Kingdom 63

Golf’s Rising Stars Are Ready to Make a Run

cd: ROBB AARON GORDON

50 YEARS OF NAPA VALLEY CABERNET

“ Caymus began in 1972 after Napa Valley prune farmers Charlie and Lorna Wagner pulled the trees and planted grape vines— Cabernet Sauvignon. Their goal was simple enough: to produce good wine from their farm’s special earth. Today our family remains in place at Caymus with two of my kids, Charlie and Jenny, working with me to share the day-to-day responsibilities. Since those early days, it has been a thrilling family experience to continue to make Caymus. We sincerely thank wine lovers who share in the wonder of wine and the many ways it enhances the experience of life.” life.

Caymus

Just east of Atlanta, and one flight from just about anywhere, Reynolds Lake Oconee has welcomed Members from around the country for nearly four decades. Whether a weekend cottage or a home for the generations, Reynolds has a special magic all its own.

For those interested in Real Estate and Membership, preferred rates in our cottages or The Ritz-Carlton ® are available. reynoldslakeoconee.com/kingdommag | 855.915.1345

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Publisher & Co-Founder

MATTHEW SQUIRE

Executive Vice President, Content BRUCE WALLIN

Art Director

MATTHEW HALNAN

Managing Editor

LORI BRYAN

Editors

ROBIN BARWICK (UK)

SHAUN TOLSON (US)

Head of Advertising Sales

JON EDWARDS

Executive Director, Marketing EMILY POPPERT

Marketing Coordinator

MORGAN BARBAY

Contributing Editor ALEXANDRA O’LAUGHLIN

Founding Director

ARNOLD PALMER

Photography Fried Egg Golf, Evan Schiller, USGA/Fred Vuich

Special Thanks & Contributors

Keegan Bradley, Jackie Caradonio, Adam Erace, Tom Fazio, Lydia Ko, Andrew Nelson

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COVER

The Church Pews, Oakmont Country Club

PHOTO

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Kingdom is a luxury lifestyle and golf magazine enjoyed by more than 2 million readers annually through our print publication, social channels, website, newsletters, and events. Co-founded in 2003 by Arnold Palmer, Kingdom continues the King’s legacy with original content that celebrates excellence and the modern golf lifestyle, both on and off the course.

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Mercilessly magnificent

The Straits®—wild, rugged, and breathtakingly beautiful—is a perfect reflection of its Irish roots. Along the shores of Lake Michigan, you’ll need a strong resolve to embrace the mayhem and the majesty. This combination is just one of the extraordinary experiences that awaits you in Kohler.

Visit KohlerWisconsin.com.

Staying Up Late

Since we published the winter issue of Kingdom, I do not know where the time has gone! Time really does fly, and it’s hard to believe that golf’s majors will soon be upon us once again. I always look forward to this time of year, not only because the weather starts to improve, but also because one of my fondest childhood memories was being allowed to stay up until midnight (I lived in England at that time) to watch the Masters.

I would marvel at the beauty and vivid colors of the golf course at Augusta National, and springtime in Georgia seemed exotic from England. There is so much history, tradition, and many great tales around Augusta National and its tournament, and there was such intensity and atmosphere, particularly for the final round. Little did I know then that I would spend the best part of 25 years working with the most charismatic Masters legend of them all, Arnold Palmer.

Pub Letter

Beyond the Masters, I am particularly looking forward to the U.S. Open’s return to Oakmont Country Club, and you can read more about this storied venue in our 2025 Majors Preview section (page 63). That said, given that Oakmont was the scene of Jack Nicklaus’s first professional victory, in 1962—when he beat Arnold in an 18-hole playoff (page 72)—if Arnold was still with us, he might not appreciate me drawing your attention to this! To be fair to Arnold, he was always philosophical about the titles he didn’t win—he knew that the hard losses made the big victories so special— and he took the painful memories of his playing career in stride.

I will enjoy a tot of Dewar’s 19 Year Old U.S. Open Oakmont Edition as I sit back and enjoy watching the golfers tackle the Church Pews. The last golfer to win the U.S. Open at Oakmont was Dustin Johnson in 2016, after he played a Sunday back nine of true class to win his first major title, and I am sure this year’s championship will provide just as much excitement.

Whilst you all enjoy the majors, at Kingdom we will be hard at work planning our flagship event, the Kingdom Cup—it will return to “America’s Favorite Island,” Hilton Head, this September—and compiling our new Travel Annual, which we will launch around the same time. We like to be busy, and perhaps this is the reason time flies so fast.

Until the next time, enjoy golf’s “impregnable quadrilateral”!

Discover ownership at seven private club communities nestled within a 20,000-acre backdrop of emerald courses, sparkling lakes, verdant valleys, and breathtaking mountain terrain in the Western Carolinas near Asheville, Greenville, and Clemson. With one Club Membership, you’ll get unlimited swings at everything The Cliffs has to offer.

63

The Majors 2025

From Pittsburgh to Portrush, we go inside the ropes on our annual exploration of golf’s Big 4—the players to beat, the ones to watch, and the storied venues where it will all unfold.

80

Ultimate Golf Getaway: South Carolina

We tee up the top spots to hit on an epic journey through the Lowcountry’s legendary golf courses, restaurants, historic cities, and timeless charms.

92

Lydia Ko

The newly minted Hall of Famer opens up about her remarkable—and rollercoaster—experience on the LPGA Tour.

98

Keegan Bradley

Kingdom catches up with the 2025 American Ryder Cup team captain as he enters a new stage of his career.

104 Picture Perfect

Golfer turned photographer Evan Schiller captures the world’s great golf courses with an expert’s eye.

8th Hole, Royal Portrush. Photo: Evan Schiller

Become a Member and immerse yourself in our storied past of more than 65 years of professional tournament

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Whether you’re a Corporate, Individual, or National Member, you can enjoy some of the finest world-class golf on three award-winning courses—including the renowned South Course—top-tier practice facilities, elevated dining, overnight accommodations, business networking opportunities and so much more.

YOUR DREAM, YOUR WAY

There’s nothing else like it – privately guided travel that’s customized exactly the way you want in over 120 countries worldwide. Whether it’s exploring iconic landmarks, indulging in world-class cuisine, or teeing off at legendary golf courses, we bring your dream journey to life in unforgettable style.

Look of the Irish

When developing Whistling Straits in the mid-1990s, Herb Kohler asked Pete Dye to make its inaugural golf course, the Straits, look like Ballybunion. A few years later, when Dye and his team embarked on the second layout at the now-famous destination on the shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin, southwest Ireland was evidently still top of mind.

The Irish, as the resulting course was aptly named, is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025. The 7,201-yard layout meanders over rumpled terrain, with swaths of gnarly, unkempt fescue grasses; sprawling expanses of sandy waste areas; and deep, perilous pot bunkers.

The Straits, a major championship venue, understandably garners most of the attention at Whistling Straits, but those who overlook the Irish are missing out. “In my lifetime,” Dye once said of the course, “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Photo: Evan Schiller

Golf Course / Whistling Straights

Approach the

Dye revivals, Fazio puzzles, Scottsdale weekends & more

PGA West Bites Back

Pete Dye was already known for designing tough golf courses before he created the Stadium Course at PGA West in 1987.

PGA Tour golfers had not forgiven him for his monster Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, in Florida, so they were filled with trepidation when Dye declared he was going to “build the hardest damn golf course in the world” in Southern California’s Coachella Valley.

Turns out, the course was so difficult that it lasted only one year as a PGA Tour venue. It returned to the tour in 2016, albeit in a gentler form. Now, as of this past December, the beast is back.

Tim Liddy, who worked for Dye for three decades, led a renovation that has returned the Stadium Course to Dye’s original design, particularly the greens complexes. Apparently, the project has worked: This January, in the American Express, the average score over four rounds was 71.3, up two shots from last year—a big difference at the tour level.

Photo: Fried Egg Golf

On the Edge

Pete Dye faced a conundrum when he returned to Casa de Campo, in the Dominican Republic, more than three decades after completing the resort’s Teeth of the Dog golf course. What could he possibly create that could compete with his most famous design, with its seven holes hugging the Caribbean? The answer was Dye Fore, three nine-hole layouts that tumble through the hills and travel along 300-foot cliffs above the Chavon River.

Dye Fore would be a marquee course at any other Caribbean resort, but most years it plays a supporting role to Casa de Campo’s main attraction. In 2025, however, Teeth of the Dog is closed for an extensive restoration, which means Dye’s final design in the Dominican Republic will get the star turn it has long deserved.

Hawaiian Heritage

Mauna Kea Resort, on Hawaii’s Big Island, has marked the 60th anniversary of its famous Robert Trent Jones–designed golf course with the completion of an extensive renovation led by Robert Trent Jones Jr.

Mauna Kea was the first resort golf course to open on the Big Island, back in 1964, and the spectacular layout—which transformed a blackened lava field on the Kohala shoreline—marked its debut by hosting a match between Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player as part of the Big Three Golf TV series. Filmed in December 1964 and aired on NBC in 1965, the series was a hit, confirming the “Big Three” as the golf world’s leading acts. It also established Mauna Kea’s reputation among the world’s most desirable golf destinations, one that it retains six decades later.

Arizona Tourism Experience ARIZONA

Embracing the Southwestern Spirit

Golf, Dining, and Desert Fun

Life’s a balancing act—family, career, kids, and even coaching youth basketball. Every now and then, though, you need to step back, take a breath, and treat yourself. This trip was my chance to do just that: a little time to recharge and a lot of time to savor the finer things in life. Arizona, with its mix of serene landscapes and vibrant energy, offered the perfect setting.

- Mike Osgood

Vice President of Alliance Partnerships for Preferred Travel Group

Endless desert views

... seemed to clear my head with every mile.

Arrival & Day One

The escape began with a direct flight from Palm Springs International to Phoenix’s Sky Harbor where I picked up a BMW X5 rental car from SIXT. It was an indulgent upgrade that made the drive to Tucson feel even more special. The road stretched out in front of me, flanked by endless desert views that seemed to clear my head with every mile.

Arriving at Ventana Canyon Club and Lodge felt like stepping into a peaceful sanctuary. Tucked into the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, the property strikes the perfect balance between refined luxury and natural beauty.

Dinner that night set the tone for the rest of my visit. The Ventana Bar and Grill welcomed me with twinkling string lights, fire pits crackling in the cool evening air, and mountain views that seemed to glow in the fading light. The food was as inviting as the atmosphere—simple yet elevated.

Day Two

Clockwise from left: Sunset dining at Hacienda del Sol; the natural beauty of Ventana Canyon Club and Lodge; the author taking a bunker shot at the Mountain Course; the author at The Wigwam’s Red Course; a scenic vista of The Gold Course at The Wigwam

dish that lived up to its reputation—followed by El Molinito’s #1 Special, a platter that was as colorful and flavorful as the city itself. The margarita and chips at The Grill at Lodge of the Desert were the perfect way to wrap up a midday feast.

In the afternoon, I set out to clear my mind and take in some fresh air. A drive up Mount Lemmon took me to 9,000 feet of cool mountain breezes and breathtaking views. I stopped at scenic turnouts, explored a few trails, and let the quiet reset my thoughts. On the way down, I made a quick stop at Beyond Bread for a coffee and pastry—small moments that felt like luxuries in their own right.

The evening’s dinner at Hacienda del Sol’s Grill was the kind of experience that stays with you. Watching the sunset paint the desert in hues of gold and rose while enjoying a perfectly cooked Pork Tomahawk and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon was a fitting end to a day that felt like a gift.

Day Three & Departure

The morning began with a quick coffee from Dutch Bros before an easy drive back to Phoenix. By midday, I was checking into The Global Ambassador, ready to trade solo reflections for a couples’ getaway.

Arizona Tourism

Explore incredible Arizona with Preferred Hotels & Resorts

The day started bright and early with a round at Ventana Canyon’s Mountain Course. As a 12-handicap golfer, I was excited for the challenge of this Tom Fazio-designed masterpiece. Built into the mountains of the Sonoran Desert, the layout blends fun, challenge, and breathtaking scenery. It’s easy to forget your score when each shot feels like a postcard moment.

The par-3 3rd hole stole my heart—it was impossible to resist hitting a few extra shots just to watch the ball soar against the stunning mountain backdrop. My lone birdie of the day came on the 548-yard par-5 12th, a beautifully designed hole where strategically placed bunkers and trees tested my long game. Every hole here delivers an unforgettable experience.

Post-golf, it was time to explore Tucson’s legendary Mexican cuisine. I started with Carne Seca at Mi Nidito—a

The Global Ambassador is a destination, seamlessly blending modern luxury with Phoenix’s vibrant energy. My wife and I started the day with some shopping at a local outlet before heading to The Wigwam Resort’s signature The Red Course. Playing from the championship tees, I scored a birdie on the par-5 4th, going for the green in two on its well-designed layout.

As I neared the end of my round, the 454-yard par-4 16th tested my momentum. A solid drive left me 170 yards out, but a misstep into the pot bunker beside the green resulted in a bogey. On this hole, though, even a par feels like a win.

For dinner, we headed to Thea, The Global Ambassador’s crown jewel rooftop restaurant. With 360-degree views of Phoenix and a menu that offered one delicious surprise after another, the evening felt like a celebration. We shared dishes like lamb chops, hummus (fittingly named the Goddess of All Dips), and roasted Branzino. Dessert—a Lemon Olive Oil Cake paired with an Espresso Martini— was a sweet finish to a meal that lingered in all the best ways.

This Arizona getaway delivered everything I could have hoped for: world-class golf, extraordinary cuisine, and moments of pure relaxation. Whether you’re traveling solo, with your partner, or with friends, Tucson and Scottsdale have a way of making you feel like you’ve truly escaped. For me, this journey was a reminder that taking time for yourself isn’t just indulgent—it’s essential.

And sometimes, the best memories are made when you let yourself lean into the good life.

Island Vibes

The Grammy-winning musical artist Jon Batiste recently brought his love of jazz to the Bahamas, opening his eponymous club at Nassau’s Baha Mar beach and golf resort. Inspired by iconic Bahamian nightlife venues of the past, such as the Cat and Fiddle Club—a haunt that once attracted the likes of Louis Armstrong and Sammy Davis Jr.—Batiste’s new digs celebrate the Bahamas’ eclectic sound while paying homage to traditional jazz and big band standards. “Music has always been my way of bridging worlds,” says Batiste. “I love that this space will pay tribute to the Caribbean’s storied musical heritage while inviting a whole new generation to discover jazz.”

Jon Batiste’s Jazz Club at Baha Mar

SPRINGTIME SHOWPIECES

Spring motivates us to get out and explore, rekindling our love affair with the joy ride. Coincidentally (or perhaps not), this time of year also ushers in notable collector car events. Here, we look at three that will celebrate excellence in automotive design this season.

The Cut / Short Takes

Ireland’s Adare Manor is sweeter than ever with the debut of Harry Lowe Chocolate. The five-star golf resort’s new on-site confectioner—housed in a restored, Kim Partridge–designed cottage and named for the revered groundskeeper who once lived there—features chocolates poured, shaped, and painted by hand in the culinary and retail space’s open kitchen. Sweets experts, led by the French chocolatier Cedric Rivière, tend to each bonbon and finger, dragée and spread, using first-rate ingredients, including raw chocolate from France and Switzerland.

LA JOLLA CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE

Over the final weekend in April, the seaside village of La Jolla, in San Diego, California, will witness more than 170 vehicles roll into town. This concours event, now in its 19th year, prides itself on being a “celebration of rare and revolutionary automobiles” and features 11 categories that cover more than 70 years of production.

ANANTARA CONCORSO ROMA

If it’s true that all roads lead to Rome, then collectors of historically significant Italian automobiles will be steering their prized possessions to the Anantara Palazzo Naiadi hotel (above) during the final weekend in April. The restored 19th-century marble palace will set the stage for a new event that tells the 115-year story of Italian sports cars.

GREENBRIER CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE

On the first weekend in May at the Greenbrier resort, golfers will be out on the fairways, but about 100 collector cars will take over the lawn. The annual concours has grown steadily in both size and sophistication since it debuted in 2018, and this year the featured class will celebrate Ferrari.

Racer Sharp

New from Tag Heuer is its latest Formula 1 Chronograph, designed to bring the spirit, energy, precision, and performance of Formula 1 motor racing to a timepiece. The robust 44 mm case is titanium-built and waterresistant to a depth of 200 meters, while the dial features luminescent hands and indexes to ensure optimal readability at all speeds.

HARRY LOWE

EXQUISITE TASTE

Tee Off with Tom Doak

Rosewood Cape Kidnappers, in New Zealand, is offering guests an exclusive opportunity to play golf with celebrated course architect Tom Doak. In October (dates to be announced), Doak will host golf course tours, play the spectacular Cape Kidnappers course alongside guests—high atop the cliffs above Hawke’s Bay—and swap stories and ideas over dinner with the select group.

“This is a course fairly ranked among the top 50 in the world,” says the New York–born Doak, “but I’ve found people have difficulty classifying Cape Kidnappers in their own minds, because it’s so different and distinct from anything else.”

The Cut / Short Takes

A WORTHY TOURNAMENT

No doubt, the reason to be part of nonprofit Youth on Course’s annual golf tournament is that it helps young people from all backgrounds gain access to the sport. Those needing any further convincing will find it in the event itself: This year’s Vintage Cup—to be held May 12 in Carmel-bythe-Sea, California—will see golfers out on the Jay Morrish–designed Teháma course, playing against a breathtaking Monterey Bay backdrop. Nearby Bernardus Lodge & Spa, in Carmel Valley, is offering two-night packages for the event.

HALL OF FAME

SWISH AND SWING

The next time you stop in at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, in Springfield, Massachusetts, don’t miss the golf. In addition to more than 40,000 square feet of basketball history, the museum now sports Max’s Swing Lounge, replete with nine Track Man simulators featuring some of the globe’s top courses, St Andrews and Bethpage Black among them. Work up an appetite? Beverages and bites from the Max’s Tavern menu can be enjoyed in the bays while you golf.

CONTRIBUTORS: Robin Barwick, Lori Bryan, and Shaun Tolson

Right Time for Raicilla

Tired of tequila? Meh about mezcal?

Mix it up with this lesser-known agave spirit that’s ripe for discovery.

The history of raicilla (pronounced rye-SEE-yah) is older than Mexico itself.

Some believe it was created during the 17th century in San Sebastián del Oeste, a mining town located 4,800 feet up in the mountains of what today is the state of Jalisco. Others claim raicilla is centuries older and was renamed during the 18th century by producers who were attempting to skirt taxes levied by the Spanish. Long viewed as Mexico’s moonshine, the spirit finally got its due in 2019, when the government granted raicilla Denomination of Origin, or DO, status. In the few years since, the quality of offerings—and the attention they’re getting from spirits enthusiasts and bartenders—has soared.

No 19 / Raicillia

Made from the piñas of agave plants—which are first cooked (typically roasted) in stone ovens, fermented, and finally distilled (usually in clay or copper stills)—raicilla is essentially a type of mezcal. But its aromas and flavors offer a distinct departure from those of the spirit’s better-known Oaxacan cousins.

Characterized mostly by floral and vegetal overtones, raicilla is more aromatic than tequila and lacks the inherent smokiness of most mezcals. Like mezcal, raicilla can be made from dozens of wild and cultivated species of agave, and its flavor profile is largely influenced by terroir. Because of this, some expressions can be wildly funky with savory notes that even resemble blue cheese.

