Can you distinguish a golf course from your surroundings?
Some architectural purists will think you can, in fact, you should: You should only evaluate based on its design merits, without having to consider what goes beyond its base.
But that’s not how most golfers experience a round. Most of us – when we are not busy slicing or looking for missing balls – take the time to appreciate the world around us. We stopped and enjoyed the vision. Mountain. river. ocean. valley. Golf’s global canvas has everything, with eyes candies almost everywhere, some of which are particularly sweet.
In the latest episode of Destination Golf Podcast, my co-host Simon Holt and I discuss it: What is the greatest scenery in the game?
Simon sets us off a note by rejecting his gaze: Te Arai South in New Zealand, the beachside Stunner designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, which anyone can play. As the lesser imagination of both of us, I walked something obvious, closer to home: overlooking the rear terraces at Cypress Point, which stared through the cypress forest on the famous Path 3 16 hole. Of course, an exclusive place. But my next option is a public visit, which is actually a municipal course and a good reason to visit your northern neighbors: the Highlands Link in Nova Scotia, which is designed by Stanley Thompson, is one of the most beautiful walks of golf in my book.
Simon fights back with other beauties, including the top nine in Royal County Down (“It’s like a crazy golf dream,” Simon says); the whole of Waterville, Ireland; and Cabot Point Hardy in St. Lucia, the site almost needs to be believed.
Of course, we missed some. For example, the old man did not make our short list. Of course, you have your own advice. Please feel free to send us your ideas at destinationgolfpodcast@gmail.com. To listen to the latest episode of Golf in Destination, click here.
