Cypress Point Club in California R E C O M M E N D E D BY Joe Passov Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club in China R E C O M M E N D E D BY Jeff Wallach Mauna Kea in Hawaii R E C O M M E N D E D BY Darrin Gee Nirwana Bali Golf Course in Indonesia R E C O M M E N D E D BY Bob Harrison White Witch in Jamaica R E C O M M E N D E D BY Rick Baril Black Mesa Golf Club in New Mexico R E C O M M E N D E D BY Baxter Spann The Hills in New Zealand R E C O M M E N D E D BY Sir Bob Charles Machrihanish Golf Club in Scotland R E C O M M E N D E D BY Brian Morgan Arabian Ranches in United Arab Emirates R E C O M M E N D E D BY Ian Baker-Finch Chambers Bay in Washington R E C O M M E N D E D BY Bruce Charlton Chris Santella is a freelance writer and marketing consultant based in Portland, Oregon. A regular contributor to the New York Times and Forbes.com, he has also contributed to the New Yorker, Travel & Leisure, Golf, American Lawyer, and Delta Sky. Santella is the author of five other titles in the “Fifty Places” series, as well as Fifty Favorite Fly-Fishing Tales (all STC). fif t y more places to pl ay golf before you die Santella stewart tabori & chang With this follow-up to his bestselling Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die, Chris Santella interviews fifty luminaries in the golf world to uncover some of the sport’s hidden gems. Golf industry insiders—from seasoned touring professionals (Amy Alcott, Fred Funk) to journalists and photographers (James Dodson, Brian Morgan) to golf course architects (Robert von Hagge, Bob Harrison) to travel specialists (Gordon Dalgleish, Mike Lardner)—offer their favorite courses around the world and describe what makes them so spectacular. Their experiences bring the venues to life for both ardent golfers and armchair travelers. The golf courses featured here range from the windswept peninsula of Old Head off the coast of Ireland to the sultry landscape of the recently inaugurated Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail in Vietnam to the privileged putting surfaces of California’s Cypress Point and Maryland’s Congressional Country Club. Along the way, Santella shares vivid descriptions of the courses, funny and touching anecdotes, and enough “If You Go” information for golfers to begin planning that once-in-a-lifetime getaway. The texts are complemented by more than forty vivid photographs that capture the allure of these unforgettable golf destinations. $24.95 U.S. / $32.50 CAN / £14.99 UK Also available from Stewart, Tabori & Chang: Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die ISBN 978-1-58479-474-5 $24.95 U.S. $32.50 CAN Jacket front: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club, near Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China. Photograph © Robin Moyer/robinmoyer.com Design by Anna Christian Stewart, Tabori & Chang An imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 115 West 18th Street · New York, NY 10011 www.stcbooks.com Printed in China stewart tabori & chang Golf E xp er ts Share the Wo rld’s Greatest D esti nations Chris Santella PL AY GOL F f i f t y m o r e p l a c e s t o b e f o r e y o u d i e A S E Q U E L T O T H E B E S T S E L L I N G F I F T Y P L A C E S T O P L A Y G O L F B E F O R E Y O U D I E $24.95 U.S. / $32.50 CAN / £14.99 UK ISBN 978-1-58479-793-7 In this beautiful guide, golf experts reveal their picks for fifty more of the world’s greatest golf courses to author Chris Santella. T H E DE S T I NAT I O N S IN C LU D E : KE ITH B. CAR L SO N Cypress Point Club in California R E C O M M E N D E D BY Joe Passov Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club in China R E C O M M E N D E D BY Jeff Wallach Mauna Kea in Hawaii R E C O M M E N D E D BY Darrin Gee Nirwana Bali Golf Course in Indonesia R E C O M M E N D E D BY Bob Harrison White Witch in Jamaica R E C O M M E N D E D BY Rick Baril Black Mesa Golf Club in New Mexico R E C O M M E N D E D BY Baxter Spann The Hills in New Zealand R E C O M M E N D E D BY Sir Bob Charles Machrihanish Golf Club in Scotland R E C O M M E N D E D BY Brian Morgan Arabian Ranches in United Arab Emirates R E C O M M E N D E D BY Ian Baker-Finch Chambers Bay in Washington R E C O M M E N D E D BY Bruce Charlton Chris Santella is a freelance writer and marketing consultant based in Portland, Oregon. A regular contributor to the New York Times and Forbes.com, he has also contributed to the New Yorker, Travel & Leisure, Golf, American