As was the case when mezcal was introduced to American palates, raicilla is gradually finding its way into craft cocktails from top bartenders. Carlos Kennedy-Lopez, the head bartender at Lolita in New York City, uses it as a

rum substitute in a swizzle. “The raicilla has an incredible backbone with citrus and bright fruit notes,” he says. Chance Royce, the bar manager at Seven Spirits in Austin, Texas, finds that most raicillas, given their richness and full-bodied character, work better in boozy, stirred drinks. “A raicilla old-fashioned is heartier and more savory,” says Royce, who also serves a raicilla-based Negroni accented with tamarind. Regardless of how consumers are first tasting raicilla, the category—however small—is growing in popularity. According to Christopher Stevens, director of sales and marketing for spirits importer Craft Distillers, that trend owes to the popularity of agave-based spirits in general. “People are really delving deep into the rabbit hole,” he says. “They’re curious.” —shaun tolson

Above: The piñas of agave plants.

Raicilla is more aromatic than tequila and lacks the inherent smokiness of most mezcals.

1. Las Perlas Raicilla de Costa Conforming to the understanding that raicillas distilled near the coast are drier than their mountainous counterparts, this small-batch spirit delivers an abundance of melon and green pepper flavor up front, which transitions to a mild smokiness. A mineral-like undertone reflects the slow-growing wild agaves used in this raicilla’s production, while the spirit’s softness can be attributed to the unique copper still used, one that incorporates a hollow tree trunk. $96

No 19 / Raicillia

2. Estancia Raicilla Pechuga

A touch sweeter and rounder than the producer’s flagship raicilla, which is crafted from the same mountain-grown Maximiliana agave plant, Estancia’s Raicilla Pechuga is a seasonal release that relies on a third distillation incorporating turkey breast, as well as locally foraged ingredients such as roasted pumpkin seeds, fresh hibiscus, and quince. The resulting flavor profile isn’t so much funky as it is savory and complex. $70

3. La Venenosa Raicilla Sierra del Tigre

Not for the faint of heart, this raicilla expression, one of more than a half dozen crafted by La Venenosa, features a species of agave that natives of Jalisco call Bruto. This spirit is just that—a brute. Distilled in a ceramic still, this wild-agave raicilla delivers bold (and polarizing) aromas and flavors of aged cheese. It’s the ideal raicilla for mezcal enthusiasts who think they’ve tasted it all. $130

GREAT LAKES. GREAT GOLF.

Gallery Go-Tos

We’re gearing up for majors season with these tournamentattendee essentials.

1. True Linkswear customizable hats, $55 (truelinkswear.com). 2. Revo Sterling sunglasses in Shiny Crystal Caramel/Terra, $239 (revo.com). 3. Vessel PrimeX backpack, $265 (vesselgolf .com). 4. Oars + Alps Travel Size Everyday Sunscreen Lotion, $6 (oarsandalps.com). 5. Nikon Stabilized 12x25 S binoculars, $650 (nikon.com). 1 2 3 4

Accessories / Spectator Items

Revolutionary Tee Time

Williamsburg is a premier golf destination, home to dozens of championship courses like the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club, designed by legends of the game. Tee off on courses created by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and his son, Rees Jones, alongside iconic designs from Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. With challenging layouts and pristine fairways set amidst stunning wooded and water views, golfers of all levels will find a course to love. After your round, explore the rich history of Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown, indulge in farm-to-table cuisine, and unwind in one of the many accommodations that range from historic lodgings to modern retreats. Discover the perfect golf getaway where history and the fairways meet.

visitwilliamsburg.com/things-to-do/golf

Golden Horseshoe Golf Club

Following the Grain

Handcrafted

ILeaning on a bar in Oakmont, drinking Hulton lager—brewed under the same roof and named after a famous bridge—we discovered the eye-catching work of a local carpenter.

f you make it to Oakmont, Pennsylvania, this summer, be sure to stop in at the town’s Local Remedy Brewing, on Allegheny Avenue. Opened in January, the microbrewery and taproom embraces all things local. A share of profits supports local causes, artwork on the walls comes from an Oakmont artist, and timber for the bespoke bar tops and tables comes from trees felled in the community.

There are tables made from pin oak and Norway maple, and the bar top is made from sugar maple, milled nearby and handcrafted by local carpenter Steve Orkis.

It turns out that Orkis really is a chip off the old block. A tradition in the Orkis family is to build houses for family members from the ground up. Orkis’s father and grandfather would typically build one new house each year, and so he grew up learning the skills of carpentry and housebuilding. His grandparents started a cabinetry business, too, so puffs of sawdust and the scent of kilndried wood filled his childhood.

“I always wanted to start my own woodworking business, which I did in 2019,” says Orkis, who established Orkis Woodwork. “Business is going great, and I can focus on my niche work of custom cabinetry and custom furniture. I typically have a waiting list of three or four months to start each project, which is a great place to be for a one-man show, and I can keep all my work under my own control.”

Steve Orkis is following a family tradition in cabinetry and custom furniture.

Handcrafted

A recent project was the construction of a 10-foot slab table, made in the style of the furniture and design innovator George Nakashima. Based for much of his life on the other side of Pennsylvania, in the town of New Hope, Nakashima was a Japanese American who became renowned for embracing the natural form of wood, without sawing timber into homogeneous lengths. His works emphasized simplicity, functionality, and respect for raw materials, to the extent that Nakashima preferred not to sign his work. “The work is not about me, it’s about the tree, it’s about nature,” he said.

Adds Orkis, “Nakashima drove a movement in furniture design where the beauty of a tree itself was at the forefront, to make something that was functional and also a piece of art. His style really stands out whenever it is worked correctly.”

Orkis’s table is made from a single slab of black walnut, above a base of laminated walnut, with a minimalist aesthetic to let the wood speak for itself, quite correctly.

“The hand-cut bow ties keep the split from spreading as the table ages,” he explains. “Every time you make furniture in this style, each piece is a one-off. The process is incredibly rewarding, especially knowing that the result is a functional work of art that will be the heart of a beautiful home.”

Here’s raising a glass of Hulton lager to Oakmont’s local brewery, to its trees, to its old (purple) bridge, to the town’s craftspeople, and to Nakashima of New Hope. robin barwick

Nakashima drove a movement in furniture design where the beauty of a tree itself was at the forefront.”

Top: At Local Remedy Brewing, patrons can enjoy Hulton lager while sitting at Orkis’s sugar-maple bar top. Above: The carpenter’s Nakashima-style slab table.

Discover the greatest secrets of the Land of the Pharaohs! The time has come for the legendary Dr. Zahi Hawass to unveil ancient Egyptian mysteries that were lost for millennia.

The real-life Indiana Jones returns to North America to share the latest discoveries, reveal groundbreaking finds drawn from his most recent excavations and make the most thrilling announcements of his remarkable career.

Join Dr. Hawass for a captivating all-new multimedia presentation prepared exclusively for this historic tour. Stay after the lecture for a Q&A session and a book signing.

This event will make history – live on stage – and you won’t want to miss it!

A ROYAL EVENING

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Montreal, QC

New bicycles for every occasion, no matter where you want to go or how you like to roll.

by SHAUN TOLSON

2

BRIGHTON 7-SPEED CRUISER

Machines & Gear / Bicycles

Brooklyn Bicycle Co. earns accolades for its city and commuter bikes, but the 14-year-old company is equally adept at building cruisers. In fact, the design firm’s first foray in that category, the Brighton 7, continues to be a benchmark of the style. Equipped with an external, seven-speed drivetrain, the cruiser boasts a wide gear range, which helps with faster acceleration and hill climbs. It also sports a relaxed frame geometry, wide saddle, and sizable tires—three things that make this beach-and-boardwalk bike one of the most comfortable two-wheelers you’ll ever pedal.

MADONE SLR 9 AXS GEN 8

Trek’s latest generation of the Madone SLR 9 AXS simply conveys speed, and its appearance doubles down on that impact in the striking Lidl-Trek official team paint scheme. Crafted from Trek’s most premium carbon, this road bike’s frame is remarkably light, weighing in at less than 16 pounds (320 grams lighter than the previous iteration). New carbon wheels further reduce weight while elevating the bike’s performance capabilities.

CASCADE ADVENTURE BIKE

If you question the everyday utilitarian nature of Cotic’s latest Cascade adventure bike, consider that the brand’s ambassador and adventure cyclist, Abby Popplestone, rode hers across the entire African continent. The bike’s drop-style handlebars are reminiscent of classic road cycles, while its progressive frame geometry makes for a versatile off-road vehicle—one that handles gradual trails and unpaved roads with greater efficiency than a high-suspension mountain ride or a fat-tired gravel bike. Best of all, the Cascade is outfitted with a slew of mounting points, allowing it to tote all the gear you’ll need for that next adventure.

WOO

It stands to reason that a bike company headquartered in the Pacific Northwest would crush a category that emphasizes easy mobility across soft and unstable terrain, be it snow or mud. Hence, the Woo, crafted by Kona Bicycles, is a fat-tire specimen that knows no equal. Outfitted with almost five-inch-wide tires, frame geometry derived from the brand’s first hardtail mountain bike, a 12-speed drivetrain, über-strong hydraulic brakes, and a curb weight of just 33 pounds, the Woo is aptly suited for any bike-packing expedition. After all, what do you think all those cage mounts are for?

TRACKER CLASSIC

Powered by a 48-volt battery with a 75-mile range, the Tracker Classic by Vintage Electric can silently whisk riders forward at speeds greater than 25 mph—a velocity it reached even when tested up San Francisco’s steep city streets. Still, this e-bike’s greatest appeal has less to do with its performance and more to do with its sense of style. The chassis is inspired by the Harley-Davidsons, Indians, and Flying Merkels that prowled the streets during the early 20th century, but unlike those vintage motorcycles, the Tracker Classic enables riders to seamlessly toggle between pedal assist and fullthrottle operation.

Scottsdale

Whether for wellness or golf, the West’s Most Western Town is sublime in the spring.

by SHAUN TOLSON

Golf Getaway

With over 1,200 golf holes spread across more than 50 courses, Scottsdale is a golfing utopia—especially during the desert city’s always agreeable spring season. The many choices in the 184-square-mile enclave outside of Phoenix can be overwhelming, but the ideal golf getaway begins with a check-in at the Arizona Biltmore.

Weekender / Scottsdale

Staying at the Biltmore opens up playing opportunities at both of the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club’s courses, including its newest offering, the 6,669-yard Estates Course. Designed by Tom Lehman, the course will recalibrate your assumptions about desert golf. The vast majority of its almost 100 acres are grassed, presenting plenty of opportunities for creative shotmaking. “You only have a forced carry when you choose to have one,” Lehman says.

Elsewhere, the Jay Morrish–designed South Course at the Boulders Club takes players through the cacti and right alongside imposing—and captivating—rock formations, yet its quick-rolling greens demand the utmost attention. Less than 20 minutes to the south, Troon North Golf Club offers two championship-caliber courses (both designed by Morrish and the late Tom Weiskopf), which notably feature bentgrass greens and include a forecaddie service during the high season. “We’re so fortunate to have two spectacular courses, but they’re not the easiest to play,” says general manager Brian Thorne. “Our forecaddies add to the experience.”

Stay

Christened the Jewel of the Desert, the Arizona Biltmore was once a by-invitation-only oasis that attracted Hollywood stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable. Today, the 705-room resort boasts a block-style architecture inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and a club-like ambience that recalls the Rat Pack. (Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin reportedly staged regular, impromptu performances at the lobby bar.)

Helmed by the James Beard Award winner Chris Bianco, Pizzeria Bianco: Town & Country specializes in artisan, wood-fired pizzas, but don’t sleep on Francesca’s meatball sandwich during lunchtime hours or the Two Wash Ranch chicken cacciatore at dinner.

Do

The more than 230 miles of shared-use trails that traverse the McDowell Sonoran Preserve immerse hikers and mountain bikers in the natural beauty of the Sonoran Desert. The trails are a great way to explore an environment you’re otherwise trying to avoid when you’ve got your clubs in tow.

The Boulders South Course

Arizona Biltmore

Eat

Wellness Retreat

Desert environments have long been celebrated for their restorative and rejuvenating powers—a reputation that is apparently not lost on Scottsdale: The metropolitan area is home to more than 50 wellness resorts and day spas.

Leading the way is the 14-treatment-room destination spa at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale, where all-day packages include blissful hours spent by the pool in a private cabana, as well as body treatments fortified with scrubs and herbal-infused oils boosted by locally sourced prickly pear and sage. As Cathy Fiordelisi, the spa’s lead aesthetician, proclaims, “The Sonoran Desert is incredibly lush and rich with healing natural botanicals.”

Elsewhere, the spa at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain, a Gurney’s Resorts property, emphasizes Asian rituals and practices, such as Reiki, aquatic Watsu massages, and acupuncture. At the Phoenician, the spa offers a comprehensive menu of body treatments and beauty services, as well as access to a rooftop pool.

Stay

Set just a half mile from Pinnacle Peak and the nature area’s hiking trails, Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale serves as an ideal basecamp for those seeking outdoor adventure. However, the property’s luxuriously appointed poolside cabanas, casitas outfitted with patio firepits, and suites boasting plunge pools and alfresco garden showers make it an equally attractive abode for those just looking for some R & R.

Eat

Offering a five-course seasonal tasting menu, Scottsdale’s Atlas Bistro hangs its proverbial chef’s toque on ingredients that are local, organic, freerange, wild-caught, and hand-foraged. The dishes served by Barbadian chef Jabari Corbin are eclectic and thought-provoking. The restaurant is also BYOB (or purchase from the adjacent Atlas Wine Shop), which may make it easier for those on a wellness trip to avoid the temptation of alcohol.

Do

Weekender / Scottsdale

Described by Frank Lloyd Wright as “a look over the rim of the world,” Taliesin West, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Historic Landmark, served as the architect’s winter home and desert laboratory for more than two decades. Self-guided audio tours bring guests through Wright’s living spaces and studio areas, while other tours offer glimpses behind the scenes or treks into the desert to learn about the architect’s philosophy of learning by doing.

Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale

Courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

Photo: Andrew Pielage

Located deep within the rocky, forested terrain of the Missouri Ozark Mountains, Big Cedar Lodge is a remote haven of natural beauty that brings conservation to life.

Explore nature-based inspired accommodations and breathtaking views along five award-winning, Audubon-International certified, nature golf courses. Connect with family and friends by connecting to the Great Outdoors.

Welcome to Nature Golf at Big Cedar Lodge.

Stories from the Sandbelt

When my husband and I were working the Dunhill Championship in St Andrews, we walked down 18 of the Old Course to take the obligatory Swilcan Bridge photo. Major champion Geoff Ogilvy and his soon-to-be bride, Bree Laughlin, were also waiting their turn among the golf lovers (who likely didn’t realize a former World No. 3, eight-time PGA Tour winner was at arm’s length). We ended up snapping each other’s pictures, and it was the beginning of a friendship with my long lost “Laughlin sister.” Fast forward a couple of years, and the Ogilvy Foundation invited me to Geoff and Bree’s part of the world, Melbourne, Australia, for the annual Sandbelt Invitational, a unique event focused on mentorship and fostering the next generation of golf talent. Pros and amateurs compete in the event across four iconic Sandbelt golf courses—four of the best courses in the world, I might add.

The mark that those early people left has set Melbourne up for a great golf culture.”

—GEOFF OGILVY

GOLF ROYALTY

Alexandria

I had a few days before the tournament to explore Melbourne’s restaurants, art, shopping, wineries, and, of course, golf. Two holes into my first round of the trip, at Peninsula Kingswood, I was sending texts about how epic the golf was. The next day was Royal Melbourne, a 1926 Alister MacKenzie masterpiece. “We’re very fortunate that in the early days in Melbourne, some really wise people came through town, Alister MacKenzie included,” Ogilvy told me. “The mark that those early people left has set Melbourne up for a great golf culture.”

I didn’t expect Ogilvy, a Royal Melbourne member, to be as in awe of the course as I was, but throughout the round, he would look around, take it all in, and say, “It’s so good, isn’t it?”

Ogilvy grew up learning the game at a nearby muni and caddying at Royal Melbourne. It was here that he fell in love with course architecture and was inspired to pursue a career in golf. He was a spectator at the professional events that came through, watching the greats like Nicklaus and Watson. Today, he lives along the 14th hole of Royal Melbourne’s West Course and is proud to feature his home club in his foundation’s annual benefit tournament.

AUSSIE AMATEURS

“We invite the best Australian pros and use the golf community to find the best junior players,” Ogilvy said of the tournament. “It might not necessarily be the highest ranking, but the most enthusiastic about golf as a career and the ones who can benefit the most from playing with experienced players on courses like this.”

For these high-golf-IQ players, it was truly an honor to be invited and to compete across Commonwealth, Yarra Yarra, Woodlands, and the West Course at Royal Melbourne. Ogilvy cited one participant in particular, calling her “one of Australia’s most promising young talents.” Her name is Amelia Harris, a 16-year-old who was confident and all smiles as I overheard her telling her playing partner, DP World Tour player David Micheluzzi, that she would continue trying to outdrive him over the coming days. Harris recently made a verbal commitment to play golf at the University of South Carolina. “Over the years, it’s become pretty apparent, on both the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour, that the most seasoned, ready golfers come out of the U.S. college golf system,” Ogilvy said. Harris certainly seemed ready for the next stage of her career, as she went on to win the Sandbelt Invitational’s amateur title.

PHOTO FINISH

I spent my final evening as a guest at the Ogilvy household, with Geoff’s three children in attendance. We passed around Thai food, celebrated a successful week, had serious discussions and lighthearted banter, swapping golf stories from over the years. After saying my goodbyes, I glimpsed the photo I took of Geoff and Bree on the Swilcan Bridge—a beautiful reminder that golf can turn strangers into friends, take you all over the world, and create lifelong memories.

Contributing editor Alexandra O’Laughlin is a golf correspondent and media personality.

THE PUZZLE MASTER

Renowned designer Tom Fazio on Palmer, the process, and what it takes to piece together a masterpiece.

Your family first had contact with Arnold Palmer when your uncle, George Fazio, gave a hitchhiking Palmer a lift to Wake Forest, where Palmer was at school. Did George introduce you two? Yes, back in the early sixties, and it was great for me to get to know Arnold over the decades. We were both from Pennsylvania, so there was a lot of common ground. Arnold always remembered how kind my uncle had been to him.

Did you ever collaborate with him on a golf course design?

How would you describe your design philosophy?

Well, put it this way, I am not interested in having a style. I start every project as a new thought, like writing a new book. The only limitations you have are the ones that come from your brain. If you think outside of the box, you can create distinctive, one-of-a-kind golf courses. When you break it down, it is very basic: there are 18 pieces to a puzzle. The pieces come in all different sizes, and we create a puzzle with every golf course.

Full Round / Tom Fazio

No, you could call us competitors. I enjoyed the thought that while I could not compete with Arnold in terms of playing golf, it was fun to be on a level with great names like Arnold’s in terms of course design.

Was it George who got you into the course-design business?

Yes, I grew up near Valley Forge, in a little town called Norristown. George owned and operated a club nearby called Flourtown, which had a little nine-hole course. That is where I grew up playing golf, and that’s where we started as a business. It was great at Flourtown, because when we weren’t busy, we would just head down the stairs and play golf!

Our early contracts were to “design and build”—that is how you got a job, and that is how you could begin to build recognition. I was young, and I was the implementer, while George was the designer. I learned the business from George, and we learned together as we went along.

The first golf course construction that I was in charge of was in nearby Paoli, called Waynesborough Country Club, in the mid-sixties. George leased the land, and we built the golf course, and then he sold it.

Were the sixties good years for working in golf development?

The golf industry was pretty low down after the war, for quite a while. There was a major boom in golf development from 1970 until 1974, when over 300 golf courses a year were being built in the United States. This was the start of the planned, residential golf communities that are so widespread today, and it really started at Hilton Head Island, which set a new model for golf development.

Augusta National has consulted you on course design. How is the golf course recovering from September’s Hurricane Helene?

