Kingdom 54

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EDITOR’S LETTER

J

Ever Forward

ust as we were putting the finishing touches on the spring edition of Kingdom and looking forward to a great season of golf in a nearly hopefully almost maybe post-pandemic world, things took a dim turn (again) when Russia invaded Ukraine. Watching events unfold and witnessing both the courage and suffering of the Ukrainian people, it has at times been difficult to focus on the task at hand without seeing work and life through the lens of current events—a challenge shared by Ian Poulter, among others. At this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, he donned a blue shirt and yellow pants, giving a nod to the Ukrainian flag and telling media, “Just wearing a similar color today in respect to those suffering over there is the least I can do... It brings it into perspective pretty quickly. We just play a silly game of golf while others are in the world suffering.” Ironically, perhaps, this issue of Kingdom is themed around “positive change”— pros chasing dreams and fulfilling promise, visionaries building an electric future for vehicles, and so much more.

We’re sticking with that and counting our blessings, focusing on the task at hand and on the light in this world even as we keep an eye on the darkness and do what we can to dispel it.

When it is mostly dispelled, when the war is over and COVID has retreated to the distant shadows, there will be a need for restoration, healing and, eventually, joy. Consider our “silly game,” then, a goal and a bellweather for the current world; for where golf can be played free of politics, fan restrictions, and somber nods to suffering, things certainly are all right. Looking forward to that and keeping Ukraine in our prayers, we hope that you enjoy this issue of Kingdom and that you and yours have a fantastic and safe season.

Thankful for all of you and more,

Reade Tilley

SPRING 2022

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PUBLISHER’S LETTER

F

Getting in the Swing

or one reason or another I have been able to dedicate precious little time to my golf game this year, which is most unlike me! However, recently I went to the range and hit some balls. With all that is going on in the world, I felt it important to take a breath and enjoy some solitude with the little white ball. Don’t get me wrong: I enjoy golf with my friends as much as the next person, but every now and again I like to find time to practice and to think without outside input. It made me remember just how good it felt to be out in the fresh air swinging a club.

So great, in fact, that I think it is time I booked a visit to one of the wellness destinations featured in this issue, that also embrace golf (p.142)!

Indeed, after watching the tour pros struggle with the tough conditions at the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this month, I might bump into a few of them there! Hats off to Scottie Scheffler for his win at Arnie’s place.

Thanks to Scheffler’s win at Bay Hill, at the time of writing the Official World Golf Ranking’s top five players are all younger than 30 years old. This is the first time all those spots have been filled by 20-somethings since the ranking’s inception in 1986 and so I am especially looking forward to seeing how these young guns fare at the majors. With this being our special Majors double issue, I hope you enjoy the different twist we have put on the four most esteemed events in golf—including some specially crafted cocktails to sip whilst you enjoy them (p.164)!

While we are talking majors, I want to say how delighted I am that after winning the 2021 U.S. Senior Women’s Open, Annika Sorenstam has confirmed she will return to play the U.S. Women’s Open, 14 years after her last appearance. Annika has done—and continues to do—so much for the game both on and off the course, and I know she would be getting the “thumbs up” from Mr. Palmer.

Finally, considering the unfathomable situation in Ukraine and the global impact this war will have, I’d suggest that, whether it be heading to the driving range or simply finding a moment to yourself, do take time to appreciate what you have and, as Arnold always did, be that “glass half-full” kind of person as opposed to the glass half-empty. If you’re on course at all, there’s plenty for which to be thankful—and I do hope that I see you on course this season!