Lawyer, and Delta Sky. Santella is the author of five other titles in the “Fifty Places” series, as well as Fifty Favorite Fly-Fishing Tales (all STC). fif t y more places to pl ay golf before you die Santella stewart tabori & chang With this follow-up to his bestselling Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die, Chris Santella interviews fifty luminaries in the golf world to uncover some of the sport’s hidden gems. Golf industry insiders—from seasoned touring professionals (Amy Alcott, Fred Funk) to journalists and photographers (James Dodson, Brian Morgan) to golf course architects (Robert von Hagge, Bob Harrison) to travel specialists (Gordon Dalgleish, Mike Lardner)—offer their favorite courses around the world and describe what makes them so spectacular. Their experiences bring the venues to life for both ardent golfers and armchair travelers. The golf courses featured here range from the windswept peninsula of Old Head off the coast of Ireland to the sultry landscape of the recently inaugurated Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail in Vietnam to the privileged putting surfaces of California’s Cypress Point and Maryland’s Congressional Country Club. Along the way, Santella shares vivid descriptions of the courses, funny and touching anecdotes, and enough “If You Go” information for golfers to begin planning that once-in-a-lifetime getaway. The texts are complemented by more than forty vivid photographs that capture the allure of these unforgettable golf destinations. $24.95 U.S. / $32.50 CAN / £14.99 UK Also available from Stewart, Tabori & Chang: Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die ISBN 978-1-58479-474-5 $24.95 U.S. $32.50 CAN Jacket front: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Club, near Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China. Photograph © Robin Moyer/robinmoyer.com Design by Anna Christian Stewart, Tabori & Chang An imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 115 West 18th Street · New York, NY 10011 www.stcbooks.com Printed in China stewart tabori & chang Golf E xp er ts Share the Wo rld’s Greatest D esti nations Chris Santella PL AY GOL F f i f t y m o r e p l a c e s t o b e f o r e y o u d i e A S E Q U E L T O T H E B E S T S E L L I N G F I F T Y P L A C E S T O P L A Y G O L F B E F O R E Y O U D I E $24.95 U.S. / $32.50 CAN / £14.99 UK ISBN 978-1-58479-793-7 In this beautiful guide, golf experts reveal their picks for fifty more of the world’s greatest golf courses to author Chris Santella. T H E DE S T I NAT I O N S IN C LU D E : KE ITH B. CAR L SO N Published in 2009 by Stewart, Tabori & Chang An imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Text copyright © 2009 Chris Santella Photograph credits: Pages 2, 72, 76, 98, 122, 142, and 170: © Evan Schiller/golfshots.com; pages 12 and 146: © Mark Hill; page 14: Photo courtesy of Pannónia Golf & Country-Club; pages 16, 44, 86, 96, 126, 138, 150, 160, 192, and 220: © John and Jeannine Henebry; page 22: © Dick Durrance; page 28: © Gary Lisbon; pages 32 and 156: © Mike Bell; page 36: © Rob Brown; pages 40, 56, 68, 102, 114, 174, 178, and 200: © Brian Morgan Golf Photography; page 52: © Robin Moyer/robinmoyer.com; page 64: © Sperone Golf Club; page 82: Photo courtesy of Golfclub Am Mondsee; page 90: © Greg Norman Golf Course Design; page 130: Photo courtesy of Boyne Resorts; page 134: © Fairmont Hotels and Resorts; page 164: Photo courtesy of Oitavos Dunes; photograph by Brian Morgan; page 182: © Aidan Bradley Photography; page 188: © Grant Leversha; page 200: photo courtesy of Arabian Ranches; page 212: © Peter Steinhauer All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Santella, Chris. Fifty more places to play golf before you die : golf experts share the world’s greatest destinations / Chris Santella ; foreword by Jeff Wallach. p. cm. ISBN 978-1-58479-793-7 1. Golf courses—Directories. 2. Golf resorts—Directories. I. Title. II. Title: 50 more places to play golf before you die. III. Title: Golf experts share the world’s greatest destinations. GV975.S194 2009 796.352—dc22 2009000579 Editor: Jennifer Levesque Designer: Anna Christian Production Manager: Tina Cameron Fifty Places series design by Paul G. Wagner This book was composed in Interstate, Scala, and Village typefaces Printed and bound in China 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 115 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011 www.hnabooks.com f i f t y m o r e p l a c e s t o p l a y g o l f b e f o r e y o u d i e [...]