That whole region, including Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, endured a lot of tree damage. It was awful for the people who lost their homes, but when it comes to repairing land, it is coming back very well. The fallen trees get removed, ground gets repaired and regrassed, and things can get back to normal pretty quickly.

You’ve been working on restoring the Patch at Augusta Municipal. How is that going?

The property needs some tender loving care in terms of conditioning, and we are going to adjust the elevations of the land and introduce underground infrastructure and give the golf course the qualities you would expect from our premier venues. The work will enable the course to sustain droughts or wet spells, and the turf is going to be replaced with the finest Bermuda grasses. The Patch is going to be a model of what can be achieved with municipal courses and how they can be presented.

What else is keeping you busy?

At Atlantic Fields in Florida, the entire golf course is built, the grass is growing in, and we are going to have a spring opening. The golf course is on a large piece of property—1,500 acres, with a 110-acre lake, which is one of the design features. It has evolved from a big, excavated hole in the ground into a pristine golf course, with 30,000 trees planted around it. It is an environmental masterpiece, and I go there almost every day. robin barwick

I am not interested in having a style. I start every project as a new thought.

Opposite: Tom Fazio (left) with his uncle George. This page: North Carolina’s Quail Hollow, a Fazio redesign.

MADE IN LATROBE

• The famous Rolling Rock beer was founded at the Latrobe Brewery, before being purchased by Anheuser-Busch in 2006.

• Saint Vincent College in Latrobe has been home to the Pittsburgh Steelers preseason training camp since 1966.

• A Celebration for Arnold Palmer was held in the Saint Vincent Basilica on October 4, 2016. Speakers included Jack Nicklaus and broadcaster Jim Nantz, and members of the winning 2016 U.S. Ryder Cup team brought the trophy.

• The banana split was invented in Latrobe in 1904 by David Strickler of Strickler’s Drug Store.

• Like Arnold Palmer, TV personality Fred Rogers was born and raised in Latrobe, and both were students at Latrobe High School.

• Arnold Palmer Regional Airport is just a four-minute drive from Latrobe Country Club, which was perfectly convenient for an enthusiastic pilot and plane owner like Palmer.

Lessons

learned from Kingdom co-founder Arnold Palmer

No Place Like Home

LLAK

Arnold Palmer could have lived anywhere he wished, yet he never severed his connection to his humble hometown.

Arnold Palmer described Latrobe, Pennsylvania, as “the home that’s in my heart.”

Latrobe is a small town, 40 miles east of Pittsburgh, hidden amid the wooded Laurel Highlands that form part of the Appalachian Mountains. It is where Palmer was born and where he grew up, by the golf course at Latrobe Country Club.

Palmer’s father, Deacon, was part of the team that built the original nine holes at Latrobe in 1921, and he would eventually become course superintendent. When Deacon led the construction of a second nine in the fall of 1963, Arnold took a break from his tour career to help build the new holes.

“What’s home?” wrote Palmer in his last book, A Life Well Played. “Home is the place you return to after losing the 1966 U.S. Open in devastating fashion and feel the love of your friends and neighbors. I

attended a country club dance the week after losing that playoff to Bill Casper, and the members treated me as if I had won.”

Deacon poured his heart and soul into Latrobe CC, and so did his son, eventually buying the club outright, in 1971 (against the advice of his father). For the rest of Arnold’s life, he spent summers based at Latrobe, winters at Bay Hill in Florida.

It was the Irish novelist George Moore who wrote, “A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.” And while not everyone has a hometown connection as strong as Palmer’s, a hometown, for better or worse, helps shape us.

“We all have to recognize where we are from,” Palmer added. “It’s a big part of who we are. Wherever that is, it’s important to embrace it . . . go forward with your life recognizing that it’s been integral to who you have become.” —robin barwick

Latrobe Country Club, 10th hole

America’s Favorite Island®.

From the great outdoors to the fresh flavors of the Lowcountry, Hilton Head Island has something for everyone.

HiltonHeadIsland.org

Boat to Table

Sourcing locally is key to Hilton Head Island’s sustainability— and to the fresh flavors of its famed Lowcountry cuisine.

Andrew Carmines wants people to know where their food comes from. Growing up, Carmines worked around the shrimp boats that supplied his parents’ restaurant, Hudson Seafood House on the Docks, the oldest on the island. “We had 25 or 30 boats that would come and go, and we’d chip ice into the holds and head the shrimp,” Carmines recalls. “Even way back then, I thought it was really cool that we were bringing shrimp off the boats and serving it to customers in the restaurant.”

Hilton Head Island

When Carmines took the helm of Hudson’s in 2006, things had changed. “Imports had flooded the market and driven the price of shrimp way down,” he says. “My parents were buying some shrimp from the shrimp boats, but only if it was really convenient.” The first order of business, says Carmines, was to mend fences with the different boats and start sourcing locally as much as possible. After that, he and his team built a seawater hold at their dock and began shedding out softshell crabs on site. “People saw the softshell crabs, and they just sort of flipped,” Carmines says. “We were watching those crabs 24 hours a day. People got to see what that kind of dedication looks like.”

Oysters came next. Carmines learned everything he could about oyster farming and secured permits to put grow cages in nutrient-rich Port Royal Sound, a 12-minute boat ride from Hudson’s. Today, Shell Ring Oyster Company harvests upwards of 850,000 oysters each season. Soon, visitors will be able to get out onto the water to tour the farm and slurp Carmines’ briny bivalves, freshly shucked.

“People want a relationship with their food,” Carmines says. “Plucking an oyster out of the water and eating it? If I can give people that opportunity, that’s an experience they’re going to cherish for a very long time.”

Pro Tip

“Definitely go out throwing the cast net for shrimp. My cousin has a company called May River Excursions, and he takes people out to do that. Then come to Hudson’s for the sunset.”

—Andrew

Carmines

Photo Courtesy of The Sea Pines Resort

Great Outdoors

Biking, boating, beachcombing, tennis, golf—the options are endless on Hilton Head Island.

Hilton Head Island

Pro Tip

“Get some friends together and take a golf clinic before grabbing bikes and heading to Quarterdeck, right next to the iconic Harbour Town lighthouse, for lunch.”

—John Farrell

As director of sports operations at The Sea Pines Resort, John Farrell knows a thing or two about being active on Hilton Head Island. “I always say that when you get here, take the batteries out of your remote control,” Farrell says. “There’s so much to do outdoors on this island, and it’s all right at your fingertips.”

Whether that means going for an early morning run on the beach, biking the island’s 60-plus miles of paved trails, kayaking its serene Lowcountry waterways, or improving your doubles game at The Sea Pines Racquet Club, the outdoor opportunities are endless on Hilton Head Island. “There’s really nothing missing,” Farrell continues. “If you do it right, you’re going to go home tired. But it’s a great tired, because it’s all really healthy.”

Hilton Head Island is probably best known for having more than 20 championship golf courses, many of which open to the public, including Oyster Reef, Palmetto Dunes, and Sea Pines’ iconic Harbour Town Golf Links and Heron Point by Pete Dye. “We have a very comprehensive, very full-circle golf experience here,” Farrell says. “We have play for beginners who don’t even know which end of the club to hold, and we host the signature RBC Heritage event on the PGA Tour for the best players in the world. We’ve gone to great lengths to make sure we have a place to play for all ability levels, from families to collegiate players to new players that want to learn and develop skills for a lifetime.”

5

Looking ahead to the four greatest tournaments in golf— the venues, the contenders, and the rising stars who represent the next generation of elite golfers.

P64 THE SCHEFFLER SHUFFLE

Who will challenge the undisputed frontrunner at the Big 4?

P72 BATTLE FOR THE AGES

The home crowd did not get the result it expected in 1962.

P70 ONES TO WATCH

Ten young golfers who are bursting with potential.

P76

GOING FOR THE BLACK & GOLD

We visit the Steel City as it prepares to host the U.S. Open.

SHUFFLE THE

SCHEFFLER

Scottie Scheffler has won the Masters twice in the past three years.

As they migrate from the early season to the majors, most players at the top of the world game are trying to match the standard of a singular golfer who’s on a path to a historic level of domination.

by ROBIN BARWICK

We can all learn from the example set by Scottie Scheffler: Seek improvement in whatever you do; keep life as simple as you can; never roll fresh ravioli over a wine glass.

This will haunt Scheffler for a while. For the Masters at Augusta National, the reigning champ will set the menu for the famous Tuesday night Champions Dinner, and he won’t be able to escape questions about serving homemade ravioli. That calm temperament—such an asset in competition—will be sorely tested.

Scheffler sometimes takes a few weeks of the season to warm into his best golf. He tends to show momentum during the Florida swing, so it will be interesting to see if his delayed start to the 2025 PGA Tour season—due to puncturing his right hand at Christmas, when a wine glass broke while he was using it to roll fresh ravioli—will postpone the arrival of Scheffler’s major-winning form.

Majors / Preview

Not likely. Scheffler has become so consistent that it’s hard to bet against him. He won seven times on the PGA Tour in 2024, and the last guy to win seven in one season was Tiger Woods. From 21 total starts in 2024, Scheffler won nine times, was runner-up twice, accumulated 18 top 10s, and didn’t miss a cut.

“When I look back at last year, it was a lot of fun,” Scheffler said in February. “But now it’s in the rearview mirror, and I can’t sit and rest on the accomplishments in the past. Being out here and competing is one of the great joys in my life. It’s so much fun. Winning tournaments is even more fun. Once you get a little taste of it, you just want more.”

THE MASTERS

Augusta National Golf Club April 10 to 13

A 13-time PGA Tour winner (at press time), Scottie Scheffler—Olympic gold medalist and World No. 1—hopes to become only the second golfer to claim the Masters title three times in four years. Eight other players have won at least three Masters, but only Jack Nicklaus took three out of four. Nicklaus won six times total, earning his first three in 1963, 1965, and 1966.

If Scheffler’s putts can drop, he can emulate the Golden Bear. Missed short ones have been his weakness, and although he is sticking with a conventional putting grip on long putts—which remain excellent—Scheffler adopted a

COCKTAIL IN BLOOM

For one week in early April, as the world’s top golfers gather for the year’s first major championship, one libation makes its annual appearance at Augusta National Golf Club: the Azalea. Several unofficial recipes for the cocktail call for lemon juice or pineapple juice or both. The real deal features neither, relying instead on a generous measure of lemonade.

Augusta’s Azalea recipe may not specify a brand of vodka, but in our opinion, Ketel One is the appropriate choice. The Dutch brand was Arnold Palmer’s favorite, and it was the King who, in 1958, used a persimmon 3-wood to hit a piercing, 250-yard shot onto the green of Augusta’s par-5 13th hole (also named Azalea). It was a bold play that helped Palmer earn his first green jacket, and a shot that’s most certainly worthy of a glass raised in salute.

THE AZALEA

Courtesy of the Masters Tournament

Majors / Preview

claw grip for attempts nearer the hole over the winter.

“I’m always looking for little ways to improve,” he said. “There are some benefits for me with how the new grip works. I have a better feel for the speed on long putts with my old grip, and my touch from long range has always been pretty good, and that is something I wouldn’t want to change.”

The Masters will be the first opportunity of the year for a handful of renegades to return from LIV obscurity, including seven former champs. Spain’s Jon Rahm is among them, having won the 2023 Masters before moving to LIV eight months later. Rahm endured a miserable return to Augusta in 2024, finishing tied for 45th, and now, with a world ranking outside the top 50 (54th at the time of writing), the 30-year-old is hoping to be a more prominent talisman on the famous white leaderboards of Augusta National this year.

Scheffler’s closest challenger in 2024 was completely unexpected: Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg, in his first-ever major start, showed remarkable composure right down to the wire. It was only when Scheffler played the final six holes in threeunder-par that he shook off the young pretender. Still only 25, Åberg has already won on the PGA Tour this year, at the Genesis Invitational in February, and by a long par 5, he is the leading player yet to win a major title.

INGREDIENTS

• 1¼ oz. Ketel

One Vodka

• 5 oz. Lemonade

• ½ oz. Grenadine

• Orange slice and a cherry for garnish

PREPARATION

Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin, add ice, and shake vigorously. Free pour into a highball glass (or strain into a highball over fresh ice). Garnish with an orange slice and cherry.

Scheffler and caddie Ted Scott celebrate Masters victory in 2022.

Majors / Preview

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Quail Hollow Club May 15 to 18

Once a modern classic, Quail Hollow, in Charlotte, North Carolina, is now 64 years old and blooming in middle age.

The original George Cobb golf course from 1961 beautifully captured the varied terrain of the rolling Piedmont region. Arnold Palmer modified several holes in 1986, before Tom Fazio reshaped the course for the 21st century with extensive works in 1997 and 2003.

A frequent venue on the PGA Tour, Quail Hollow is well known for its final three holes, which are often referred to as the “Green Mile”—and may just be the toughest closing set on tour. The course has a habit of producing great ball-striking champions: Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy (twice), and Rickie Fowler have all lifted trophies here, and another titleholder, Justin Thomas, won the last PGA

Championship at Quail Hollow, in 2017.

Thomas’s grandfather, Paul Thomas, played on tour and had a spot in the 1962 U.S. Open at Oakmont. He had a down-home philosophy that may resonate with those in pursuit of the Wanamaker Trophy in 2025. The best advice Thomas says he ever received from his grandfather: “Some days it’s chicken, some days it’s feathers.”

So, who will be eating chicken at Quail Hollow? McIlroy could be hard to beat here, but keep an eye on Viktor Hovland. The Norwegian was winless last year, although he finished third in the PGA Championship at Valhalla, and he tied for second at Oak Hill the year before. He is a man for the big occasion, on big tournament golf courses like Quail Hollow.

The PGA Championship returns to Quail Hollow, one of America’s great major venues.

Majors / Preview

U.S. OPEN

Oakmont Country Club

June 12 to 15

Oakmont will become the first golf club to host the U.S. Open 10 times, bringing the Pittsburgh club peerless cachet. It has a habit of crowning high-class champions, from Ben Hogan in 1953 and Jack Nicklaus in 1962, to Johnny Miller in 1973 and Dustin Johnson the last time around, in 2016.

Miller posted one of the great winning rounds of golf in ’73, a Sunday 63, to set a U.S. Open scoring record at the time. To shoot this at Oakmont was unthinkable.

The renowned venue was the only course-design project ever undertaken by its founder, Henry Clay Fownes. A good amateur player, Fownes wanted to create a tough golf course, and he hired a crew of 150 men to build it to his specifications. Firm, open, and linksy, the course opened in 1904, and the plan worked. The USGA would come to cherish the course, as it provided the stern test that the organization wanted for the world’s best players.

Rocco Mediate, from nearby Greensburg, has played Oakmont several times, and when Arnold Palmer participated in his final U.S. Open at the club, in 1994, the USGA invited

Mediate to play with his mentor. “To play well at Oakmont, you have to drive straight,” says Mediate, “because if you are out of position, those greens are so evil that you are dead. There is no recovery. But that is why I love the U.S. Open: It tests every part of the game, and it looks into your soul.”

In February, the USGA searched its own soul and emerged as the sport’s peace-loving dove, as the first operator of a major to give direct exemption to LIV golfers. The USGA states that LIV’s top-ranked golfer who is not already exempt will receive a U.S. Open place, marking the first time a governing body outside of LIV has officially acknowledged that the LIV ranking is meritorious. Poland’s Adrian Meronk—the only Pole ever to win on the European Tour, back in 2022—is first in line for this spot, at the time of writing, having won the LIV season opener in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in February. Spain’s David Puig is next in line, with a pair of top-10 finishes to start the season, and it would be illuminating to see how these golfers would fare in a truly world-class field.

Photo: USGA

The Church Pews bunker at Oakmont, between the third and fourth fairways, is more than 300 feet long.

THE OPEN

Royal Portrush

July 17 to 20

The Open first arrived on the shores of Northern Ireland, at Royal Portrush, in 1951. It was the 80th Open but the first time the R&A took its flagship championship beyond the borders of Scotland and England. England’s Max Faulkner took home the Claret Jug that year, but the locals flocked around a challenger who was one of their own, Fred Daly, who finished in a tie for fourth.

Daly grew up in Portrush and got into the game like so many others back then, as a childhood caddie, because that was by far the best way in town for a kid to earn a few coins. A few years later, as an aspiring professional, Daly again turned to the club for labor, when he joined the crew to implement design changes prescribed by Harry Colt, in 1932. Portrush was established in 1888, but it was this Colt

redesign that gave the club the championship caliber the members desired. Reporting on the 1951 Open, the renowned golf correspondent Bernard Darwin wrote, “Mr. H. S. Colt has built himself a monument more enduring than brass.”

Darwin was right, as usual, although Portrush did not host the Open again until 2019, when southern Irelander Shane Lowry attracted massive crowds to the north on his way to victory in a magnificent return for Portrush as an Open stage.

Look out for Rory McIlroy this time around. He was bitterly disappointed by a missed cut at Portrush in 2019—just 60 miles from his hometown of Holywood, near Belfast—and he loves this golf course. Back in 2005, aged 16, he broke the course record by three shots with a round of 61 to win the North of Ireland Amateur Open.

The par-5 seventh hole at Royal Portrush.

ONES TO WATCH

Ten

young golfers who are poised to shine in 2025.

by ROBIN BARWICK

THE BREEDING GROUNDS for elite golfers continue to expand, with countries from all corners of the globe contributing top young talent to the professional tours. Hailing from Japan, Denmark, Spain, and beyond, these 10 up-and-comers are poised to join the ranks of the game’s contenders in 2025.

Majors / Ones to Watch

SAKI BABA

It is hard to believe what Baba has already achieved by the age of 19. After securing the U.S. Women’s Amateur title in 2022, the Tokyo-born golfer turned pro in 2023. Following a strong season on the Epson Tour in 2024 (16 cuts made from 18 starts), she has now qualified for the LPGA Tour.

LUKE CLANTON

Clanton is a junior at Florida State and World Amateur No. 1, yet much speculation points to him turning pro ahead of his senior year, in 2025, via the PGA Tour’s University Accelerated program. Clanton finished runner-up on the PGA Tour twice last year, and (at the time of writing) he is the only amateur already ranked within the Official World Golf Ranking’s top 100.

TAKUMI KANAYA

Japan’s Kanaya, 26, secured his first PGA Tour card via Q-School in December. Once the world’s top-ranked amateur, he has won seven times on the Japan Golf Tour and led its 2024 money list.

RASMUS HØJGAARD

Denmark’s Højgaard, 23, is the twin brother of PGA Tour golfer Nicolai Højgaard. Rasmus has already won five times on the DP World Tour, and he finished second in its 2024 Race to Dubai ranking. For the first time, both of the identical twins now have PGA Tour cards. Good luck to TV announcers dealing with that.

MATTHEW RIEDEL

Riedel graduated from Vanderbilt in 2024, where he was runner-up in the SEC individual championship. The 24-year-old from Houston turned pro in June and was hit-and-miss on the Korn Ferry Tour for four months. But he relocated his A game when it mattered most, at PGA Tour Q-School, where he finished fourth to secure his tour card.

AMARI AVERY

Watch out for Avery on the Epson Tour in 2025. The 20-year-old was California Women’s Amateur champ in 2019 and represented the United States on a winning Curtis Cup team in 2022. She turned pro last summer, having graduated from USC, and so this year is her first full season on tour.

NEAL SHIPLEY

Only the phenom Nick Dunlap came between Shipley and the 2023 U.S. Amateur title at Cherry Hills. No matter, Pittsburgh’s Shipley secured low-amateur honors at both the Masters and the U.S. Open in 2024. Aged 23 and now professional, he should be seen on the PGA Tour sooner rather than later.

LOTTIE WOAD

England’s Woad turned 21 in January as World Amateur No. 1. The Florida State junior won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur last April, before finishing low amateur at the Women’s Open at St Andrews. Exciting times on tour are no doubt in Woad’s near future.