Be well, Matthew

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KINGDOM 54

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CONTENTS

Kingdom Magazine MAJORS ISSUE

ISSUE 54

40 MAJORS

30 40 48 58

Majors Preview

74 64

Considering breakaway implications with the majors on the horizon

Morikawa

The more pressure they pile on Collin Morikawa the calmer he becomes

1962

Looking back at the year the Big 3 became golf’s dominant force

Mickelson

What to make of the man who seems to have it all— but says he wants more

SPRING 2022

Old Course, silver jug They say the champion’s walk up the 18th is the greatest of them all

96 96

Ski + Golf

White and green never looked better together CLUB

TRAVEL

74

Hilton Head

82

Fife

90

World-class golf, beaches and dining in the American South Beyond the obvious in the fair haven of golf’s ancestral home

Vegas

Known for many things, add memorable buddies’ golf trips to the Vegas list

102

Locker Rooms

112

Taking Flite

116

Destinations

The best of the game’s locker rooms, for so many reasons Golf tech reaching a new level at PGA West The places to be when there’s a sun in the sky and a club in your hand

SPRING 2022

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CONTENTS

Kingdom Magazine ISSUE 54

132

MAJORS ISSUE

142

122

The Penfold PGA

142

Well Played

128

Oakland Hills

148

Kettering

A new era begins at one of golf’s most famous venues

E Trucks

Hurly burly pickups for dirty sweaty jobs (that are quiet and eco-friendly as well!)

Wellness golf experiences to keep you in the game Back to the future of health innovation

153

Renewed

Invigorating gifts for a fresh new season LEGACY

HANDMADE

138

18

Small Batch

The British are coming, again, and this time they’re bringing craft gin

KINGDOM 54

FOOD & DRINK

164

Major Cocktails

168

Green Jacket Required

The big four require bold refreshments; how to mix it up Majors-style Small bites from the Masters Champions’ Dinner

GIFT GUIDE

MOVE

132

164

HEALTH

CLUB When Arnold Palmer won the (British) PGA

SPRING 2022

160

50th APDC

50 years ago, Arnold Palmer put a shovel in the dirt— and 300 courses later we celebrate his legacy

LAST PAGE

170

Masterful Cocktail

The vibrant joy of the Azalea, Augusta’s signature cocktail

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SA, Aliso Viejo, CA.

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ON THE WATER

Hilton Head Island

I

t’s almost as if someone told a golfer he would be marooned on an island forever but that before the last ship left him behind he could have anything he wanted—such is the density and high quality of golf here.

Only 12 miles long and 5 miles wide at its widest point, Hilton Head Island boasts 23 championship golf courses designed by the biggest names in the game (including Arnold Palmer). A Scottish colony was established nearby in 1684, perhaps setting the table for what the

island would become, but today’s Hilton Head is a land all its own, a splendid mix of people from all over the world who give the island life and a vibrant identity. These include a lauded French chef and baker at the Social Bakery, a well-traveled PhD at the Coastal Discovery Museum, Chef Orchid Paulmeier with her Filipino-inspired down home BBQ at One Hot Mama’s restaurant, and so many more. With restrictions on lighting and architecture that ensure the island lives in harmony with nature, it is easy to disappear on Hilton Head Island if that is what you need—or to find yourself.

Feature on page 74

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LEGACY

The Rose of Tralee

T

ralee dates back to the 19th century, although its existing links in West Barrow represents Arnold Palmer’s much heralded European debut in course design.

Palmer created the 18-hole masterwork in collaboration with long-time design partner Ed Seay and it opened in County Kerry, southwest Ireland in 1984.

“Mr. Palmer came over in 2001,” recalls Anthony Byrne, General Manager at Tralee. “He played 18 holes and holed out from a bunker on the 16th to win his match. It was just one of the most amazing days; no wind, which is so unusual here, and blue skies.

“That day Mr. Palmer had one of the best caddies we ever had carrying his bag, Chucky O’Connell, and Chucky was singing songs in the men’s locker room after their round; something that Mr. Palmer had probably never experienced in all the locker rooms he’d been through!

“Would you believe, Mr. Palmer wrote to Chucky afterwards, so Chucky must have made some impression. They got on like a house on fire.

Chucky, who died a couple years ago, was a real character and he actually had a good singing voice, and he sung Irish songs like The Rose of Tralee.

They had a hoot.”