... only one option in town, I’ve provided more specific information Like my first golf book, Fifty More Places to Play Golf Before You Die includes a handful of private courses Some of my readers have protested their inclusion: Why do they want to read about Cypress Point if they can’t ever play it? While I empathize with this sentiment, I felt that to be true to the book’s premise to let golf experts talk... of the nuances of golf course design—and golf travel—that I’ve accumulated since working on that book have enabled me to better appreciate all the things that combine to make a memorable golf experience Thus it was with great enthusiasm that I embraced the chance to write another golf book Fifty More Places to Play Golf Before You Die When I speak at clubs or do signings in bookstores, one of the first... exercised any more the only thing I do differently is play golf in the heat.” The way you play a certain hole as your golf game evolves can be as good a determinant as any of your progress For Tim, the story of his wife’s development is best told from the tees on the par 5 16th at Talking Stick South “From the back tee, it’s about 550 yards; from the Ladies’ Tee, 440 yards,” Tim said “The hole plays to a dogleg... topography beneath gathering stormclouds that leaves your heart pounding It’s life, is what I mean to say, and Chris Santella and his group of experts have described it in all its colors—not just green Happy reading, and pass that bottle over here! —Jeff Wallach 10 introduc tion I was a passionate (if terrible) golfer when I wrote Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die In the four years since that... would have to come down to the station to explain himself Thompson acquiesced, but before going, he asked the policeman to accompany him to the clubhouse site at the top of the property Once there, he pointed down the first fairway and is said to have exclaimed, “Isn’t this the most glorious view you ve ever seen in your life? If we didn’t cut those trees, you would never have been able to see this... experiences—I would need to include a few of those private venues if they were special to the interviewee And while it’s not likely that you ll get an unsolicited invite to play Congressional, you never know who you might happen to sit next to on an airplane or in an Irish pub, or where a friendship struck up in conversation might lead (On page 41, Joe Passov tells the tale of how he was invited to play Cypress... is: “Did you get to visit all fifty places? ” Sadly, I must answer “No.” But the way I arrive at my list is perhaps the next best thing to visiting: I interview fifty people closely connected with the golf world about some of their favorite courses and experiences These experts range from seasoned touring professionals (like Amy Alcott, Ian Baker-Finch, and Fred Funk) to golf journalists and photographers... essentially splitting the fairway,” Michael explained You have to choose which path you ll take off your drive It’s a harder play to the left as there’s more carry and less room, but you have a much better perspective of the hole as you re higher up It’s a big two-shot hole however you look at it Perhaps the fact that it arouses debate shows that it works as a golf hole.” “One of the things I love about Barnbougle... as a golf and travel journalist for nearly twenty years that many of the courses you should play before you die (or before you simply get too tired and cranky) are in out-of-the-way locations (I can recommend one in Nepal, for example, that doubles as a safari park.) Some are achingly gorgeous in design and/or setting (China’s Jade Mountain Snow Dragon comes to mind) Others may boast some funky golf. .. in exploring how different golfers relate to different places and experiences, I’ll be able to shed a tiny bit of light on the many diverse ways we come to appreciate the game (To give a sense of the breadth of their golfing background, a bio of each individual is included after each essay.) While this book collects fifty great golfing experiences, it by no means attempts to rank the courses discussed . Destinations Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die: Golf Experts Share the World’s Greatest Destinations Fifty Places to Sail Before You Die: Sailing. 978-1-58479-793-7 1. Golf courses—Directories. 2. Golf resorts—Directories. I. Title. II. Title: 50 more places to play golf before you die. III. Title: Golf experts