BLADES BROWN

Nashville’s Brown, who will celebrate his 18th birthday in May, turned pro late last year, after skipping college altogether. How special is Brown? In 2023, he broke Bobby Jones’s 103-year-old record to become the youngest golfer to earn stroke-play-medalist honors at the U.S. Amateur. That’s right— not even Tiger did that.

JULIA LOPEZ RAMIREZ

Lopez Ramirez, from Spain, turned 22 in February, just two months after turning pro. The 2023 European Amateur champion starred at Mississippi State, where she was Southeastern Conference individual champ in 2023 and 2024. She is now an LPGA rookie.

The U.S. Open returns for the 10th time to Oakmont, in the Pittsburgh suburbs, this June. A classic majors venue beloved by the USGA—and dreaded by many players—Oakmont staged a U.S. Open that signaled the start of a new era in 1962. Robin Barwick looks back.

Battle for

Majors / 1962 US Open

Arnold Palmer could have, should have, won the 1962 U.S. Open at Oakmont CC. Virtually every single person who bore witness—on a golf course not 40 miles from where Palmer grew up in Latrobe, Pennsylvania—was rooting for the local hero, the best golfer in the world at the time. But he let his final-round lead slip, a young rookie named Jack Nicklaus marched on undeterred, and the King was left with one of the greatest regrets of his playing career.

Palmer opened up about the 1962 Open in one of his final interviews with Kingdom magazine, in the spring of 2016, ahead of the last U.S. Open at Oakmont, that summer. “My recollections are so vivid,” started Palmer, aged 86 at the time, and who passed away later that year. “I can feel the heat, the sweat on my brow, I can hear the calls of ‘Go get ’em, Arnie!’ during that playoff at Oakmont—when a rookie Jack Nicklaus ultimately outplayed me. I can still hear the eerie quiet as the Western Pennsylvania crowds shared in that suffering loss.

“A lot of people say life is too short for regrets. I hear it all the time, and part of me agrees,” Palmer continued. “You

With Jack Nicklaus walking alongside, Arnold Palmer (center left) faces playoff defeat in the 1962 U.S. Open.

the Ages

have to look forward and appreciate the people close to you, but I have to admit, it is one great regret of my playing career that I didn’t win a U.S. Open at Oakmont. I am not going to deny it. I first played the course as a boy with my father and have always had the greatest respect, admiration, and affection for that golf course and the whole club.

“I don’t dwell on disappointments, but Oakmont is one that stuck.”

Back in 1960, Nicklaus came close to winning the U.S. Open, at Cherry Hills CC in Denver, as an amateur. He could have won were it not for what might have been the most famous 18 holes of Palmer’s career, when he shot 65, six under par, in the final round to claim the national title—having been eight shots back with 18 holes to go. Nicklaus shot 71 to finish runner-up, two shots back.

The U.S. Amateur champion of 1959 and 1961, Ohio State star Nicklaus turned pro in 1961 and played out his rookie season on tour in 1962. That his first win came in one of the most difficult golf assignments imaginable says a lot about the man who would ultimately win a record 18 major titles.

Not only did Nicklaus have to block out the noise of the vociferous Pittsburgh crowd and beat the local hero, but he won his first professional title on one of the world’s toughest golf courses. They say that winning at Oakmont is more about survival than it is about shots. Who will be the last man standing? The Greeks named Hades the god of the underworld and the king of the dead, and Oakmont became known as the “Hades of Hulton Road.”

Majors /

1962 US Open

Straddling the Allegheny River valley and the Pennsylvania Turnpike—which cuts the golf course into two almost equal halves—Oakmont has very few trees, yet this apparent leniency is balanced by more than 200 sand traps, many perilously deep, and by narrow fairways and lightning-fast, undulating greens.

When a club golfer once asked Palmer for advice on how to tackle Oakmont, he replied, “Well, I suggest you start by playing someplace else.”

The 1962 battle at Oakmont—the fourth U.S. Open to have been held at the club—was a clash between two power hitters, but the result boiled down to putting. Palmer three-putted 10 times, Nicklaus only once.

In the final round, Palmer led by three shots coming to the ninth, an uphill, 480-yard par 5. Instead of playing for birdie, the reigning Masters champ wanted an eagle, and he just missed the green with his second shot, flubbed his first chip, left his second eight feet short, and bogeyed. Betrayed by his bold, attacking instincts, Palmer closed with a par 71, Nicklaus a 69.

After four rounds, the pair had tied at 283, one under par. Palmer turned to the gallery and called, “Are there any good putters in the crowd?” Cue nervous laughter.

Nicklaus won the 18-hole playoff on the fifth day, 71 to 74. He was the youngest U.S. Open champ, at 22, since Bobby Jones in 1923, and he was the first player since Jones in 1930 to hold the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open titles simultaneously.

“I’ll tell you something,” came Palmer’s portentous and oft-repeated words after Nicklaus had won, “now that the big guy is out of the cage, everybody better run for cover.”

Enthused Nicklaus, “This was the best I’ve ever played for anything.”

On the emergence of Nicklaus, Palmer would later

crowds flocked to Oakmont to support their local hero, Palmer, but they were muted by a dominant playoff performance from

Huge

Nicklaus. (Photos: USGA Photo Collection)

Jack needed me to serve as the high standard he was aiming for. If he could beat me, which he ultimately did, he could beat anybody.”

write: “I needed Jack to remind me what my Pap had warned me from the beginning—there was always going to be some talented young guy out there who could beat you 10 ways to Sunday, so you’d better never let your guard down. I think Jack needed me to serve as the high standard he was aiming for. If he could beat me, which he ultimately did, he could beat anybody and become the greatest player in the game.”

Palmer remained a true force after Oakmont, winning two more major titles at the 1962 Open and at the 1964 Masters, but the U.S. Open marked a generational shift. Palmer’s game was still the most exciting to watch, and he was still the fans’ favorite wherever he went, but no longer was he the man to beat.

GOING FOR THE BLACK & GOLD

Ahead of the U.S. Open at Oakmont, Robin Barwick traveled to Pittsburgh to experience the Steel City’s rise firsthand.

TMajors / Pittsburgh

rue Pittsburghers, like tour golfer Rocco Mediate, bleed black and gold, and it’s about more than simply loving their sports teams.

“Pittsburgh was a steel town, very bluecollar and old-school, tough, and I grew up the same way,” starts Mediate, who was born in 1962 in Greensburg, 30 miles east of downtown Pittsburgh. His father, Anthony, had a spell as a minor league pitcher with the Pirates and shagged balls for major leaguer Roberto Clemente in the 1960s. “Pittsburgh was always overcast, smoky and nasty with the steelworks, and it somehow felt like the city kind of kept you down.”

A reprieve from Pittsburgh’s doom and gloom came just after Mediate’s 10th birthday, when the Steelers won an NFL playoff game for the first time, defeating the Oakland Raiders at the old Three Rivers Stadium on December 23, 1972. Anyone who knows football knows how they pulled it off: With 22 seconds to go, the Steelers trailed 7–6 and were sitting 4th-and-10 with the ball at their own 40-yard line. Quarterback Terry Bradshaw desperately scrambled before launching a last-ditch pass that ricocheted off two colliding players. Just before the ball could land on the turf—and end another disappointing Steelers season— rookie running back Franco Harris plucked it off his laces and galloped 43 yards into the end zone to win the game. The Immaculate Reception.

“With the Immaculate Reception, Franco Harris changed the direction and the focus of Pittsburgh, with that one catch. He gave people hope,” Mediate says. “It wasn’t the Super Bowls that did it, it was that one catch. We needed something to happen in that city, and I’ll be darned, it happened.”

The Steelers lost the 1972 AFC Championship game to the undefeated Dolphins, but the momentum was set. The Black and Gold won their first Super Bowl two years later, defeating the Minnesota Vikings 16–6. Harris ran for 158 yards that day—a Super Bowl record at the time—scored a touchdown, and was named Super Bowl MVP. Under head coach Chuck Noll, and with Harris at running back throughout, Pittsburgh won the Super Bowl four times in six years. The Pirates chimed in with a World Series in 1979 (led by Willie Stargell, to the tune of We Are Family by Sister Sledge), and Pittsburgh was the City of Champions.

“The Steelers gave people a sense of pride that wasn’t there before,” adds Mediate, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions, who took Tiger Woods to a playoff for the 2008 U.S. Open. “Those teams ruled the city, and they basically still do. Chuck Noll was like the president.”

That the Immaculate Reception revitalized Pittsburgh is a sentimental theory, no doubt, but there is something to it. In today’s Pittsburgh, the smog of the steel mills has lifted to reveal a distinct city shaped by three rivers—the Allegheny

Majors / Pittsburgh

meets the Monongahela, and they form the Ohio. The various districts are connected by more bridges than there are in Venice, many of which are painted yellow, in case you forget those team colors.

“With the hills, the rivers, and our bridges, there is a unique sense of landscape in Pittsburgh,” states Anne Madarasz, chief historian and director of the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, which is part of the awardwinning Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh.

“Everybody around the world knows Pittsburgh for steel, but now it is a major center of medical and industrial innovation,” Madarasz adds. Pittsburgh also has become a city of advanced education, with more than 20 universities within the city limits. Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh are both at the forefront of advancing AI applications across medicine, robotics, and business, and tech leaders Duolingo and Aurora Innovation are based in the city.

As for Harris, he settled in Pittsburgh after his playing days, like a lot of the 1970s Steelers, and so did Noll. Helping to develop the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, Harris served as voluntary chair of its Champions Committee for 20 years. The Steelers now play in Acrisure Stadium, in Pittsburgh’s North Shore neighborhood, next door to where

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception, the Steelers retired Harris’s number 32.

Three Rivers Stadium once stood, and Harris was on hand to unveil a monument at the spot—now on a sidewalk—where he caught the Immaculate Reception.

In December 2022, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception, the Steelers retired Harris’s number 32 at a home game against the Raiders. The Hall of Famer was due to attend the game, but tragically two days beforehand, he died unexpectedly, aged 72.

“Franco is an icon,” says Mediate. “He was a heck of a nice guy, too.”

Harris has departed the Steel City, but the legacy of the Immaculate Reception lives on.

The upscale Oaklander Hotel, in Pittsburgh’s leafy Oakland district, graces the city’s cultural hub, with the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning around the corner, and the famous Carnegie museums of natural history and art just half a mile away. The Oaklander is 10 miles from Oakmont one way, and three miles from Downtown the opposite way, where the Omni William Penn might be Pittsburgh’s finest hotel. A member of Historic Hotels of America, the William Penn was the last building venture carried out by the industrialist Henry Clay Frick and opened in 1916, occupying a whole block off Sixth Avenue. From here, most of Pittsburgh is an easy walk away, including the Strip and the sports stadiums in the North Shore.

Steel City Stays

Franco Harris is mobbed by ecstatic Steelers fans after the Immaculate Reception, in 1972 (above); since then, every Steelers game has been a sellout. Right: The team’s home today, Acrisure Stadium.

ON THE STRIP

Pittsburgh’s Strip District is so-called because it covers a long stretch of flat land between the Allegheny River and the Hill District, and it’s an easy walk from Downtown. Most of the action takes place on two parallel streets, Penn Avenue and Smallman Street, where a colorful and diverse assortment of mainly independent shops, delis, bars, and restaurants reveals the authentic Pittsburgh and its people.

“The Strip is a tight community,” says Jan Receski, a local who owns and operates OnPar Now, an impressive yet tranquil indoor golf facility that occupies one part of the Terminal, a historic building that is five blocks long, on Smallman Street. “The Strip is now the heart of Pittsburgh—it has taken off, and this community continues to grow.”

It was in the Strip in the 19th century that Andrew Carnegie built his first iron and steel mills and where George Westinghouse established his first factory. Boats could dock, the railroad came right through, and trucks trundled in by road. It was an industrial transport hub, before the Strip evolved into a warehouse district for wholesalers in the early 20th century.

In 1933, Joe Primanti started serving sandwiches, with slaw and fries on the side, from a cart in the Terminal. His customers—mostly warehouse workers and truck drivers—would eat on the go, and so they often let the slaw and fries go to waste. This was particularly true for the “third shift” truck drivers working through the night, who wanted to get in and out of the city while the streets were quiet. So Primanti started putting the fries and the slaw inside the sandwich and wrapping it in paper. The truckers could drive with one hand on the wheel, the other holding what became known as the Primanti “Almost Famous” sandwich. No knives, forks, or plates, just a grand slam of a sandwich that became a staple of the Strip.

Majors / Pittsburgh

The first Primanti Bros. bar and restaurant opened on 18th Street, in the Strip, where it remains open and busy today— epitomizing no-frills-friendly Pittsburgh—and no big sports signings have completed their induction until they’ve taken on the Almost Famous.

The Strip is also home to Sunseri, on Penn Avenue, whose pepperoni rolls—pepperoni and a mozzarella-provolone blend rolled in dough—are a Pittsburgh must. Also on Penn Avenue is the Pennsylvania Macaroni Company, known locally as Penn Mac, which has occupied the store since 1902. It has gradually evolved and grown into an Italian import specialist, and when the opera singer Luciano Pavarotti visited in the 1980s, he said that the shop should “never change.”

To sample the foods and dishes of the Strip—with great local and historical knowledge in the same wrap—take a tour with ’Burgh Bits & Bites (burghfoodtour.com).

From top: The Terminal in 1936 (Glenn Welling Photographs, Heinz History Center); Downtown, over the Smithfield Street Bridge, prior to smoke control in the 1940s; and the Almost Famous sandwich at Primanti Bros. restaurant on 18th Street.

A trip to the Lowcountry is a high point for any golf lover. Here, we tee up the top spots to hit on a can’t-miss journey from the barrier islands to the beloved city of Charleston. ULTIMATE

South Carolina

Harbour Town Golf Links at Hilton Head Island’s Sea Pines Resort.

Photo: The Sea Pines Resort / Rob Tipton

Keys to Kiawah

The ultimate insider plots five perfect days playing five of the island’s celebrated golf courses.

IUltimate Getaway / South Carolina

magine you have five days to play Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s five public courses—architectural marvels designed by Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Gary Player, and Clyde Johnston. Is there an ideal itinerary you should follow? That’s the question we asked Kiawah’s director of golf, Brian Gerard, and what follows is his insider’s playbook.

Day One: Cougar Point

The first course built at Kiawah Island is the one Gerard would play first. Across 6,814 yards, this Gary Player design, circa 1976, features expansive fairway and greenside bunkers defined by broad flashes of white sand—a unique attribute among the island’s courses. These bunkers often serve as can’t-miss aiming posts and help first-timers better understand the shots they need to hit. The course’s various tee boxes present players of varying abilities with the requisite level of difficulty and challenge, while Cougar Point’s routing ushers players to the banks of the Kiawah River early in the round. The fourth, fifth, and sixth holes dramatically play right along the island’s protected marshland and, in Gerard’s estimation, compose “one of the most picturesque three-hole stretches” at the resort.

Day Two: Oak Point

Built by Clyde Johnston in 1989, Oak Point flies under the

radar of most guests for two reasons: its designer isn’t a household name, and the course is located just across the Kiawah River, on Johns Island. In Gerard’s opinion, this 6,821-yard layout doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, especially considering that it carries the same levels of conditioning and playability as the resort’s four other courses. He also notes that those who venture off island to play it generally like it so much that they immediately want to play it again. “It’s a real shotmaker’s golf course,” he says. “There are multiple risk-reward opportunities, both off the tee and into the greens on the par 5s. And both number nine and number 18 are great finishing holes right along the river.”

Day Three: The Ocean Course

With two rounds under your belt, it’s time to take on the resort’s gauntlet. “There’s plenty of room to play golf on the Ocean Course,” Gerard says. “But Pete Dye was a genius at making golfers feel uncomfortable. Indecision changes a lot, and the wind has a lot to do with that. The wind changes everything at the Ocean Course.” Needless to say, most resort guests who make their way around this major championship layout find themselves grinding to save pars or bogies, which means they too often don’t take the time to appreciate where they are. “You have to stop and take a look around,” Gerard insists. “It’s the perfect setting.” (For more on playing this Dye masterpiece, see “Ocean Passage,” on page 83.)

The 14th hole at the Jack Nicklaus–designed Turtle Point (left), and the picturesque but deceptively tricky parfour 15th hole at Pete Dye’s Ocean Course.

OCEAN PASSAGE

Playing any major championship venue presents a challenge, but Pete Dye’s Kiawah Island masterpiece is in a class of its own.

With a history that includes a Ryder Cup, three PGA Championships, and two World Cups, Pete Dye’s Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort is on every enthusiast’s bucket list. “It draws people from all over the world,” says the resort’s president, Roger Warren. “If you love golf, it’s hard not to be enamored with it.”

For those fortunate enough to play the Ocean Course, that sense of enchantment often comes with a healthy dose of anxiety and apprehension. From the course’s tee boxes, landing areas appear to be much tighter than they look on TV. The sandy waste areas, punctuated by tufts of wiry sea grasses, seem to be more expansive. Green complexes are more complicated and more contoured— especially around the perimeters.

Ultimate Getaway / South Carolina

Day Four: Osprey Point

After a day grinding it out on a major championship course in challenging conditions, golfers will be clamoring for a reprieve. That’s where Tom Fazio’s Osprey Point comes in, offering up just the type of playing experience that most guests will yearn for one day removed from a round with demanding shots at every turn. Playing around four natural lagoons, the course is widely considered the “favorite” of both resort guests and members, largely due to its wide fairways, generous swaths of rough, minimal forced carries, and approach shots into greens that are generally pretty forgiving and welcoming. “Golfers are just freed up there,” Gerard says, “and they tend to always have a really fun and enjoyable experience.”

Day Five: Turtle Point

Turtle Point encapsulates many of the experiences that golfers will have on each of Kiawah’s four other public courses, making the 6,911-yard Jack Nicklaus layout an ideal conclusion to this bucket-list getaway. Players will immediately notice the fairways here are tighter and, given the many raised, turtleback putting surfaces, the approach shots more daunting. The back nine also delivers a trio of oceanfront holes that rivals the drama and beauty of any stretch of the Ocean Course. Says Gerard, “It’s a great finishing course to your stay.” —shaun tolson

Take too conservative a line with your tee shot on the par-5 second, and you may find yourself standing awkwardly at the base of a steep embankment, hacking out of gnarly, six-inch rough, just hoping you can advance your ball back onto the fairway. Swing a bit too quickly with your driver on the par-4 ninth, and you may be resigned to blasting out of a sprawling, steep-faced bunker that runs along much of the left side of the fairway. The pros can avoid these precarious spots with ease. The average amateur? Not so much.

“If you stick to your line, there’s plenty of room to play golf,” says Brian Gerard, Kiawah Island’s director of golf. “But when your eyes get drawn to trouble, now you don’t have any confidence, and Pete did that better than anybody. The Ocean Course is visually intimidating. It will expose your weaknesses.”

Despite the psychological warfare it imposes on players, as well as the intimidation factor of the scorecard—a 77.4 course rating and 153 slope rating from the black tees—the Ocean Course is playable for average golfers. That’s a reflection of the work Dye did to soften the course during the mid-1990s. In fact, when he was out surveying the land ahead of those modifications, he would often ask groups of golfers who passed how they were getting around, many times without those players knowing who he was.

“That’s one of the coolest things that I remember about Pete,” Gerard says. “He took an interest in the average player as much as he did the best players in the world. He wanted to hear what people said about his design, and he would always try to find a solution that satisfied everyone.” —s.t.

Coming Home to Hilton Head

Harbour Town for an extensive restoration, with Love and his company, Love Golf Design, serving as consultants on the project.