We celebrate the 50th anniversary of Arnold Palmer Design Company on p160

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Evan Schiller / golfshots.com

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MAJORS

Homeward Bound

T

he Old Course, St Andrews, is a hallowed site of pilgrimage to all golfers, and it will stage the 150th Open in July. The West Sands (pictured) to the right, Links Road to the left, and the formidable R&A clubhouse behind the first tee create one of golf’s great amphitheaters.

Even without the vast crowds of The Open, the ancient setting has a special atmosphere. A sense of occasion is felt by every pilgrim who tees up on the Old, each knowing they are following in footsteps of the greats. The well-traveled professionals still feel it, too.

Jack Nicklaus in 1970: “If a golfer is to be remembered, he must win the title at St Andrews.

At last it is my greatest dream come true.”

Tiger Woods in 2000: “It may be years before I fully appreciate it but I am inclined to believe that winning The Open at the Home of Golf is the ultimate achievement in the sport.”

There is nothing quite like the reception a champion at St Andrews receives walking up the 18th fairway. Every vantage point is taken, on the ground and hanging out of the windows of all the grey buildings alongside. The grandstands are packed, too.

“The Open and St Andrews will forever hold a significant place in my heart,” said Sir Nick Faldo, Open champ on the Old Course in 1990. “My fondest moments in this great sport are woven with pictures and emotions in this setting. It all means a huge amount to me.”

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Photo: Iain Struthers

We consider The Open at St Andrews in years past on p64, and pay a visit to the “Auld Grey Toon” on p82

WE ARE ALL CONNECTED

Connecting more countries than any other airline.

SHORT GAME

THE JUG & JACKET

SHORT GAME

It sounds like the name of a decent pub somewhere on the coast of Scotland, but as golf ’s annual run of majors is about to get underway it is timely to issue a reminder that in the far-reaching, history-defining majors, only eight times has a golfer taken home the “Jug & Jacket” in the same year: the Masters’ Green Jacket and The Open’s Claret Jug The first to do it was Ben Hogan and the last was Tiger Woods, which gives you a feel for the membership caliber of one of sports’ most exclusive clubs.

At the Masters it helps if golfers can hit the ball high and land it soft, while The Open often demands shots that run low and hard, so one thing is for sure: to hold the jug while wearing the jacket you need to be a shot-shaper supreme.

1 974 G ARY P LAYE R

A winner of nine majors across three decades, Player’s Jug & Jacket double occurred relatively late in his career, in 1974, when he was 38. The South African fitness fanatic often said: “Look after your body. If you do, it could last you a lifetime.” Player won the second of three Masters in ’74 before adding his third Open title at Royal Lytham—25 years after he first raised the Claret Jug. 1 97 7 T O M WAT S O N

Lee Trevino and Player came close, but really the golfer to usurp Nicklaus as the best in the business was Watson, who assumed the throne in 1977. Watson beat Nicklaus by two to win his first Masters before the duo re-aligned in The Open at Turnberry. The “Duel in the Sun” might be The Open’s most famous chapter.

Watson and Nicklaus played in a class of their own, with Watson edging the Golden Bear by one—both breaking the previous Open scoring record. Hubert Green finished 3rd, 10 behind Jack.

1 990 NIC K FALD O

1953 was Hogan’s year despite only playing six tournaments in all. He won five of the six and three of them were majors; the final three of his career’s nine.

He took the Masters by five, the U.S. Open by six and The Open at Carnoustie by four on the only trip to Scotland he ever made.

A winner of the Green Jacket and Claret Jug three times each, Faldo was peerless in world golf in 1990.

Following Nicklaus as only the second golfer to successfully defend his Masters title, Faldo’s victory in The Open at St Andrews was the Englishman’s finest moment, winning by five and able to enjoy the iconic walk up the 18th fairway on the Old Course, knowing the Claret Jug was secure.

1 9 62 ARN OL D PA L M E R

1 998 MARK O ’ME ARA

Palmer was still in his swashbuckling prime in 1962. He won the first-ever three-way play-off in the Masters, defeating Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald, before easing to a stunning six-shot victory at Royal Troon in The Open. Palmer would have emulated Hogan by claiming the U.S. Open too, were it not for the intervention of a rookie pro from Ohio called Nicklaus.

