Swing easy and accept the extra distance

A good portion of my golf these days is played in mixed groups, and I’ve been fortunate to tee it up regularly with a terrific group of women golfers who bring very different styles—and personalities—to the course.

Which Tees Should You Play From?

There are rounds of golf you remember because you played well.

When the Golf Cart Becomes the Course Marshal

After playing hundreds of courses across the U.S. and abroad, I’ve learned that architecture shapes enjoyment as much as condition or location. Nowhere is that clearer than when comparing Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw, and Tom Doak.

Born in Graham, Texas in 1928, Leon Howard left an indelible mark on golf course architecture across the United States—and nowhere more so than in Texas. A graduate of Texas A&M University (Class of 1949), Howard blended science and strategy from the very beginning, authoring a pioneering thesis on Compaction problems in putting green soils and later earning a master’s degree in Soil Physics with support from the United States Golf Association.

Bully Pulpit Golf Course is an 18-hole public golf layout carved dramatically out of the rugged North Dakota Badlands just outside Medora. The setting is what puts this course on the map: rolling meadows and woodlands give way to striking buttes and panoramic views that feel more like the American West than typical Midwestern golf terrain. As you wind your way around the par-72 course — stretching over about 7,100 yards from the tips — holes trace the edge of the Little Missouri River and climb toward elevated plateaus that offer sweeping vistas of the  Badlands’ colorful rock formations. In recognition of its unique location and overall experience, the course was voted USA Today’s #1 Best Public Golf Course in the United States for 2025, a huge nod for a facility in a region not usually associated with “must-play” golf.

We are heading to golf in New Zealand February 8th through the 16th.  Cape Kidnappers, Te Arai, Kauri Cliffs, and a few hidden gems to round out our week.  Let me know if there is anything you want me to find out while I'm there!

**GOLF’s 40th Anniversary Top 100 Courses in the World list is always an intriguing read for me. How many have I played? Where do I want to go next? And just as important—what’s on here that doesn’t quite seem to belong?