Harbour Town’s renovation will last the better part of seven months, during which all greens, bunkers, and bulkheads will be rebuilt; irrigation and drainage improvements implemented; and minor, artistic modifications made to green complexes and bunkers. To learn more about the project, we sat down with Love, who, with five titles to his name, holds the crown as the winningest RBC Heritage champion of all time.

Ultimate Getaway / South Carolina

You’ve played Harbour Town as a professional pretty much every year for almost four decades, as well as in a handful of junior tournaments. Do you remember your first experiences on the course?

In a Kingdom exclusive, five-time RBC Heritage champ and Atlantic Dunes

designer Davis Love III previews his upcoming restoration of the legendary Harbour Town Golf Links.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND wasn’t always a golf mecca. It all started at Sea Pines Resort, in 1962, when George Cobb designed the Ocean Course. That initial layout set in motion a wave of golf course development on the 69-square-mile barrier island, which today is synonymous with championship-caliber golf.

In the years that followed, Pete Dye visited Hilton Head to make his own contribution at Sea Pines, creating the now-legendary Harbour Town Golf Links. Dye’s course not only revolutionized golf design trends, but also attracted the PGA Tour to the island—where it has returned for 55 straight years (and counting).

Dye himself returned in the mid-2000s to design a third course at Sea Pines, Heron Point. More recently, Davis Love III and his brother, Mark, led a redesign of the original Ocean Course, creating Atlantic Dunes in its place. This spring, almost immediately after the final putt drops at the RBC Heritage tournament, Sea Pines Resort will close

I was there in ’69 for the first [PGA] tournament with my dad when I was five. My son says I don’t really remember it, I just remember what my dad told me about it, but I know I got stuck in the marsh mud on 18, probably looking for golf balls. And I remember panicking, thinking that I was gone, that I would never get out.

Most golfers who end up hitting their approach shots in that area probably feel the same way. Yeah, I’ve been traumatized by the left side of the 18th green like everybody else.

How have you seen the course evolve over the years?

There’s a lot more green grass, pretty grass; it’s nice and neat and organized; and there’s not as much trouble just off the fairway. Behind the second green, for example, originally there were big clumps of pampas grass that were four-, five-, six-feet tall. The trouble is, people were losing golf balls one hop off the green. Harbour Town is still a resort course, so Pete said to take that out, and he replaced it with a bunker. Then that bunker was [later] removed. Little things like that I’ve seen change over the years, so [with this project] we have to decide which version we want.

Ultimate Getaway / South Carolina

I’ve been traumatized by the left side of the 18th green like everybody else.”

—DAVIS LOVE III

How are you going to ensure that the changes you make are true to earlier versions of the course?

There are so many good, old pictures. I brought two big boxes of pictures home with me from the resort, and I’ve sorted them [and scanned them], and now I have them all on one file. It’s just incredible how different the bunkers and the drop-offs around the green are. And the reason why I signed on is because I live close by, and I know I can spend a lot of time there. Tweaking these little things is all artistic, but you have to stand there and look at it in the dirt.

What’s your primary responsibility on this project?

Our job is not to change what Pete did but try to get it as close to the original as we can. We’re going to go out there and say, ‘Here’s a picture of what Pete built.’ We know what he did and what he was thinking, now how far back can we go to his original ideal? It’s asking the question, ‘What would Pete do?’ If he could go back and do whatever he wanted, without anybody telling him, what would he put it back to?

You’ve taken on some restoration projects like this before. What’s the appeal?

It’s inspiring when somebody has the nerve to say, ‘I’m not going to do what I want to do. I’m going to do what the original architect did.’ So, I want to do what Pete did. And at Harbour Town, it’s there for you. They’ve done a great job of preserving it. I always go back to the analogy of an old car, a ’63 Corvette. If you’re going to do work on that car, you don’t put stuff on it that came from an ’80 Corvette. You want to make sure it looks like a ’63 Corvette.

Are there any areas on the course that have the potential to notably change in appearance or how they play based on the work that your team will be doing?

The eighth green could be a drastic change from the master plan, because [originally] it had a big bunker in the back, and it used to be a boomerang-shaped green, not just an oval.

Did Dye ever offer you advice on designing golf courses?

One year, when I was leaving Hilton Head Island, I was in the airport, and Pete was there. He came up to me and said, ‘So you’re a golf course architect now, huh?’ And I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ He replied, ‘No. You’re a golfer, not a golf course architect. Until you get on the equipment and learn how to

Davis Love III (right) after one of his five championships at Harbour Town Golf Links (above).

Photo: The Sea Pines Resort / Rob Tipton

build them yourself, you’re not a golf course architect. So, are you going to do this, or are you just going to sign your name to stuff?’

So it was Dye who really set you on your path as a designer?

He inspired me to really learn how they’re built—the how and the why. I began looking at it through a different lens, rather than just holes that I like, linking holes together, and making pretty golf courses. He inspired me to learn more about the strategy, whether it’s going back to [Seth] Raynor or [C.B.] Macdonald or [Donald] Ross.

Speaking of strategy, that’s an element of Harbour Town that a lot of tour players point to when they talk about how much they love the course. Do you feel the same way?

It’s a ball-striker’s golf course, but it’s a fair golf course that anybody can win on. At Harbour Town, if you play the way Pete wants you to play, if you play strategic golf, you’ve got a better chance. The Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus types—players who are going to do whatever the course asks them to do—those guys win golf tournaments on courses like Harbour Town because they’re willing to yield to the strategy. They’re not trying to break the course; they’re trying to play with the course. —s.t.

FUTURE FORWARD

The latest addition to Palmetto Bluff allows players to choose their own adventure, while another headline-grabbing course at the community is slowly coming into focus.

FOR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING of what the new Crossroads course at Palmetto Bluff is all about—including where its designers, Tad King and Rob Collins, found a source of inspiration—you have to travel almost 4,000 miles across the Atlantic and walk the Old Course at St Andrews. In both directions.

There’s a reason why avid golfers never tire of playing the Old Course, even those local Scots who walk the grounds with clubs in tow a dozen times or more each year. The rumpled terrain seemingly offers up new discoveries during every round, and the layout famously plays just as well backwards. In fact, centuries ago the Old Course was only played in a clockwise (now backwards) direction.

Although Palmetto Bluff covers some 20,000 acres of tranquil Lowcountry in Bluffton, the resort community only had a minuscule parcel of land allocated for its latest golf project. Fortunately, the site was laden with sand, which allowed the architects to sculpt dunes with ridges as high as 40 feet. Crossroads, the nine-hole layout they created, spans just 55 acres, but it’s reversible, which means each day the routing changes. It also boasts expansive putting surfaces (including several greens that are dedicated for use on only one of those two routings), as well as sprawling, ribbonlike teeing areas that encourage players to tee it up wherever they want.

Ultimate Getaway / South Carolina

The result is a layout that’s moderate in length—it tips out at 3,100 yards— but offers a vast amount of playing experiences. It’s also a routing that encourages cross-country play, which means golfers can discover adventurous holes that aren’t formally outlined on the scorecard.

As Collins says, it was the design team’s intention to “build a thrilling course filled with variety and loaded with shotmaking interest.” Mission accomplished.

At Palmetto Bluff, the Crossroads course joins May River Golf Club, a Jack Nicklaus Signature design open to members and guests of the property’s Montage Palmetto Bluff resort. Also in the works (slated for opening in late 2025 or early 2026) is an 18-hole layout designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw.

In the estimation of Ryan Farrow, design associate at Coore & Crenshaw, Coore wants to build “something different, something he hasn’t seen before.” Such a course will be in good company at Palmetto Bluff. —s.t.

Crossroads course at Palmetto Bluff

Host Story

The warm welcome you receive in Charleston’s top hotels is almost as old as the city itself.

by ANDREW NELSON

MORNING SUN HITS the cascade atop Charleston’s Pineapple Fountain as it bounces down seven tiers of notched stone, scattering spray like flung diamonds. The civic centerpiece, unveiled in 1990, celebrates a symbol that reaches back three centuries, when returning sea captains plunked the Caribbean fruit atop their front gates to announce their homecomings.

The pineapple became the Holy City’s emblem of a hospitable welcome, one associated with the celebrations and sporting traditions of the city’s elites. It was a Charleston merchant, William Wallace, who imported the colonies’ first golf clubs, in 1739, kindling American love for the sport. Men like him built large townhomes to host friends and business associates. Bred bone-deep, Charleston’s art of welcome became a pursuit practiced with the same precision as that of the blacksmiths who forged the city’s wrought-iron gates.

Today, many of those same homes have been refashioned into intimate hotels where a stay can be as richly layered as the Lowcountry’s complex past. Five of our favorites follow, plus a few places to experience Charleston’s justifiably famous cuisine and the city’s links to American— and golf—history.

STAY

The Pinch (above)

Designed for short- or long-term stays, this 25-room boutique property guarantees a slice (or perhaps a pinch?) of true Charleston luxury in a prime location. Nips include indulgent modern suites: think kitchenettes backsplashed with Arabescato Calacatta marble and countertop copper cocktail kits, and the Quinte Oyster Bar (order a platter of Edisto Island Steamboat Creeks). The setting is just steps from iconic city scene-stealers like the Cistern, the College of Charleston’s live-oak-canopied quad, and the high-end shopping on King Street, where golf outfitter Greyson Clothiers is teeing up a new store. Across a cobblestone courtyard from the hotel lobby: Lowland, the Pinch’s well-regarded restaurant, is helmed by former FIG chef Jason Stanhope in an 1834 townhouse.

and Chanel No. 5 from the matriarchs planning their shopping trips,” says Sarah Clark, a Mills habitué since childhood.

Lowcountry refinement rendered in calming shades of Farrow & Ball green, with public spaces offering wicker rocking chairs and cozy seating. The cottage-style Aster Spa provides treatments utilizing local honey and Biologique Recherche products. An active resort, the Dunlin offers plenty of outdoor programs, such as nature walks, kayaking, and birdwatching excursions. Eyes peeled for the roseate spoonbills at low tide.

86 Cannon (below)

Ultimate Getaway / South Carolina

The Restoration

Mills House

Its exterior may be as pink as a debutante’s blushed cheek, but the 218-room Mills House is no ingenue. First opened in 1853, the hotel, now part of the Hilton Curio Collection, survived the Union Army’s bombardment in the Civil War and the earthquake of 1886. After a somnolent 20th century, it emerged revitalized following a 2022 floor-to-ceiling zhuzh. Not just for visitors, the hotel sees Charlestonians encircling its courtyard fountain, dining at the Iron Rose, and lingering in the lobby. “It smells like floor wax, sandalwood,

Overlooking King Street, the 54-room Restoration Hotel offers large, loftlike suites and studios with no two seemingly alike, a particularity reflected in the property’s programming that features everything from an in-suite private chef to curated shopping experiences. Pro tip: Wander down King to the moody Unitarian Church Cemetery, linked to Edgar Allan Poe’s poem Annabel Lee. Ascend to the Watch Rooftop Kitchen & Spirits for drinks and sweeping vistas of the steepled skyline stretching from the Ashley River to the Cooper River. At street level, the Rise Coffee Bar froths up cappuccinos for guests and locals alike and on weekend evenings, Irish coffees.

The Dunlin

Part of the Auberge Resorts Collection and inspired by Carolina shorebirds, the newly hatched Dunlin (opened last August) fringes the Kiawah River on Johns Island, 21 miles southwest of downtown. Its 72 rooms, including 20 suites, feature screen-porch vistas of the salt marshes and estuaries. Best vantage point: Linette’s, the resort’s coastal cuisine brunch and dinner restaurant. The vibe is low-key

Clustered on Cannon Street in the trending Cannonborough-Elliotborough neighborhood, 86 Cannon consists of three adjoining historic homes, the oldest from 1862, transformed into 10 light and luminous rooms, plus last year’s addition: a pool house and plunge pool that radiates a Caribbean vibe. Set your sights on the commodious two-story Kitchen Cottage suite. It feels like your own Holy City manse. The inn’s 5 p.m. wine-andcheese confab on the piazza is a chance to meet other guests or, if lucky, owners Marion and Lori Hawkins. The couple are so beguiling you might find yourself in the library with them, listening to Marion’s jazz vinyl collection or playing a round of mah-jongg. In a city a-fizz with enticements, that’s high praise indeed.

SAVOR

The Ordinary (right)

This pescatarian temple is set in a 1927 bank building, vault included. Mike Lata’s menu is a masterwork of Lowcountry fare, serving seafood towers, smoked swordfish pâté, and the famed crispy oyster sliders that patrons lust after, all enhanced with an effervescent cocktail and beverage program.

Jackrabbit Filly

Chef Shuai Wang melds Chinese soul food with Carolina ingredients at this Park Circle hot spot. The 2025 Top Chef contender is known for spice and flavor: think garlicky cucumbers with salsa matcha. Don’t miss the karaage chicken, for which regulars are willing to cross the river bridges.

Seahorse (left)

This lustrous new cocktail bar comes with food credentials courtesy of the celebrated Chubby Fish team (located next door). Christian Favier’s drinks menu is both thoughtful and inspired, featuring novel sours and gimlets with a special focus on Charleston’s links to the Barbados rum trade. “It’s sipping history,” he says.

Ultimate Getaway / South Carolina

PLAY

Links at Stono Ferry

In 1779, the Americans lost a Revolutionary War battle to the British on the present-day 12th, 13th, and 14th holes of this championship golf course just southwest of town.

Patriots Point Links (left)

This harbor-front public course in Mount Pleasant, on the other side of the soaring Ravenel Bridge, showcases views of Fort Sumter and the iconic Sullivan’s Island lighthouse.

Charleston Municipal Golf Course

Dating to 1929, this course recently underwent a redesign inspired by Seth Raynor, known for creating the muni’s contemporaries at Yeamans Hall and Country Club of Charleston.

DO

The Medal of Honor Museum

Located aboard the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, this museum, which is run by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, reopened in May 2024 with moving interactive exhibits showcasing America’s highest military decoration.

International African American Museum

This groundbreaking waterfront museum on Gadsden’s Wharf relays the stories of enslaved African Americans through vivid and powerful exhibits. The museum’s Center for Family History helps trace ancestral roots.

Sunset Schooner Sail

A two-hour cruise with Charleston Harbor Tours unfurls panoramas of Battery mansions, historic harbor forts, and St. Michael’s luminous steeple—once a navigational aid for sailors.

Photo: Squire Fox

Back to the Beach

The coastal city that put South Carolina on the golf tourism map in the 1980s is well worth a return visit.

Myrtle Beach National

Ultimate Getaway / South Carolina

BETWEEN 1980 AND 2001, there were 87 new golf courses built in Myrtle Beach. While it’s been 17 years since it welcomed another, South Carolina’s most famous coastal city for golf still hosted almost 2.8 million rounds in 2024 (source: Golf Tourism Solutions)—and there are several long-celebrated clubs along the Grand Strand that keep Myrtle Beach among the must-visit golf destinations. These are the three that shouldn’t be missed.

The Dunes Golf and Beach Club

From the moment it opened in 1947, this Robert Trent Jones Sr. design has served as the gold standard for golf in Myrtle Beach. Primarily a private club, the course offers a limited number of tee times to guests through partnerships with nearby hotels and established golf package providers. Once heavily influenced by the prevailing Atlantic trade winds, the Dunes is now somewhat buffeted, thanks to the mature trees that have grown along its namesake, ocean-side mounds. The many lagoons that were scattered along the site during the 1940s still remain, as do the monikers that were attached to them, such as Alligator Alley, which references a three-hole stretch on the back nine. Last year, the club hosted the Myrtle Beach Classic, marking the first time a PGA Tour event was contested in the area. The tournament returns for its second stint at the Dunes in May.

Comprising three 18-hole tracks, all designed by Arnold Palmer, this broad facility has attracted avid and discerning golfers since 1973, when the club’s first course, King’s North, opened for play. Collectively, Myrtle Beach National’s 54 holes introduce golfers to three distinctive playing experiences. Those who tee it up on the West Course won’t see a single house lining the fairways. What they will find is a layout that carves its way through Carolina pines and embraces Palmer’s ideology that golfers who wish to win “must play boldly.” The South Creek course, by comparison, puts a premium on accuracy, especially off the tee. Yet, it’s King’s North that always steals the show. With island greens and island strips of fairways, it’s a championship-caliber routing infused with drama.

Pine Lakes Country Club

The “Granddaddy,” as Pine Lakes is known, was the first course built in Myrtle Beach. Opened in 1927 and designed by Robert White, the first president of the PGA of America (and co-founder of the American Society of Golf Course Architects), the 6,675-yard course has seen its share of renovations over the years. In 2008, efforts were made to restore the back nine to White’s original specifications, while also tweaking the front to better align with his vision. The club lauds its collection of demanding par 4s, as well as the multiple holes that offer views of the Ocean Boulevard skyline—views that would be unrecognizable to the original designer. —s.t.

Dunes Club, Myrtle Beach

Photo:

Golf Tourism Solutions, Jim Maggio

Penfold Golf

STOKE PARK GC, STOKE POGES ENGLAND

LONGTERM RETURNS

At age 27, Lydia Ko has already enjoyed a remarkable— and roller-coaster—LPGA career, one that reached new heights in 2024. Robin Barwick reports.

The Rolex LPGA Awards, held at the RitzCarlton Naples at Tiburón Golf Club in Florida, is the most glamorous evening on the LPGA’s calendar. Last November, it took place on the eve of the season’s final tournament, the CME Group Tour Championship, with its $4 million purse for the winner. Many of the world’s top-ranked golfers assembled for the awards, along with tour officials, sponsors, media, agents, and LPGA Tour legends including Nancy Lopez, Annika Sörenstam, and Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis.

With so much at stake the following morning, anticipation hung above the awards dinner like a glittering cloak. Alongside the heightened tension came its loyal sidekick, open emotion, particularly for those receiving awards, like Lydia Ko. She set herself a particular challenge: “I am determined not to cry,” Ko confided to Kingdom magazine ahead of the dinner.

That was no small challenge for someone in Ko’s shoes, as she was preparing to accept the Heather Farr Perseverance award at the Rolex Awards. The award, which honors the late LPGA player Heather Farr, is presented to the golfer who has shown exceptional spirit and determination to reach her goals, as voted by her peers, and 2024 had seen a wondrous rebound from New Zealand’s Ko. In 2022, she won the CME Group Tour Championship, yet in 2023, Ko’s loss of form left her outside the top 60 on the tour’s money list, so she did not even qualify for the season’s grand finale. Then, in 2024, Ko returned to full power, winning Olympic gold in Paris, qualifying to become the youngest-ever inductee into the LPGA Hall of Fame, and securing the third major title of her career at the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews.

Features / Lydia Ko

As a 21-year-old rookie on the LPGA Tour in 1978, Nancy Lopez was a sensation. She won nine times that year, including a run of five in a row, and immediately became the face of the LPGA Tour. Her career record features 48 LPGA titles and three majors, earning her LPGA Hall of Fame admission in 1987.

“Lydia is such a hard worker,” said Sörenstam, the 10-time major champ, at Tiburón on the day of the Rolex Awards. “This is a player who came out on tour before she was 18, reached World No. 1, and then dropped down, and she has had a roller-coaster career, but every time Lydia’s game has dropped off, she has been able to turn it around and win again. She doesn’t give up.”

Like Sörenstam, Lopez is a Hall of Famer who has followed Ko’s career closely. “Sometimes it takes a few years to feel comfortable on tour,” she said at Tiburón. “It is a very competitive environment, and there is nowhere to hide out there. Lydia came out flying when she was still a kid, winning a pro tournament when she was 15, but then she had to grow up in front of the whole world, and that’s tough. Lydia persevered, and now she is a tremendous ambassador for women’s golf.”

