COASTAL BIASES – ST. LOUIS C.C.

A look at how C.B. Macdonald unleashed his creativity across the rolling hills of St. Louis Country Club Charles Blair Macdonald was not lacking in self-assurance. He expressed his supreme confidence through action and proclamation. The action was to create a portfolio of golf courses, topped by National Golf Links of America, that would revolutionizeContinue reading “COASTAL BIASES – ST. LOUIS C.C.”

TIMELESS IDEALS AT NATIONAL GOLF LINKS

An in-depth profile of C.B. Macdonald’s National Golf Links of America and the design ideals it embodies. The National. Two words that, especially for devotees of classic architecture, hold so much meaning. These words are not just shorthand for the club named National Golf Links of America, they carry the weight of one man’s incrediblyContinue reading “TIMELESS IDEALS AT NATIONAL GOLF LINKS”

MY FAVORITE TEMPLATE

An in-depth look at Macdonald’s Leven template with Brett Hochstein and Jon Cavalier When it comes to golf course architecture, it doesn’t get much geekier than MacRaynor templates.  It should come s no surprise that I love the templates, and the one I love most of all is the Leven.  In an age when lengthContinue reading “MY FAVORITE TEMPLATE”

LinksGems Birthday Tribute to C.B. Macdonald

A BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE TO CHARLES BLAIR MACDONALD Happy 162nd birthday to the Godfather of American Golf, Charles Blair Macdonald. On November 14, 1855, Charles Blair Macdonald was born in Ontario.  After growing up in Chicago, he attended St. Andrews University, where he learned golf from Old Tom Morris.  In 1874, he returned to Chicago butContinue reading “LinksGems Birthday Tribute to C.B. Macdonald”