O’Meara turned pro in 1980, and while he became a regular winner on the PGA Tour his majors record was ordinary, until something clicked in 1998. He won the Masters on his 15th attempt—in itself a record—and then the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale at 41, becoming the oldest golfer to win two majors in one year.

1 9 66 J ACK N I CK L AU S

It was in 2005 that Woods holed that remarkable chip on 16 in the final round of the Masters, as the ball stopped on the edge of the cup before dropping. He became the third golfer, after Palmer and Nicklaus, to win the Masters four times. In the July, Tiger won his second St Andrews Open and completed his second career grand slam—his 10th major all before the age of 30.

1 9 53 B E N H O G A N

From a record haul of 18 major titles, this was the only time Nicklaus counted the Masters and The Open among his rosettes in the same year. Nicklaus became the first back-to-back Masters champ in the April, before Open victory at Muirfield completed his career Grand Slam, following only Gene Sarazen, Hogan and Player.

2 0 0 5 T IG E R WO O D S

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Major Days & Arabian Mights Southern Hills CC, Tulsa

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MAJORS Preview

As we began heading into the new season of golf, pros’ cell phones were running flat from the buzzing of secret messages, offers and counter offers from the Middle East. Paul Trow opines on the weight of it all but keeps his head up in assessing what might happen at this year’s four majors

A

A changing of the guard is under way in the bejeweled palace of men’s golf as it faces its biggest challenge in more than half a century.

Never has the quality on show teemed with so much precocity still short of its 30th birthday: Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Cameron Smith, Justin Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau, Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, Will Zalatoris, Joaquin Niemann, Daniel Berger and Sam Burns, to name but some of the many upcomers.

Now, in addition to wrestling with their range drills, Pelotons, glutes and abs, every one of them has had to confront the implications of shaking hands with a stack of sports-washed, Middle Eastern petro-dollars.

“Howdy Mr. Saudi, I’m ready for my close-up to all those millions you’re dangling before me,” is a thought that crossed quite a few young minds as plans for the Super Golf League advanced. Also bothering their grey matter was a duo of dilemmas: “By saying, ‘Howdy Saudi’, will I be saying ‘Farewell PGA Tour’… permanently?”

It’s hard to tell how forgiving PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan might feel if the Greg Norman-orchestrated experiment—funded by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund—implodes, and it does seem deflated as of press time.

But if it truly threatened the established order, could there be a way back without at least a lengthy “sackcloth and ashes” suspension. Growing the game? They’ll need shrinks.

In reality, the millionaire tour stars should have been asking: “Is this right?” and “What’s it really worth?”

Securing livelihoods and family futures through fast and big bucks has always been tempting to sports stars, regardless of background, but the stars of the PGA Tour needed to work out how defection from the old order was going to make their lives better than they already are.

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Let’s face it, the top dogs on the PGA Tour—the ones Norman was schmoozing with gold-plated treats—are already made for life. Their legacy hinges not on the titles and six-figure checks they routinely pocket on a weekly basis, but on their performances in the majors.

And so here comes the crunch for the invaders: Would they get the four majors—all operationally independent of Camp Ponte Vedra—on side? Or would the Green Jackets, tartan kilts and dark-blue blazers vote conservatively with the status quo and put up barriers? If the former, then Norman could conquer all! If the latter, then it’s game on for the PGA Tour!

In 2022 more than ever, the majors hold the key to the future of elite professional golf, not to mention the rest of us who prefer watching it live rather than recorded highlights of events that take place at some unearthly hour in the middle of the night, on the other side of the world.

Thus, golf ’s four holy grails this year are conferred with added spice and sparkle like never before. They hold the balance of power.

The major generals could, of course, sit on the fence at first, claiming that as long as a player qualifies through his official world golf ranking then he can participate. This would mean that in addition to the dozen or so marquee names that Norman was serenading, he would have needed to attract another 30 or 40 from the top-100 chorus line to ensure sufficient points are available from each of the tournaments he is hoping to establish under the Asian Tour’s umbrella.