Annika Sörenstam reached stardom fast, with her first LPGA title being the biggest one of all, the U.S. Women’s Open, in 1995. The Swede won a record 96 titles around the world, including 10 majors, and she was the inaugural women’s World No. 1 when the Rolex Rankings began in 2006. Sörenstam was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame in 2003.

Lydia Ko on the Rolex Awards: “Rolex does an unbelievable job of celebrating not only the players, but everybody involved in making the LPGA Tour what it is. The Rolex Awards are a special night, and I just love being there—even if I don’t receive an award—to celebrate all the winners. This kind of occasion, and the friendships I’ve made on tour— these are what I’m going to take forever, and not what I shoot on the golf course.”

Nancy Lopez, Lydia Ko, and Annika Sörenstam at the 2024 Rolex Awards (above). Ko celebrates Olympic success in Paris (right).

Features / Lydia Ko

Every day, each and every one of us perseveres in our own journey.”

Ko accepted the Heather Farr Perseverance Award with grace and composure. She held it together when her 2024 on-course highlights were shown on giant screens in the ballroom, and she made a typically candid and modest acceptance speech, dedicating her award to “all the players,” adding, “Every day, each and every one of us perseveres in our own journey.”

As Ko made her way off the stage, she was ambushed onstage by two of her mentors, Lopez and Sörenstam, with a lavish bouquet to honor Ko’s induction into the Hall of Fame. The entire room stood up in unison to pay tribute, and, caught off guard by this rush of affection and appreciation, Ko could not hold back the tears any longer.

“It was the pollen,” she said with a laugh the following day, after wrapping up her first round. “I was caught by surprise, and I saw Nancy and Annika, it was just . . . I look up to Nancy and Annika. To think that I’m in that

prestigious club with them, it’s honestly hard to wrap my head around. They have been so welcoming. At the back of my mind, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I’m in the Hall of Fame with Nancy Lopez.’ It’s just crazy.”

It might feel crazy to Ko, but not to anyone else. In 2012, at the age of 15, Ko became the youngest winner in the history of the LPGA Tour with her victory at the Canadian Open. She won three times in her first full year on the LPGA Tour, in 2014, and was the youngest-ever recipient of the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award. In 2015—at the age of 17 years, nine months, and nine days—Ko became the youngest golfer, male or female, to reach World No. 1. Seven months later, she followed up by becoming the youngest winner of a women’s major, at the Amundi Evian Championship.

Ko won her second major title at the 2016 ANA Inspiration. Only “Young” Tom Morris, back in 1869, had ever won two majors at a younger age.

Then the yo-yo rolled in, as Ko was winless in 2017, won once in 2018, and then went empty-handed for three years. The South Korean–born golfer revived her career emphatically in 2022 with three wins and her second Rolex Player of the Year award, before 2023 became another barren stretch.

“Every day is an assessment, whether you score 68 or 75, and that is hard,” reflected Ko. “We also compare ourselves to the other 143 golfers in a tournament field each week, so

I didn’t want to be on TV, I wanted to be out of the limelight, and I didn’t want people to focus on me.”

Features / Lydia Ko

at times the mental side of the game can be really tough. The hardest times for me have been not necessarily when I have been off form, but when I have not been in a good mental space. There have been times when it didn’t matter what I was shooting, I didn’t want to be on TV, I wanted to be out of the limelight, and I didn’t want people to focus on me. I wondered if I would ever come out of that lull, and it is not the kind of thing that usually gets talked about.”

The 2024 season was breathtaking, beginning with her completion of the Olympic trifecta (gold in Paris, 2024; silver in Rio, 2016; bronze in Tokyo, 2020) and reaching its pinnacle with a major title at the Home of Golf. Young Tom Morris— St Andrews born and bred—would have been proud.

“I love that I am able to feel what it is like to excel at my job, because not everyone gets to do a job that they love,” said Ko. “I am able to feel what it is like to be in contention and to be the number one ranked player in the world, and to win those big tournaments, and to feel that adrenaline, and most people don’t get to feel that. The pressure is hard, but I love being in that position.”

All along, she has felt the support of the greats who came before her. “Every time I win or play well, Nancy texts me messages with so many hearts,” Ko said. “She’s become more than someone who played generations ahead; she’s

been like an aunt, somebody who has taken me in. I have really relied on her.”

Lopez—who freely admits to being superstitious— worried that she had jinxed Ko’s bid to reach the Hall of Fame last year. “In the spring, the LPGA Tour asked to film me congratulating Lydia for making the Hall of Fame, before Lydia had actually qualified,” recalled Lopez. “She still needed one more win. It is really hard to win on the LPGA Tour, and it takes a great career to get into the Hall of Fame, and I remember thinking, ‘Should I be congratulating Lydia before she has done it?’ But I recorded the message and soon afterwards, Lydia missed a couple of cuts. She missed the cut in the U.S. Women’s Open, and I started to get really worried about recording that message. Then she won Gold in the Olympics, which was amazing, and there was part of me thinking, ‘I’m off the hook!’ ”

Now a Hall of Famer herself at the ripe old age of 27—after 11 seasons on the LPGA Tour—Ko has become accustomed to playing every golf shot in front of TV cameras, to having every outfit critiqued, every comment recorded. She has grown into her extraordinary ability, and she knows to cherish special moments like the 2024 Rolex Awards. She has found the confidence to be her true self in full view, and on occasion, that comes with a spilled tear.

Ko, champion of the 2024 AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews.

LYDIA KO WEARING THE NEW ECCO BIOM H5

Keegan Bradley’s career on the PGA Tour has been anything but linear, but recent revelations are helping him both on the course and in his role as captain of the 2025 American Ryder Cup team.

by SHAUN TOLSON

The Captain’s RETURN K

EEGAN BRADLEY BURST onto the PGA Tour nearly 15 years ago, winning the Byron Nelson Championship at TPC Las Colinas in Dallas when the winds were gusting at more than 30 mph. The victory positioned the then 24-year-old as the frontrunner for that year’s Arnold Palmer Award (the PGA Tour’s rookie-of-the-year honor), but Bradley wasn’t done.

Buoyed by the $1.17 million that he pocketed at the Byron Nelson, Bradley qualified for the 93rd PGA Championship 10 weeks later. He opened with a 71, putting him in a tie for 36th place, but the St. John’s University alum channeled his Red Storm school spirit and posted three straight scores in the red, tying Jason Dufner for the lead after 72 holes. Just as he had done in Dallas, the native New Englander flaunted nerves of steel during the aggregate, three-hole playoff, besting Dufner by a stroke to claim the Wanamaker Trophy.

The milestone victory came seven years after Bradley had captained the Hopkinton Hillers golf team to a state championship in Massachusetts during his senior year of high school. And it had been a decade and a half since he had tagged along with his dad, then the head pro at Haystack Golf Course in southern Vermont, spending as many days as he could on the course.

“New Englanders are hard-working people, and we’re taught that you have to go out and earn whatever you get,” Bradley says. “I always had a really short season, so I had to make the most of every second that I had, every opportunity

Keegan Bradley during the 2014 Ryder Cup, Gleneagles, Scotland.

to physically play the game. I’ve always taken those New England roots with me.”

I feel a strong obligation to them to operate as a captain at all times.”

Features / Keegan Bradley

The summer after Bradley graduated from St. John’s, he turned professional, moved to Florida, and set his sights on the mini tours—first the NGA Hooters Tour (now the NGA Pro Golf Tour) and then the Nationwide Tour (now the Korn Ferry Tour). Arriving in Orlando, Bradley was strapped for cash, but that didn’t stop him from slapping down $2,500 for an annual membership at Rio Pinar Golf Club. “That was a huge stretch,” he acknowledges, “but the club had unlimited range balls. I still had that mentality that I needed to optimize every day. But all of a sudden, I was playing [and practicing] all year round, so I improved rapidly from there.

“No matter what, if it had to do with bettering my career,” he continues, “I would spend the money. I would just do it and sort of figure out the consequences later.”

As it turns out, Bradley’s brash investment in his game didn’t bring consequences, only rewards—early premiums that culminated with him hoisting the Wanamaker Trophy at Atlanta Athletic Club on a mid-August Sunday afternoon in 2011. Thanks in large part to that major victory, as well as his win at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational the following year, Bradley qualified for his first Ryder Cup in 2012.

He and teammate Phil Mickelson dominated the morning foursomes on Friday and Saturday, winning 4&3 and 7&6, respectively. Bradley secured three points for Team USA that year, though the Americans squandered a fourpoint lead, allowing the Europeans to retain the cup. Two

years later, Bradley was back at the Ryder Cup, this time as a captain’s pick—one that made a lot of sense given his existing rapport with Mickelson.

“Mickelson wanted to play with Keegan, and Keegan said, ‘Yeah, I’ll play with him. I understand him. I’ve practiced with him. I can deal with him,’ ” Davis Love III recalls of the early strategy sessions that he had as the American team’s captain during Bradley’s first Ryder Cup. “Somebody that Phil wanted to play with wanted to play with Phil. It was a match made in heaven.”

Bradley was indeed riding high, but after the 2014 Ryder Cup, he slipped into an eight-year stretch of frustrating results. The slump was influenced by the USGA and the R&A banning anchored putting strokes at the start of the 2016 calendar year. A switch to AimPoint only a couple of years ago has instilled a new dose of confidence in Bradley’s performance on the greens, and that’s translated to higher placements on PGA Tour leaderboards each weekend. Over the last two full seasons, Vermont’s most decorated golfer has racked up nine top 10s, including three runner-up finishes and three victories.

Bradley’s resurgence had many golf pundits predicting his inclusion on the 2023 Ryder Cup team as a captain’s pick. But Zach Johnson selected Sam Burns, Rickie Fowler, and Justin Thomas—three players who finished with fewer points. (Cameron Young and Bradley, who finished ninth and 11th on the points list, respectively, failed to make the team.)

“You can’t expect to be on the team if you don’t make it

on points,” Bradley says. “If you have to rely on a pick, it’s out of your hands. You shouldn’t be disappointed.”

Features / Keegan Bradley

More than 18 months after taking Johnson’s fateful phone call and learning that he hadn’t made the team, Bradley can talk more dispassionately about hearing the news. But his understandable disappointment in that moment was evident during the sixth episode of the second season of Netflix’s documentary Full Swing, which aired during the first week of March 2024. “When I’m done and I’ve retired,” Bradley said earlier in that episode, a clip recorded while Johnson was still deliberating over his captain’s picks, “having a Ryder Cup win on my résumé versus a loss would be a huge difference for me.”

In 2014, when the European team bested the Americans in the final day of singles matches to retain the cup again, the clinching point was scored in Bradley’s match. “That was probably the lowest point in my career,” he revealed to Netflix, “and I would love to change that.”

Last July, the PGA of America presented Bradley with an opportunity to do just that, selecting him as the captain of this year’s Ryder Cup team. The appointment made Bradley the youngest American captain since 1963, when Arnold Palmer, then 34 years old, commandeered the U.S. squad to a decisive 23-to-9 victory, playing in six matches and winning four points along the way. Incidentally, Palmer was the last to lead a Ryder Cup team as a playing captain. Bradley isn’t ruling out that prospect for himself this go-around.

“I go out each year to try to win majors and make these teams,” he says. “It doesn’t matter [this year] if I’m the Ryder Cup captain; I’m trying to make the team just like the rest

of the players are. I’m definitely getting older, especially with the way the golf world is now, and I just don’t know how many more chances I’m going to get to do this.”

Although it’s been more than 60 years since the Ryder Cup had a playing captain, Bradley doesn’t believe the era of having one is a thing of the past. “If Phil or Tiger wanted to do this when they were my age, they would’ve played. It’s just that no one’s really had the opportunity that I have,” he says. “I think it would be extremely difficult, but I’m gonna cross that bridge when it comes.”

Whether Bradley qualifies as a player or not, one thing is certain: When the Ryder Cup is contested at Bethpage Black in September, it will be a homecoming of sorts for the American captain. During Bradley’s years playing for St. John’s, the superintendent at Bethpage Black would let the golf team practice on the course every Monday, when it was closed to the public for maintenance. The team would essentially sneak onto the course by a maintenance facility near the third tee box, and they’d play 10 holes, beginning with the par-5 fourth.

When the weather was harsh in October and November, the course “felt like it played 9,000 yards,” Bradley says, but those covert practices, no matter the time of year, were instrumental in his development. The time spent on such a legitimate, major championship course provided a glimpse at what the pinnacle of competitive golf is like. In fact, Bethpage Black had hosted the U.S. Open only a few years earlier. “We would reminisce about the shots that Tiger had hit,” Bradley recalls, “and every time we would go, we would hit those same shots.”

Opposite: Bradley with the Wanamaker Trophy at Atlanta Athletic Club in 2011. Above: Bradley celebrates a birdie putt (left) and “midfives” partner Phil Mickelson (right) at the Ryder Cup in 2012.

THE

As a student athlete, Bradley had to occasionally meet with counselors to talk through his career plans. “You weren’t allowed to say that you were going to be a professional athlete,” he remembers, even though that’s all Bradley wanted to do. He doesn’t remember the specifics of the lie that he would routinely tell, other than it was the idea of working for a professional sports team in some capacity. What he does remember is that he couldn’t bear the thought of such a scenario. “I used to have to curl my toes in my shoes to where it hurt just to even say it out loud. That’s how manic I was about all this.

“I didn’t come from a lot of money,” he continues, then quickly adds, “I didn’t come from any money. I didn’t have a family business to fall back on. I studied sports management, and I hardly did that. I had no other plan. This was it.”

These days, as a husband and father, Bradley is filled with anxiety when he thinks back to his cavalier attitude toward life after college. “It just dawned on me how I didn’t have even the slightest backup plan,” he says of one such recent moment of angst. “I didn’t have any other options other than to do what I’m doing now.”

The now 38-year-old also had another revelation about five years ago, one that focused on how he behaved on tour early in his career. “I felt like everybody out there was my enemy, like they were my opponents,” he says. “I never really let my guard down. That’s sort of a New England attitude— it’s me against the world. People would be nice to me, and I used to think, They don’t mean that. This is how sick I was. I was just so driven; I just wanted this so bad.”

Features / Keegan Bradley

Bradley is now playing his 14th year on tour, and, with that experience, he’s gained a fresh perspective, one that comes with the recognition that he needs to savor and celebrate positive moments. It’s an epiphany that he wishes he could’ve had more than a decade ago.

For a while, Bradley took a page out of Tom Brady’s playbook. Whenever the quarterback was asked to pick a favorite of the Super Bowl championships that he had won, Brady would always give the same answer: my next one. Bradley embraced a similar mindset, though he now realizes it was partially to his detriment. Take that Wanamaker Trophy that he won as a rookie: Bradley kept it hidden in his closet for years, paranoid that if he celebrated it, he would lose his edge. “I just felt like I needed to push, push, push,” he says. “I had worked so hard to get to where I was, and I always felt like it could be gone in a second.”

Bradley has finally abandoned that mindset. Inspired by the close-knit bonds that link several of the younger tour players—and seeing the relationships that they have with each other outside of the ropes—the veteran from New England is adjusting his New Englander’s attitude. “Seeing how the younger guys genuinely care for one another and really want what’s best for each other, that’s such a great thing about this new generation of tour players,” he says.

“Make no mistake about it, when they get inside the ropes, they want to kill each other, but they’re all like best friends, and I think about how much happier a life they’re going to have out there on the tour.”

It’s no coincidence that Bradley’s return to top form has coincided with his willingness to let his guard down, to relax, and to act in a manner more befitting of a captain. “A lot of times, when I used to go into player dining, I was trying to find the seat where I could be by myself, where no one would see me,” he says. “Now, when I walk in as the captain, I’m looking for a guy that maybe I haven’t spoken to a lot yet. I look forward to sitting with them and chatting.

“I feel a really strong obligation to the guys now—all of them,” he continues. “The guys who are going to be on the team, the guys who might be on the team, maybe a rookie that we don’t even know who could come on strong [this year]. I feel a strong obligation to them to operate as a captain at all times.”

In his own words, the task of getting to know the players’ personalities; of figuring out who will fit best in the team room and on the golf course; and who might need a little help getting to know some of the veterans, it’s a “heavy burden.” But he’s quick to add that it’s also rejuvenating.

“I sit down with a younger player, and I just see the excitement that they have to play on the PGA Tour, the excitement that they have to play on a Ryder Cup team,” he says. “They’re asking me, ‘What’s it like to be in a team room?’ or ‘What’s it like to be on the first tee at a Ryder Cup?’ They’re just so excited to hear about it, and it reminds me of how great all this is.”

2025 Ryder Cup team captains Luke Donald and Keegan Bradley

vesselgolf.com | #CraftedForTheDriven .

Picture Perfect

Golfer turned photographer Evan Schiller captures the world’s great courses with an expert’s eye.

words by ROBIN BARWICK

images by EVAN SCHILLER

Hole

ROYAL PORTRUSH

Northern Ireland

this shot by Evan Schiller captures not only the beauty of Portrush, but also the uncompromising weather of the rugged Atlantic shoreline. “I could see the waves coming in, but it took a little bit of luck to get them rolling in just above the pin,” he admits. “It was windy and overcast, and the sun just came out in short bursts. When it did, I snapped away. If I could hang around just Royal Portrush and Royal County Down for the rest of my life, I’d be happy.”

Read on for more about Schiller and his work.

Evan Schiller does not have a philosophy as such for his golf course photography, but he knows how to navigate the golf landscape, in more ways than one.

“It helps that I know golf,” starts Schiller, whose celebrated work adorns magazines, websites, and the walls of clubhouses and homes across the globe. “I have been around golf my whole life, and I have gotten to know a lot of golf course superintendents, so I have a really good sense of how they work. A lot of my job is down to preparation, and to communicating with superintendents.”

Schiller grew up playing golf at Ardsley Country Club, in Irvington, New York, literally across the street from his family’s home. Occasionally, family vacations would include rounds at Rolling Hills Golf Club in Fort Lauderdale. The club, now called Grande Oaks, earned its unconventional legendary status back in 1980.

“The movie Caddyshack was filmed at Rolling Hills,” explains Schiller. “In fact, those golf course explosions at the end of the movie—they actually staged those explosions at the golf course, but they didn’t tell anybody beforehand, so they were blowing up stuff and the police came to the course.” (This is a true story. A pilot flying overhead spotted a fireball, thought it might be a crashed aircraft, and reported it to air traffic control.)

Hole 4

Features / Evan Schiller

Schiller played college golf at the University of Miami, on the same team as Woody Austin, who would play on the PGA Tour, and Nathaniel Crosby, a son of Bing Crosby who won the 1981 U.S. Amateur. Schiller turned pro after college, and while he did not make it on tour, he qualified for the 1986 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, not far from home.

“A couple of my buddies qualified, too,” Schiller recalls, “and one day in practice we were on the first tee . . . Just as I was getting ready to tee off, Greg Norman and Lee Trevino walked up to the tee. They stood right behind me, with their arms folded, as if to say, ‘What are you guys doing?’ I was thinking, ‘Please, God, just let the ball go in the air.’ I got my drive away, and my friends were laughing. They were like, ‘If you can survive that, then teeing off in the first round tomorrow is going to be a breeze!’ ”

Schiller started taking a camera to tournaments with him, for his own enjoyment and to share photos with friends. Then, while working as an assistant at Westchester Country Club in New York, he had a colleague suggest he try selling some prints in the pro shop.

“I never thought anyone would buy them,” Schiller says. “But we put them in the shop during the Buick Classic, I sold a few, and I was off and running.”

Schiller—whose exceptional photographs regularly appear on the pages of Kingdom magazine—has not stopped since.

BELLEAIR COUNTRY CLUB, WEST COURSE

belleair is florida’s oldest golf club, and Schiller photographed the West Course after the Donald Ross layout had been restored by Jason Straka and Dana Fry. “Belleair is right near Clearwater, and that stretch of water is Saint Joseph Sound, and the land beyond it is Belleair Beach,” he says. “A lot of trees were removed to open up the views of the water. The afternoon shadows really define the undulations on the golf course, and particularly around that fourth green.”

