest pieces of terrain on earth. Australians know how to take care of their courses, staying on the lean side, conserving water, and taking care of their native grasses. BEN CRENSHAW

Water hazards are among the best and most thrilling of natural strategy, and sometimes artificial water hazards are well conceived. Like everything else, such trouble should not be overdone. As noted before, diversity, and yet again, variety, is the spice of a golf course. GEORGE THOMAS

A golf hole, humanly speaking, is like life, in as much as one cannot judge justly of any person’s character the first time one meets him. Sometimes it takes years to discover and appreciate hidden qualities which only time discloses, and he usually discloses them on the links. C.B. MACDONALD

Anything stereotyped should be avoided on a golf course; all construction work should follow the irregular lines of nature. Any contractor who informs a committee that golf courses can be constructed on contract as they would build a clubhouse is either absolutely ignorant of golf course architecture or is trying to hoodwink the golfing public. It would be just as reasonable to expect an artist to estimate the amount he charges for a painting, according to the quantities of paint and materials he uses. ALISTER MACKENZIE

I forgot where it happened but in the middle of a round which I was regarding with the usual distaste, a small voice within me said, you know, you don’t have to do this and I thought, No, by God, I don’t. A great wave of relief came over me and on D-Day 1968, I put the clubs up in the loft with the water tanks, closed the hatch, removed the steps and walked away. Nor have I for one second regretted it. 
HENRY LONGHURST

What a jolly course it is, to be sure! What a jolly place to play, too, for we shall probably have had it reasonably to ourselves. It shares with Muirfield, among the great Scottish courses, the merit of being the private property of the club, and that is a merit that grows greater every year. It is a beautiful spot, moreover, and we may look at views of Arran and Ailsa Craig and the Heads of Ayr if we can allow our attention to wander so far from the game. Tradition and romance cluster thickly round Prestwick...
BERNARD DARWIN

It must no be supposed, however, that the man whose only golfing asset is his ability to drive a long ball is to have things his own way. He is to be taken care of side hazards which will demand of him as fine control of his long shots as is demanded of the shorter driver, before he can obtain the full benefit of his extra distances. WILLIAM LANGFORD