The attraction of the Saudi enterprise is obvious to the likes of Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Bubba Watson, Adam Scott and Henrik Stenson; all approaching their golfing dotage and on the wane in the rankings.

But for each of the brightest younger lights he lures on board—DeChambeau, Smith or Schauffele perhaps—the Shark would have needed to gobble up half-a-dozen Tommy Fleetwoods and Garrick Higgos to give event fields genuine strength in depth.

Would Fleetwood, already a runner-up in the U.S. Open and The [British] Open, yet now precariously close to tumbling out of the top-50, want to jeopardize his chances of contesting further majors while in his prime by going out on a limb as others sit tight?

Without the support of his ilk, the points on offer diminish and those who sign on the dotted line with Norman would have become vulnerable.

It was all very well for Mickelson, DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson to be cast as Norman’s recruitment posters because their major exemptions are bullet-proof for a few more years thanks to their respective wins in the 2021 PGA Championship, 2020 U.S. Open and 2020 Masters. Shane Lowry’s 2019 Open win guarantees him an open door for another couple of years, but the welcome mat could soon

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World number one Jon Rahm wins the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines

be pulled out from under Sergio Garcia as his 2017 Masters triumph fades into a distant memory. And as for Schauffele and Smith, or Tony Finau and Abraham Ancer, men who’ve yet to scale the mightiest peaks but undeniably have the game and talent to do so… what happens to their eligibility if they find themselves scrapping for Arabian crumbs from the World Ranking table?

The game was at a crossroads at the beginning of the year, but when DeChambeau and Johnson both confirmed their support for the PGA Tour during the Genesis Invitational at Riviera in February, the PGA Tour seemed to have quelled the revolution. Rahm, Morikawa (World Nos. 1 and 2), Thomas, Koepka and Spieth have also sided with the PGA Tour, and it is probably no co-incidence that the announcements were made at an event hosted by Tiger Woods. The injured former World No. 1 might be out of action but his influence over PGA colleagues remains peerless, and his support for the PGA Tour steadfast.

The Open champ of 2001, David Duval, Tweeted: “Looks like the Saudi tour and Greg Norman are slowly going away. Good riddance.” Stay tuned.

THE MASTERS APRIL 7-10

T

he undulating fairways, rollercoaster greens and floral delights of the Masters are sashaying rapidly into view, and Hideki Matsuyama will soon be defending the Green Jacket he won with such aplomb last year. The first Japanese winner of a major has spent the past 12 months demonstrating he is a force to be reckoned with every time he tees it up, and he has since collected two further PGA Tour titles, one on home soil, the other in Hawaii.

Augusta National is still a wonderful spectacle for viewers, both at the course and on the sofa, and a serious obstacle in a swirling

breeze. But the top players know it well, have more than enough fire power to handle its length, and recognize that the tournament is, in many respects, a gigantic putting contest. This means that almost anyone in the field can win on a week when his putter is hot.

Many of the older champions still turn up, not so much to play but to dine together and reminisce, and Woods will probably fall into that category this time as he continues his recovery from the horrific leg injuries sustained in that California car crash a year ago. For the 15-time major winner, the late, great Bobby Jones’ pride and joy in 2022 will surely be too hilly, too early.

Almost anyone in the field can win on a week when his putter is running hot

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THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP MAY 19-22

D

espite its name, Southern Hills Country Club, host of the PGA Championship, presents a less physically demanding hurdle than Augusta. Indeed, the meandering Perry Maxwell Championship Course in Tulsa, Oklahoma, might actually tempt Woods—the winner by two shots over Woody Austin when the Wanamaker Trophy was last up for grabs there in 2007—to take a trip down memory lane.