Features / Evan Schiller

MOONLIGHT BASIN Montana

this jack nicklaus Signature golf course in Big Sky is just one element of an 8,000-acre mountainside property. Moonlight Basin extends from Lone Peak down into the Madison River Valley, close to Yellowstone National Park. “This picture was taken from a drone,” shares Schiller. “Golfers can see that mountain from just about anywhere on the golf course. A lot of the land here is preserved, and on the golf course, you are surrounded by these 10,000-foot peaks. There were no houses out there, so when you are playing golf, or taking pictures, you are out in the wilderness.”

BANDON DUNES, SHEEP RANCH

the sheep ranch course at Bandon Dunes started out as a nine-hole course, until Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw were recruited to extend it into a full 18. “This is the northernmost part of the property, and this photograph is facing south, so for almost as far as you can see, this is the Bandon Dunes property,” says Schiller. “This was April last year, and the gorse is blooming, so the hills have that yellow tint. I was just hoping I would get some sun. This was shot just after the sun came up, over a hill to the east, and the early sunlight brings out the undulations.”

gil hanse incorporated the sand ridges of this central Floridian expanse to great effect, creating a golf course that looks like it could be on the moon. “I actually started photographing this green further round to the left of this shot, looking back up the fairway,” recalls Schiller. “I was flying the drone around, and then, just out of curiosity, I flew it over to this spot, into the sun. Then I realized in that moment that I had been shooting from the wrong angle, and that this is the shot I wanted! The late afternoon sun illuminates such a cool green complex.”

STREAMSONG, BLACK COURSE

Life & St yle

MAGICAL MIXOLOGY

Four Seasons Resort Orlando serves up cocktails with a generous dose of wonder, especially inside its new library-themed speakeasy.

There are dozens of hidden doors scattered across Walt Disney World’s various theme parks, all leading to a network of tunnels and operation areas for the entertainment resort complex’s thousands of employees. There’s also a hidden door at the nearby Four Seasons Resort Orlando, only this door is for guests—specifically those who have booked a reservation at Epilogue, the property’s new speakeasy bar.

The dimly lit space is a den of sophistication and mystery, lined with bookshelves and other library-themed elements. “Our mixology program serves as a vehicle for

storytelling and creativity,” says Jennifer Rama, Four Seasons Resort Orlando’s director of food and beverage. “We want guests to engage with their cocktails on a deeper level, where every ingredient, technique, and presentation sparks a sense of wonder and appreciation.”

On the following pages, we share one such libation from the Epilogue menu: a concoction inspired by the recent SpaceX launch. But the speakeasy’s other cocktails are a heavily guarded secret—you’ll need a reservation to discover them for yourself—so to complement our sip-worthy peek behind the curtain, we spotlight two drinks shaken and stirred at Capa, the resort’s Michelin-starred Spanish steakhouse. —shaun tolson

Falcon Fizz

This modern interpretation of the Ramos gin fizz “embodies both technical mastery and a sense of wonder,” says Jennifer Rama, Four Seasons Resort Orlando’s director of food and beverage. The drink is structured around a vibrant base of botanical and citrus notes, while its creamy mouthfeel offers a striking juxtaposition to those flavors. It’s meant to feel like a rocket launch in a glass, where the experience “starts grounded with rich, creamy textures, ascends with effervescence, and finishes with a clean, refreshing lift.”

GLASS TYPE HIGHBALL

LIST of INGREDIENTS 9

2 oz. Drumshanbo Sardinian Citrus gin

½ oz. Grand Marnier

½ oz. fresh lime juice

½ oz. fresh lemon juice

1 oz. heavy cream

1 egg white

¾ oz. vanilla, saffron, and cardamom syrup*

Soda water

Fresh lime zest for garnish

METHOD for CRAFTING the PERFECT DRINK

In a shaker tin, combine all ingredients except soda water and dry shake for 30 seconds. Add three large ice cubes and, using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Pour into a chilled highball glass and return to the freezer for three minutes. Insert a straw in the center of the drink and use it as a guide to add soda water, pouring enough so that the foam surpasses the edge of the glass by half an inch. Remove the straw and garnish the foam with fresh lime zest.

*To create syrup, bring equal parts sugar and water to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce heat, add a pinch of saffron threads, a handful of whole cardamom pods, and one vanilla bean (split lengthwise), then remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 24 hours. Strain through a cheesecloth into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to one month.

In Spanish Fashion

When Christopher Wong, general manager of Capa, set out to create a libation that adds a modern twist to classic whiskey cocktails, he knew he wanted to include Spanish brandy. From there, he used rye whiskey as a base, a splash of Bénédictine for herbal sweetness, and a black-walnut-and-sweet-vermouth-infused ice cube that ensures the cocktail evolves as the ice melts. “It’s a cocktail that invites exploration and appreciation,” he says, “making it a true conversation starter.”

GLASS TYPE LIST of INGREDIENTS 7

2 oz. Rittenhouse Rye

Barspoon of Bénédictine

ROCKS

½ oz. Torres 10-yearold Spanish brandy

1 dash Angostura bitters

1 dash Peychaud’s bitters Large, infused ice cube*

Flamed orange peel for garnish

METHOD for CRAFTING the PERFECT DRINK

In a mixing glass, combine all ingredients with ice and stir until well chilled (about 20 seconds). Strain into a rocks glass over the vermouthand-black-walnut ice cube. Garnish with a flamed orange wheel.

*To make ice, fill a large square silicone ice cube mold with a 4-to-1

and

ratio of sweet vermouth

water, then add three dashes of black walnut bitters.

Capa Limonada

Mocktails are having a moment, and the Capa Limonada exemplifies the respect and attention that bartenders are paying to nonalcoholic alternatives. In the drink, the acidity of homemade lemonade cuts through the sweetness of the raspberry puree, while cinnamon syrup adds depth and warmth. A splash of club soda introduces effervescence, and a sprig of rosemary infuses the drink with an herbal quality. “It represents the joy of creativity in mixology,” says Capa’s general manager, Christoper Wong, “and proves that nonalcoholic beverages can be just as exciting and flavorful as their alcoholic counterparts.”

1½ oz. lemonade

¾ oz. raspberry puree

¾ oz. cinnamon syrup

Club soda

Sprig of fresh rosemary for garnish

Add the lemonade, syrup, and raspberry puree to a highball glass and stir until well incorporated. Add ice, then top with approximately two ounces of club soda. Garnish with the rosemary.

HIGHBALL

Arnold Palmer’s home state is heating up as a top cool-weather wine region.

by ADAM ERACE

When Erin Troxell’s parents planted Grüner Veltliner vines on the hillside of Galen Glen, their Lehigh Valley farm and winery, in 2003, doubters called them crazy. “They said, ‘How can you plant something that people can’t even pronounce?’ ” Troxell recalls. “ ‘How are you ever going to develop a market for this thing?’ ”

That thing—the brisk, mineral wine the Austrian grape produces—or, more broadly speaking, any dry Europeanstyle wine, indeed seemed an odd fit in eastern Pennsylvania. The region’s viticultural traditions predate the American Revolution, but its wines historically clocked almost as sweet and nearly as cheap as dollar-store fruit punch.

Drinks / PA Wine

The Troxell family’s farming roots go back seven generations in the Lehigh, where the mineral-rich terroir and climate of sunny days and mountain-frosted nights recall the famous river valleys of Germany. Troxell’s parents, a mechanical engineer and a pharmaceutical chemist, started planting vines when she was a child, and rode the white-zin wave in the early days. Their suitcase-clone Grüner planting— “Literally, someone carried budwood over from Austria in a suitcase,” Troxell says—is the second oldest in the United States. It was also at the vanguard of a pivot in Pennsylvania wines, from sweet swill to cellar-worthy vintages.

The rise of high-quality Pennsylvania wines owes in part to deregulation: The state-run liquor control board has started loosening its notoriously firm grip on wine sales, particularly for producers, making it easier to sell directly to consumers. The changing climate is also playing a role. The drier, hotter summers imperiling viniculture in the Mediterranean have created an unintended benefit for historically wetter regions like the mid-Atlantic, where grapes could do with a little less water.

Ed Lazzerini, the self-proclaimed dirt nerd of Vox Vineti winery in the flyspeck town of Andrews Bridge, sees the shift in Austria and Germany as a mirror: “There are some amazing red wines produced on a consistent basis there now, where 20, 30 years ago, they couldn’t dream of that,” he says. “I think we’re in a similar situation in Southeastern Pennsylvania.”

Set amid the emerald pastures and creek-laced mushroom forests of Chester and Lancaster counties, the Southeastern Pennsylvania wine region is noticeably warmer than the Lehigh. Lazzerini chose his six-acre plot specifically for its stony, well-drained earth. “In the core of the mid-Atlantic, we get enough heat and enough sunlight during the growing season,” he says. “The trick is that we sometimes get too much rain at the wrong time, which is why site selection and soil composition are so important.”

Galen Glen’s Fossil vineyard block and Casa Carmen’s Verde Vidal Blanc.

Drinks / PA Wine

PENNSYLVANIA PROMISE

POP OPEN THESE PENNSYLVANIA WINES

Galen Glen

2022 FOSSIL

VINEYARD RIESLING

Three hundred million years ago, a glacier covered the secluded valley that Galen Glen now overlooks. When the ice receded into an inland lake, tiny crustaceans called ostracods were fossilized in the slate-heavy soil, the namesake of the Troxells’ floral, award-winning Riesling. galenglen.com

Vox Vineti

2021 GALLOPING CAT NEBBIOLO

The soil is so stony at the uppermost block of Vox Vineti’s vineyard that Lazzerini named it Shatterhammer. Fortunately, this rocky, water-stressed block produces fantastic Nebbiolo fruit, which during the 2021 harvest amounted to 51 cases of this supple, food-adoring wine. voxvineti.com

Wayvine

2023 UNOAKED CHARDONNAY

“We’re just so proud of our crisp, clean, acid-driven whites,” says James Wilson. It’s not a category Chardonnay typically slots into, but Wayvine’s steel-tanked expression of the grape sparkles with so much citrus and tropical fruit, you might think it was a Sauvignon Blanc in disguise. wayvine.wine

Drinks / PA Wine

Vox Vineti’s elegant, age-worthy wines are already some of the most sought-after in the state, and an extremely limited production of 400 cases annually keeps supply low and cultlike interest high. Some Pennsylvania winemakers take this intimate approach, while others have more of an open-door policy. It speaks to the diversity of the scene that you can experience a reservations-required tasting of profound, unusual, single-hillside expressions of French and Italian grapes at Va La Vineyards with the farmer and winemaker, Anthony Vietri. Then, 10 minutes away, you can stroll onto the patio at Casa Carmen, where Ecuadorean brothers Felipe and Enrique Pallares serve Spanish pintxos and craft amaro and vermouth alongside the Vidal Blanc and Cab Franc from their three-and-a-half acres.

Nearby, at Wayvine, another pair of brand-building brothers, Zach and James Wilson, think even bigger in the barn tasting room they built from their own milled lumber. Bingo and pizza nights, live music, weddings, an Airbnb. They’re partners in a Philly trattoria, Tulip Pasta & Wine Bar, where you can enjoy their juicy Barbera with bucatini and lamb ragu, and they are actively planning a distillery on the farm—half of which remains open land for the public to enjoy.

“We’re so blessed to be able to grow up on such a beautiful piece of land,” James says. “It means a lot to us to be able to work on the farm we love so much.”

Made exclusively with estate-grown fruit, Wayvine’s low-intervention wines tend to be easygoing, vibrant, and resonant with the Wilsons’ fellow millennial drinkers. In a full-circle Pennsylvania wine moment, one of their brand’s most popular bottlings is a lovely, flinty Grüner Veltliner.

Wayvine’s winery in Southeastern Pennsylvania hosts everything from bingo nights to weddings and even has its own Airbnb.

Apes Hill

Spirited Cooking

At Gabriel Kreuther’s Michelinstarred restaurant in Manhattan, the classically trained French chef has developed a special tasting menu around one of his new favorite ingredients—Scotch whisky.

by SHAUN TOLSON

Cuisine / Chef GK

COOKING WITH ALCOHOL is firmly entrenched in Gabriel Kreuther’s Alsatian roots. In fact, the Michelinstarred chef grew up watching his grandfather craft his own brandies and schnapps. Later, when Kreuther was serving as an apprentice in various European kitchens, he learned to make marinades, foie gras, sausages, and pâtés that incorporated Cognac, Armagnac, or whisky. “It’s basically a part of my culture,” he says.

It’s fitting, then, that the 56-year-old chef turned to a bottle of mature, blended Scotch when he was challenged to create a rendition of one of his signature dishes—squab and foie gras croustillant—without using the buttery, goose-liver pâté. In its place, Kreuther devised a concoction of cashews, dried morel and shiitake mushrooms, onions, garlic, plenty of herbs and spices, and—in a twist—a blended Scotch whisky flambé.

Initially, he served the dish to patrons who dined at the chef’s table of his eponymous Manhattan-based restaurant. But soon, those guests’ praise was so effusive and so frequent that Kreuther knew he had to give the dish a permanent place on the restaurant’s everyday menu.

“The tertiary flavor and the roundness of the whisky, it really changes the way it behaves with food,” he says, which explains why the blended Scotch—Dewar’s 18 Year Old, to be specific—works better as a flambé for his cashew-andwild-mushroom pâté than does Cognac or Armagnac, both

Chef Gabriel Kreuther (above) and his cashew-and-wild-mushroom pâté (top).

of which Kreuther tested. In fact, the chef initially tried the recipe using both the 12- and 15-year-old Dewar’s expressions, too. Ultimately, it was the 18’s depth of flavor that made the difference. “I like the 18 Year best to cook with,” he says. “It’s a very friendly, complex whisky.”

Not long afterward, Kreuther took inspiration from the Dewar’s 18 Year Old and created a dish he calls Montauk Lobster “Flambée Au Whisky.” It’s essentially a butterbasted Long Island lobster tail that is gently pan seared, then flambéed with two tablespoons of Dewar’s 18. “Our job [as chefs] is to figure out how to extract the best flavors of a product,” says Kreuther, who found that the sweetness and salinity of the lobster meat mirrored some of the secondary notes of the whisky. By coating the meat with a thin layer of Scotch during the flambé process, he found that the spirit’s maritime quality enhanced and expanded the lobster’s natural flavor. “There’s a harmonious way that they come together.”

All this experimentation led to a formal partnership with Dewar’s and a subsequent whisky-focused tasting menu comprising dishes that either feature the spirit as an ingredient or are paired with neat pours and whisky-based cocktails. The meal begins with a series of amuse-bouches, for example, served alongside a blended Scotch cocktail

Cuisine

Our job is to figure out how to extract the best flavors.”

/ Chef GK

rooted in grapefruit and cranberry flavors and accented by a splash of absinthe. One such introductory bite, a s’mores hushpuppy, highlights the whisky’s underlying smokiness, while rambutan ceviche draws out the spirit’s floral and citrus character.

The meal concludes with a neat pour of Dewar’s Double Double 27 Year Old, which Kreuther serves alongside bespoke chocolates infused with a measure of the whisky label’s latest collector’s release, the Double Double 38 Year Old. In the chef’s opinion, the whisky’s honeyed fruits, subtle spice, and heady floral notes are a sublime complement to the richness of the chocolate.

As for the foundation of this cooking-meets-whisky collaboration, Kreuther acknowledges that it’s as much about how the spirit is made as it is about the flavors born from that creation. “What intrigued me about Dewar’s was the thoughtfulness of the blending,” he says. “It’s a little bit the same process as me thinking about the final product of a dish and putting something together with a specific result that I’m chasing.”

The Earth & Oak cocktail made with Dewar’s Double Double 21 Year Old (top) and Kreuther’s Montauk Lobster “Flambée Au Whisky” (above).

Tby JACKIE CARADONIO

Outdoors / Cycling Trips

ravel is all about pacing: Go too fast, and you’ll skip over the important details; move too slow, and you won’t cover enough ground. Exploring the world on two wheels is often just the right speed, especially in these six destinations where cycling gets you closer to nature and culture, not to mention some seriously toned quads.

THE ROAD BEST TRAVELED 1

ANCIENT LANDS in Japan

Japan is beloved for its history and culture, but few venture beyond the tourism hot spots, making Butterfield and Robinson’s eight-day cycling journey through the coastal and mountainous Toyama prefecture a rarefied adventure. Power up—and glide down—the jagged peaks of the Tateyama Mountain Range (known as the Northern Alps of Japan), visit the centuries-old gassho-style houses of ancient UNESCO villages, and zip alongside the pristine Toyama Bay on one of the country’s official scenic cycling routes. Out of the saddle, cyclists will explore ancient temples and Zen gardens, soak in onsen hot springs (a must for those sore muscles), and stay in classic ryokan accommodations. The guided journeys include the use of B & R’s custom flat-handlebar bikes, ideal for both road cycling and mountain biking. butterfield.com

GLACIAL LAKES in Chile

The wilds of Patagonia have lured adventurers for centuries—but even history’s greatest explorers would be challenged by Black Tomato’s intrepid 13-day Chilean hiking and biking voyage. The journey begins in the Lake District, with a week of racking up miles among ice-capped volcanoes, lush greenery, and lakeside villages. Then it’s on to Chilean Patagonia for another five days of hiking among lush landscapes and unimaginable peaks. Expect lunches with gauchos in a real estancia, up-close sightings of guanacos and Andean condors, and plenty of rest and relaxation at luxurious lodges surrounded by nothing but the glorious “Land of Giants.” blacktomato.com

MICHELIN MEALS ON WHEELS in Puglia

Stops at local farms, cideries, art galleries, and produce stands are all part of the itinerary.

Outdoors / Cycling Trips

The best part of cycling in Italy? Working up an appetite for all that mozzarella, mortadella, and Montepulciano. DuVine’s Puglia Chef on Wheels Bike Tour makes the challenge as sweet as the reward, with six days of scenic rides (from 16 to 36 miles per day, with both advanced and shorter options) followed by copious amounts of wellearned pasta, pizza, olive oil, and wine. Using a luxury villa as their home base, cyclists will explore a different attraction every day—the verdant Valle d’Itria, the trulli of Alberobello, the seaside Polignano a Mare—and enjoy a magnificent meal at each along the way, from secret trattorias to Michelin-starred restaurants and even a homecooked meal by an Italian mamma duvine.com

ISLAND-HOPPING in British Columbia

For a more leisurely saddle sojourn, join Backroads on a six-day Gulf Islands journey that can be tailored for moderate to advanced cyclists. Choose the mileage and elevation gain that’s right for you (from 15 to 47 miles per day) and enjoy undulating, scenic rides from Salt Spring Island to the Cowichan Valley wine country. There’s no rush: Stops at local farms, cideries, art galleries, and produce stands are all part of the laid-back—and modifiable—itinerary. Two days of moderate hiking are also included, along with a private wildlife cruise offering chances to glimpse bald eagles, orcas, and porpoises. backroads.com

HELI-BIKING in Kenya

Cycling among some of sub-Saharan Africa’s most magnificent creatures? It sounds like a dream—but it’s also practical: Swapping noisy vehicles for the silence of a bike doesn’t just bring you closer to wildlife; it brings them closer to you. Micato’s eight-day cycling journey begins in the serene Karura Forest, amid eucalyptus trees and cascading waterfalls, and continues through the stunning Chyulu Hills, where volcanic peaks and acacia woodlands are home to antelopes, zebras, and giraffes. Next, it’s on to the Loisaba Conservancy to traverse wildflower-covered hills in the shadows of Mount Kenya among elephants, gazelles, and painted dogs. Each destination is linked by a thrilling helicopter ride—and punctuated by a luxury safari lodge—and every mile is led by a local Samburu or Maasai guide who can share their own stories of crossing this storied land. micato.com

Outdoors / Cycling Trips

A COLORFUL JOURNEY through Vietnam

Stitch together Vietnam’s vibrant cities, ancient sites, and serene fishing villages the way locals do: on two wheels. Cycling culture is strong throughout the country, and Abercrombie & Kent shows travelers the best of it on a 12-day itinerary combining the frenetic scenes of Ho Chi Minh City—where zipping through the wide streets among throngs of cyclists and moped riders is a thrill never to be forgotten—with the slow-paced setting of Hoi An’s floating villages and Ha Long Bay’s dramatic karst landscapes. Royal palaces and sizzling street markets, hidden caves and secret grottoes, and emerald rice fields and tranquil pagodas await at every turn. abercrombiekent.com

Triple Play

A revived Idaho resort is finally ready to fulfill its three-pronged potential.

by BRUCE WALLIN

From the deck of Tamarack Resort’s new Mid-Mountain Lodge, corduroy-covered ski runs drop through larch and pine groves toward the icy shores of Idaho’s Lake Cascade. In a meadow near the water’s edge, barely discernible in the wintery landscape, a Robert Trent Jones Jr.–designed golf course lies covered in snow. The sweeping vista—which also spans a base village and the site of a soon-to-be-built marina—captures the three traits that, according to Scott Turlington, make Tamarack one of a kind.

