I have heard interviews with professional golfers and writers over the years that say that when Ben Hogan hit a golf ball, it made a different sound than when anyone else hit the ball. So, as I approached the 17th fairway at Valhalla to begin my PGA Championship experience, I expected to be shocked and…
The rolling hills of Houston Oaks Golf Course may be the Lexington area’s best kept secret to those golfers not from the Bluegrass region. It’s a fantastic golf course. Houston Oaks is an above-average layout that is kept in above-average condition year round (Bryan and I played Houston Oaks a few days before Christmas 2013).…
Fresh off alternating several setbacks and successes, I showed up for my long overdue 8th golf lesson mentally somewhere between having my chest puffed out and my tail tucked between my legs. My new full swing is at a point that I need periodic check ups and corrections, but there is plenty within my golf…
Lexington’s Tates Creek Golf Course is located near the heart of the city’s south side, nestled up against several widely disparate neighborhoods. It is far and away the most “muni” of all of Lexington’s city courses. John Mark and I have probably played Tates Creek a combined 150 times between us, so I guess he…
I am extremely grateful to have spent a rain-soaked Friday at the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club outside Louisville, Kentucky. Despite the soggy conditions, I can’t help but feel like it was a real privilege to watch the greatest golfers in the world compete for a championship in my home state. The day provided…
If you’re heading to Louisville for the PGA Championship this week, I’m sure there will be no shortage of official partners and sponsors asking for your patronage and your tourism dollars. There will be parties and all manner of bars and restaurants buzzing and hopping with tournament energy. Whether you’re rooting for your favorite professional…
Last Saturday was just “one of those days” on the golf course. It was one of those days when I couldn’t get off the tee box, wasn’t striking the ball well with my irons, and even had my wedges and putter betray me. My round was one of those golf outings that if I were…
Well, Dear Readers, your responses to the July Poll Question confirm that collectively, we are quite the group of degenerate gamblers. However, our preference for how we lose money to our friends is as varied as all the games available on a Las Vegas casino floor. By the slimmest of margins, the classic Nassau proved…
The Big Blue Course at the University Club of Kentucky is a long, fun, difficult golf course with a relatively short, but interesting, history in Central Kentucky. After 20 years, this unique original remains one of the most memorable and memory-making daily fee courses in the Lexington area. Originally designed by Danny McQueen, the University…
The second leg of the central Ohio trip took us to the Players Club Course at Foxfire Golf Club in Lockbourne, Ohio, just south of the Columbus metro. Coming off a wonderful day at Longaberger G.C., it would be unfair to almost any golf course to stand up in comparison. However, the Players Club has…
*Starting Jan. 1, 2016, Longaberger Golf Club has rebranded itself as Virtues Golf Club, severing any affiliation to the Longaberger Basket Co. The season-long Kentucky’s Best Golf Tour took a detour through Ohio in July to visit a friend from law school and check out Longaberger Golf Club located about an hour east of the…
One of the most commonly misunderstood, ignored, or unknown rules in golf is the proper order of play, especially on or around the green. Most of the rounds of golf I play are of the “casual” variety, and I prefer to play with other “ready-golf” disciples, so the order of play and pitch perfect etiquette…
The 4th of July holiday weekend brought searing heat to the Bluegrass region, under which many of our golf courses began browning up around the edges. Fairways got faster and greens got firmer as the breeze got warmer. And Weissinger Hills Golf Course was no exception. Located just two minutes from Interstate 64 in Shelbyville,…
The midpoint of 2014 has come and gone, so it’s time for a brief look back at the best and worst of my golf world. The best and worst of the first half of 2014: Best Investment: Golf lessons. I’ve flirted with getting down to a single digit handicap this spring, which is probably a…
This is a guest column by Jenny King, the Head Coach of the University of Akron Zips Women’s Golf Team in Akron, Ohio. Congratulations! You just entered yourself in a golf tournament! So what now? That initial excitement when you press “Submit” after registering online or once you seal the envelope filled with your entry…
Thursday evening, I had the incredibly gratifying and humbling experience whilst walking nine holes at my home course to start the holiday weekend. Cramming five days of work into four long days had worn me down, and I needed to get out to walk some of the stress away. This was the third consecutive evening…
In July, we Americans celebrate the annual remembrance of our forefathers throwing off the shackles of King George’s Imperial Tyranny and forging a new nation founded on beliefs in liberty, freedom, and republican democracy. We celebrate this most American national holiday by eating hot dogs (German), shooting off fireworks (Chinese), enjoying the 1812 Overture (Russian)…
In a plurality decision, Dear Readers, most of us, as a group, don’t like having an entire side of the golf course taken away from us on the tee. That is the not-quite-overwhelming result of the May Poll question. Personally, I have to agree. If there is a particular place or direction I absolutely cannot…
The first half of 2014 has come and gone, and as the heat of another Bluegrass summer engulfs us here at the One Bearded Golfer Blog, it is time to check in my progress towards my New Year’s Golf Resolutions. I will buy a new pair of golf shoes. Progress Grade: A+. My feet continue…
Yesterday, a fellow Golf Kentucky Links devotee posed a couple of interesting questions to me concerning a few of my recent course review write-ups. He noticed that I had commented that both Old Silo and Heritage Hill were very fair golf courses. To his credit, Jason called me on my borderline overuse of the term…
The third expedition of our season long Kentucky’s Best Golf Tour led us to Heritage Hill Golf Club on the south side of Shepherdsville, Kentucky. Located just 20 minutes south of downtown Louisville and just minutes from Interstate 65, Heritage Hill is located in a veritable metropolis compared to our treks to StoneCrest and Eagle…
Please note that this review is reflective of what Old Silo USED to be. Unfortunately, the course has gone significantly downhill in the interim between when I published this column in 2014 and whenever you are reading this. For a more accurate picture of the modern Old Silo G.C. experience, please see my premature obituary…
Martin Kaymer probably still hasn’t awoken from the dream that was his 2014 U.S. Open performance. Who could blame him? That was the most effortless major performance probably since Rory at Congressional or Tiger at Pebble Beach. As impressive as Kaymer’s performance was, the undoubted star of the week was the renovated Pinehurst No. 2…
Saturday was my second outing with the Picadome Men’s Golf Association. On that perfect June morning, I arrived at the course desperately hoping to play better and have more fun than in the Skins Game weeks earlier. Despite only bettering my score by a few strokes, I am glad that I can say I accomplished…
I have been fortunate to play some amazing golf courses this year, including 3 so far ranked among the top public courses in the United States, in both South Carolina’s Lowcountry and the volcanic mountains of Maui. I’m also proud to say I have thoroughly enjoyed playing some of the best courses in Kentucky, several…