Stories
Will Bardwell
Too Big to Trail

Imagine building 26 golf courses at the height of the golf development bubble, with nine figures in public pension money — in an effort that now loses money year after year. Welcome to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.

Too Big to Trail
Stories
Will Bardwell
Rebirth and Reimagining in Mississippi

In theory, 12-hole designs should be cheaper to play, build, and maintain. But in the staid industry of golf course development, there’s been no rush to test the theory. The minds behind Sweetens Cove are ready to change that.

Rebirth and Reimagining in Mississippi
Stories
Will Bardwell
Rob Collins and the Long Road Out of Hell

Rob Collins had one shot. At Sweetens Cove, he took it — and he bet on himself over and over again. Somehow, impossibly, it worked.

Rob Collins and the Long Road Out of Hell
Pros
Will Bardwell
Coffee, a Dark House, and the Open

Waking up at 1:30 a.m. to watch golf isn’t conducive to work, or anything else really. But it’s become my favorite TV viewing experience of the year.

Coffee, a Dark House, and the Open
Pros
Will Bardwell
History will Judge the PGA

Through its silence in the face of Donald Trump’s racism, the PGA of America is not merely acquiescent in his behavior — it is complicit.

History will Judge the PGA

For Justin Thomas, the Time is Now

For Justin Thomas, the Time is Now

Justin Thomas doesn’t have to win the PGA Championship. But now at the height of his powers, and with seven majors scheduled for the next 11 months, he will never see a better chance to build his legacy.

Champions Retreat

Champions Retreat

If the Augusta National Women’s Amateur is an important golf tournament, then Champions Retreat is an important golf course — to the tournament’s players, and to the fans who watch the tournament. That’s a heavy expectation to bear. But Champions Retreat vindicates that importance.

Kyle Porter

Kyle Porter

“I think that these leagues — and this is not a PGA Tour-specific thing, because you see this in college sports — they pull back access. They don’t want you to have access. They want more control. And what that creates is more value on being funny or having the Twitter-type stuff. COVID’s only exacerbated that.”

Black Numbers

Black Numbers

Even by golf’s standards, golf course architecture badly underrepresented Black people. That failure endangers the game’s viability for Black and white players alike.

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