Vacation Home / Tamarack

“It’s America’s only ski, golf, and lake resort,” explains Turlington, Tamarack’s president. “Mountain, meadow, lake. To have that all basically within walking distance is unique.”

First opened as a ski mountain in 2004, Tamarack has hit a few moguls in the two decades since. The resort, located about 90 miles north of Boise, filed for bankruptcy in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, and it closed in 2009. A group of homeowners assumed operation of the ski lifts, but Trent Jones Jr.’s Osprey Meadows Golf Course, which opened in 2006, was left to its own devices and gradually returned to nature.

Tamarack’s fortunes finally turned in 2018, when MMG Equity Partners led a group in purchasing the resort, which MMG now owns outright. The acquisition helped convince Turlington, who was instrumental in opening Tamarack in the early 2000s, to return to a place that was still near to his heart. “I stayed involved with Tamarack over the years,” he says. “I still went up with my family and skied and went on the lake. We never really left it, and we always knew it would come back at some point.”

That point appears to be now. MMG is investing heavily in the revival of the resort, which today features 1,530 skiable acres and seven chairlifts. In addition to the 12,000-square-foot Mid-Mountain Lodge, Tamarack has opened new restaurants and event spaces in the village,

Set about 90 miles north of Boise, Tamarack Resort offers skiing and snowboarding in the winter and golf and water sports in the warmer months.

Vacation Home / Tamarack

walking and biking trails, and a two-acre amphitheater at its base. The past year also saw the long-awaited return of Osprey Meadows.

“Everything at Tamarack has a story, and the golf course is no different,” Turlington says. “In 2014, when the course had gone fallow, a couple of guys came in and bought 15 holes. It took us about three years to negotiate buying them back.”

Trent Jones Jr.’s team returned to rehabilitate the original design, completing the first nine holes in 2023. The full course, along with a bonus 19th hole, reopened last July.

Golf is one of several outdoor activities on hand during the warmer months at Tamarack. The ski area’s chairlifts provide access to a zip line course and 54 miles of biking trails, while kayaking, fishing, wake surfing, and more are available on the lake. In winter, in addition to skiing, the area offers world-class ice-fishing for jumbo perch.

With its unique combination of outdoor activities—and the continued investment of MMG—Tamarack has become an increasingly attractive option in the second-home market. Of the resort’s 132 Village Residences, which range from 480-square-foot studios to a 1,767-square-foot penthouse at the ski mountain’s base, only 16 remain available for purchase. Tamarack also has 67 homesites and residences along the Osprey Meadows course, with more to come.

“The market has been really picking up,” Turlington says. “Tamarack has all of its entitlements in place for the next

“Everything at Tamarack has a story, and the golf course is no different.”

—SCOTT TURLINGTON

1,200 or 1,300 units, so we’re planning for the next phases.”

Those next phases include the addition of 60 townhomes, 16 of which will break ground this spring.

Tamarack homeowners have the option to include their residences in the resort’s rental pool. For now, the slopeside condominiums and other units available for rent are the only way for visitors to stay at the resort, but a luxury hotel is among ownership’s planned additions. The long-term outlook also calls for adding 3,500 acres of terrain— more than doubling the ski area’s size—and the further development of the new marina.

Even with all his expansion plans, Turlington believes that Tamarack will retain its essence, remaining a low-key alternative to the Aspens and Sun Valleys of the world. “There’s always going to be that quaintness to it,” he says. “That small-town charm is the core of Tamarack.”

Real estate options at Tamarack include golf course homesites and villas and slopeside condominiums.

As we step into spring, it’s time to refresh both the scorecard and the wardrobe. Golf fashion has evolved over the years, and this season we’re seeing an uptick in elevated looks. For me, neutrals with a pop of color are always the play—effortless and perfectly in tune with the season’s classy aesthetic. Whether it’s a crisp white base with a bold accent or soft earth tones paired with a striking hue, spring style is all about balancing sophistication with the right amount of statement.

alexandra o’laughlin

Spring Staples

On Golf Instructor Matthew Killen

Vuori Ace polo, $78, and Meta pants, $128, vuoriclothing.com; RLX washable cashmere hooded sweater, $348, ralphlauren.com; Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Oyster 40 mm watch, $15,500, rolex .com; Prada Linea Rossa PS 51XS sunglasses, $377, sunglasshut .com; G/Fore MG4+ golf shoes, $195, gfore.com; FootJoy socks, from $12, footjoy.com

On Alexandra

G/Fore Cashmere Cricket sweater, $795, and Shadow

Stretch High Waisted shorts, $165, gfore.com; Rolex Oyster

Perpetual 41 mm watch, $6,500, rolex.com; Malbon x Adidas Stan Smith golf shoes, $128, and Malbon socks, from $16, malbon.com

Lt. Col. Dan Rooney

Love of Game / Folds of Honor

As a boy, Dan Rooney dreamt of two things: playing professional golf and being a fighter pilot. As a golfer, he played for the University of Kansas, competing in NCAA Championships as well as the 100th U.S. Amateur Championship. As a pilot, Rooney served three combat tours in Iraq, flying the F-16 Viper.

After his third tour of duty, in 2007, Lieutenant Colonel Rooney founded Folds of Honor, a nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of fallen or disabled military service members and first responders. Over the subsequent 17 years, the foundation has provided almost $300 million in scholarships to nearly 62,000 qualified applicants.

Today, Folds of Honor is tightly linked to the PGA Tour, Champions Tour, and Korn Ferry Tour. One of the most thrilling experiences born from those partnerships was Rooney’s opportunity to collaborate with his boyhood hero, Jack Nicklaus, on the creation of American Dunes—a not-for-profit golf club in Grand Haven, Michigan, that raises funds for Folds of Honor. —shaun tolson

Simply stated, what do you love most about the game?

I call it my golf church because it’s so spiritual, and I think a lot of people miss that piece of the game. If you get it and if you truly love the game, you understand all the layers—the fellowship and the connection to nature. Some of the holiest moments in my life have been playing nine holes by myself.

There is something very peaceful about playing golf by yourself—especially late in the day.

I’m blessed to have built two golf courses, American Dunes and the Patriot Golf Club, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which I live on. I’ll go out an hour and 15 minutes before sunset, basically all year long, and I’ll walk the golf course. That’s how I finish my day—it’s my perfect evening.

What makes professional golf the perfect partner for Folds of Honor?

Golf is incredibly patriotic, and those who play it are fundamentally very patriotic people. So we want to give them more opportunities to be who they are. But the game of golf is also incredibly benevolent. The National Golf Foundation reported that $4.6 billion was generated for

Lt. Col. Dan Rooney and Jack Nicklaus at the debut of American Dunes.

His quote, on a massive entry wall before you get to the golf course, says, ‘I love the game of golf, but I love my country even more.’ ”

charities through the game of golf a couple of years ago. Four out of every five green-grass facilities hosted a charitable golf event in the past year. So that’s the perfect storm for us.

How has it been running what effectively is a nonprofit golf club these last few years?

Love of Game / Folds of Honor

Last May, the Memorial Tournament introduced a relatively new concept called Folds of Honor Friday. What can you tell us about that?

I had a revelation a couple of years ago that professional golf was the only major sport in this country that doesn’t observe the national anthem, so I reached out to Commissioner Monahan and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got to fix this.’ So Folds of Honor Friday is bringing the national anthem to professional golf on Friday and then creating a deeper moment where we have players and fans donning red, white, and blue in honor of those who serve. We’re starting a new tradition in the game of golf, and it’s such a blessing, but Jack Nicklaus was the catalyst to bring the national anthem to golf.

You partnered with Nicklaus back in 2020 to create American Dunes. What was it like working so closely with your boyhood hero?

It’s always dangerous to meet your heroes, but Jack exceeded every expectation that I had of him. His quote, which is on a massive entry wall that leads into a memorial before you get to the golf course, says ‘I love the game of golf, but I love my country even more.’ That sums up our journey. When I pitched him the idea, he immediately waived his $3 million fee and then made nine site visits to American Dunes. He said, ‘Dan, I just want to build you a golf course that’s as reverent as the cause.’ I just love bragging on him, because he deserves it.

This thing has exceeded anybody’s wildest dreams. It’s effectively been sold out our first four years of operation. When you look at the zip codes of where people are coming from . . . it’s a pilgrimage. And four years later, we’ve donated $4.5 million back to Folds of Honor.

What’s it like playing a round at American Dunes?

The spirituality and the reverence of the place transcend the game of golf. As good as Jack’s design is—and it’s unbelievable—if you ask people what their top five favorite things are at American Dunes, they don’t even mention the golf course. The whole course shuts down at one o’clock every day for two minutes. Taps is played and then a bell tolls 13 times, which signifies the 13 folds of the flag. And as you go around the golf course, there are videos in the golf carts from Folds of Honor recipients. We call it golf’s most heroic round, and it truly is, because you’re not playing for yourself. The round that you’re playing is benefitting these heroic military and first-responder families.

You’re still a scratch player. Does your perspective on how golf fits into your life help you play well?

If you love golf, you love to play well and your game is irrationally important to you. But when you’re not just playing for yourself, when you’re playing for something bigger than yourself, it adds a perspective and a purpose that makes it easier to shoot better scores. I have no doubt about that.

Club Collection

our members to experience

Kingdom’s Club Collection highlights premier golf courses, resorts, and communities that belong on every golfer’s must-visit list.

Water comes into sharp focus on the North Course at Firestone CC (left and right).

FIRESTONE COUNTRY CLUB

Much

of American golf’s fame, folklore, and flavor can be traced to this storied club.

Club

Many of the game’s all-time greats came to Firestone Country Club to forge their reputations: Tiger Woods won World Golf Championship events at the Akron, Ohio, club eight times—it almost became an annual ritual. Arnold Palmer won here three times in the 1950s and ’60s, while the Buckeye State’s own Jack Nicklaus won here seven times, including the PGA Championship of 1975.

It was here where the “Big Three” moniker began to take hold, when Palmer, Nicklaus, and Gary Player were drawn to play each other in the inaugural World Series of Golf at Firestone in September 1962. NBC sent 50 people and nine TV cameras to perform the biggest color, remote TV broadcast ever attempted at the time.

Firestone’s original South Course was designed by Bertie Way nearly a century ago, and it was revamped by Robert Trent Jones Sr. ahead of the 1960 PGA Championship. RTJ also created the club’s North Course, and a Tom Fazio layout completes one of America’s greatest 54-hole propositions.

After your game, please try the club’s Crunchy Cream Pie, created by pastry chef Victor Pallotta in the late 1970s—another American classic born of Firestone.

Collection

Club Collection

QUAIL HOLLOW CLUB

The PGA Championship sends golfers down the Green Mile.

Tour golfers know they can never presume a round is any good until they walk off the 18th green, and this is never truer than at Quail Hollow, venue for the 2025 PGA Championship. They call the final three holes here the “Green Mile,” a stretch that provides an exacting, precarious test on which a major title will be won and lost.

The 16th is a par 4 measuring more than 500 yards, with a green that hugs the edge of a lake. The 17th is one of America’s most famous par 3s, with a tee shot of more than 220 yards, played over water, to another green that could not get any closer to a swim. The closer is another long par 4, with a jagged creek that unnerves players all the way to the green.

“There is a lot of fan excitement here, with the Green Mile, and this is just a big championship course,” says Derek Sprague, CEO, PGA of America.

Quail Hollow’s club president, Johnny Harris, adds, “This is a place that brings people together, through sports, and what greater way to do that than with the PGA Championship?”

We can’t wait to see how the 2025 tournament unfolds at Quail Hollow.

GOLDEN HORSESHOE GOLF CLUB

Pedigree and beauty combine in historic Williamsburg.

It is not just the colonial history that is epic in Williamsburg, Virginia: Golden Horseshoe Golf Club features two of the finest golf courses in the eastern states.

The club’s Gold Course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and opened in 1963, with the woodland layout requiring precision over power to score well. “The Golden Horseshoe is a natural arboretum upon which a great golf course has been built,” said Trent Jones Sr. when the course opened. “The overall result is perfection.”

Tree-lined fairways, deep bunkering, and plenty of water hazards create a stunning test featuring one of America’s earliest island greens, on the par-3 16th.

Jones Sr.’s son Rees Jones kept the club’s design responsibilities within the family when he was recruited to lay out the Green Course, which opened in 1991. A larger golf course, with more room off the tee and on the greens, it still requires sound shotmaking to post a good score. The Jones tradition has been extended further, as this summer a new nine-hole par-3 course by Rees— the Shoe—is set to open at Golden Horseshoe.

Club Collection

The club name comes from a horseback expedition in the early 1700s, undertaken by the governor of Virginia and 50 men. They were the first colonialists to successfully navigate across the Blue Ridge Mountains, and on their return, the men were given golden horseshoe medals. On September 12, 1963, on the opening day of the Gold Course, horseshoe medallions were presented to the players.

Palmer Design Company

Arnold Palmer could have lived anywhere, but he chose to stay—and to raise his family—in his hometown of Latrobe, Pennsylvania. His father, Deacon, helped to build Latrobe Country Club, and it was here where Arnie shaped his love of golf and of people, where his character was built and where he launched a life and legacy that inspired an Army of fans around the world.

The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation is mustering Arnie’s Army to preserve Latrobe’s role in inspiring dreams, building character and leading the game of golf forward. We owe it to Arnie’s legacy to share Latrobe with the world.

“Your hometown is not where you’re from; it’s who you are.”

— ARNOLD PALMER

KINGDOM CLUBHOUSE

Publisher’s picks and other spring favorites from the staff and friends of Kingdom

The Spanish resort La Manga Club has set the standard for golf development in Murcia. This year, the resort celebrates 50 years since Arnold Palmer won the 1975 Spanish Open on its South Course, with an eagle on the par-5 closing hole. They named the lake on 18 “Lago Palmer.”

—JON EDWARDS

Kingdom Clubhouse

Lowercase just made life for the urban golfer a lot easier. Effectively the love child of a traditional golf bag and a hiker’s pack, this carryall makes schlepping clubs a breeze. Once the company creates a cover with easy club access, I’ll use this for walking rounds. It’s that comfortable!

—SHAUN TOLSON

The Swiss company Golfyr is a genuine innovator, encouraging golfers to play with a set of just seven carbon-made clubs. The first to be released is this Maker Premier putter. —j.e.

Dewar’s special edition for the 2024 U.S. Open was my favorite in the collector’s series—until now! The Dewar’s 2025 U.S. Open Champions Edition is a distinguished blend, and I love the Calvados cask finish. I recommend just a dash of water to really open up the flavor profile. The apple from the Calvados is finely balanced with honey and spice. Dewar’s traditional toffee and honey notes come through but are not overpowering. —MATTHEW SQUIRE

Until you see the Purist from Good Fellow Golf, you’ll never know what your golf bag was missing. The lightweight, zip-up accessory features a purpose-built storage compartment for every conceivable golf tool and more. Better still, it’s compact. —s.t.

I love the fit and style of Lohla Sport. The outfits are designed and made in Europe but sold in the U.S. They all fit so well, and the fabric is super soft and stretchy.

—ANNIKA SÖRENSTAM

Kingdom Clubhouse

Golfers heading to Ireland this summer: Don’t forget to book a tee time at Tralee, the celebrated Arnold Palmer–designed course on the Emerald Isle’s west coast.

—robin barwick

Kingdom Clubhouse

Spring is prime time to sip Napa Valley wines at the source, after the winter rains and before the summer heat. I’ve got my eyes on an April trip, staying at Four Seasons Resort Napa Valley and tasting at the nearby Frank Family Vineyards in Calistoga and Beaulieu Vineyard in Rutherford.

—bruce

wallin

Loving the feel off the face of this Bettinardi Antidote SB2 putter with an aluminum insert.

—MATTHEW HALNAN

Take the long view with the 20x80 Deluxe III binoculars and TR3 hardwood tripod from Oberwerk. —alexandra o’laughlin

The intricate artwork of Patrick Griffith is on display at Local Remedy Brewing, in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. Here are ink drawings of Pittsburgh icons Andy Warhol and Art Rooney Sr., who founded the Steelers. (Instagram: artbypatgriffith) —r.b.

Kingdom Clubhouse

I haven’t been able to play much golf this year due to injury, but it’s given me time to work on my short game and putting. I needed a comfortable, versatile sneaker that performs well on and off the course, especially in the UK’s wet winters. I chose Ecco’s Street 720 M sneakers with Gore-Tex lining for all-day comfort and waterproof protection. —m.s.

SQUIRE SELECT

This A. Putnam crochet short-sleeve cardigan is ideal for spring and summer. Warm yet light and versatile, it’s fun to style up for an occasion, easy to tone down with jeans, and great to wear on the golf course. —emily poppert

Kingdom Clubhouse

I’ve admired Ettinger—the storied British producer of luxury leather goods—for years, and the company just launched its Dollar Wallet, following a trip to New York by CEO Robert Ettinger. It is designed to hold dollar bills specifically, and now I have a fabulous Ettinger wallet for both sides of the pond!

—j.e.

Vivid photographs by Charles “Teenie” Harris are in an exhibition at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh. Harris was a staff photographer on the Pittsburgh Courier, one of America’s most influential African American–owned newspapers of the postwar era. —r.b.

Scottie Scheffler’s official PGA Tour prize money for the 2024 season totaled $29.2 million. That figure—which includes purses for one major championship and six regular tournament wins but not bonuses like the $25 million he earned in the FedEx Cup rankings— eclipsed the previous single-season record by $8 million. To see how it compares with other standout seasons, we’ve spotlighted five top earners from past eras. We’ve included the players’ actual earnings, the value of their winnings in today’s money, and the estimated figure the players would have earned had they won the same tournaments in 2025.

$298,149

$13,544,727 Regular Tournaments Won Major Wins

$530,808

$1,974,837

6 3

3 2 2000 TIGER WOODS Regular Tournaments Won Major Wins

$16,389,454

$23,989,454 1980 TOM WATSON Regular Tournaments Won Major Wins 6 1

A

course so majestic it could only be set in the Queen City.

Home to the Wells Fargo Championship, the 2017 and 2025 PGA Championship, and the 2022 Presidents Cup. The

and more recently redesigned

attracts Major Championships. And even more compliments.

course, modified by member Arnold Palmer

by Tom Fazio,

Rolex Watch

THE MAJORS ISSUE