Funded by oil tycoons when it opened in 1936 and upgraded four years ago by Gil Hanse, this classical parkland layout has numerous doglegs shaped by mature deciduous trees, tilted greens and a plethora of drainage creeks. It has certainly stood the test of time thanks to Hanse’s ability to redefine the saucer-shaped bunkers and squeeze an additional 450 yards of length out of what seemed like a distinctly finite plot of land.

Regardless of the elongation, though, it is unlikely that many tee shots will require a driver—a far cry from when the club staged the first of its seven previous majors: the 1958 U.S. Open, won by an exceptionally well-behaved Tommy Bolt by four shots from Gary Player.

The PGA Championship of 1970 was the second major to come calling and right in the thick of things was Arnold Palmer, ending two shots shy of short-game wizard Dave Stockton.

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Perhaps the most dramatic major at Southern Hills was the 1977 U.S. Open, not so much for the quality of golf but for the death threat that hung over Hubert Green as he secured a one-shot victory over Lou Graham. After holing out at the 14th, Green was notified by officials they had received a message saying he would be shot when he reached the 15th green. Given the choice to clear the course of fans or return the following day, Green boldly opted to play on, instructing his caddie to keep his distance as they walked up 15. Green gave new meaning to gutsy golf. He parred 15 and birdied 16 to capture his first major.

While the 1982 and 1994 PGAs at Southern Hills were fairly bloodless affairs, won in a canter

by Raymond Floyd and Nick Price respectively, the U.S. Open of 2001 will be remembered as a comedy of errors.

Leading by one on the 72nd hole—after Mark Brooks had closed with three putts— Stewart Cink and Retief Goosen, in the final group, compounded the felony. Cink’s doublebogey, including a missed tiddler, dropped him to third while Goosen’s miserable effort from 10ft relegated him into an 18-hole playoff with Brooks. To his credit, the dour South African regrouped the following morning and prevailed in the showdown by two strokes.

THE U.S. OPEN Courtesy of USGA

JUNE 16-19

N

ext up will be Massachusetts and The Country Club at Brookline in Boston suburbia, for the U.S. Open. One of the five founders of the USGA back in 1895, this is a venue pulsating with history, highlighted by the U.S. Open of 1913, which signalled an end to the Old World’s dominance of golf.

Captured magnificently in Mark Frost’s masterpiece, The Greatest Game Ever Played, the tale of how a 20-year-old local upstart Francis Ouimet, an amateur, caddie and store assistant to boot, withstood the might of two of Britain’s greatest professionals to claim his home championship forever resonates.

Harry Vardon, with seven major titles, is to this day Britain’s most decorated golfer. Ted Ray, his compatriot from Jersey in the Channel Islands,

was a mighty competitor who went on to win the U.S. Open in 1920. After the trio had tied over 72 holes, Ouimet showed them a clean pair of heels in the subsequent 18-hole playoff, which he won by five shots.

It took half a century before the U.S. Open returned to The Country Club, and again a playoff was needed to settle matters. This time it was contested by Palmer, his great friend Julius Boros and Jacky Cupit. Due to a stomach bug, Palmer felt out of sorts and was unable to mount much of a challenge in extra time as Boros cruised to victory.

The U.S. Open returned to Brookline for its third and most recent visit in 1988 when (surprise, surprise) another playoff was needed. This time it pitted Curtis Strange against Nick Faldo and, echoing Ouimet’s feat, the American comfortably saw off his British opponent.

All three U.S. Opens at The Country Club at Brookline went to playoffs; will this year be different?

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THE OPEN JULY 14-17

F

aldo, of course, won The Open at St Andrews in 1990, inflicting the sort of beating on Norman that Monahan no doubt wishes to emulate.

England’s knight of shining irons is expected to return for a ceremonial four-hole challenge over the 1st, 2nd, 17th and 18th holes of the Old Course on the Monday of Open week.

The R&A has invited more than 40 former champions to take part, so double Open champion Norman should be there as well. So, too, Woods, winner of two of his three claret jugs at the Home of Golf. Indeed, hopes are high that he might play in the main event given the flatness of the terrain.

The key to winning at St Andrews, as Woods demonstrated to perfection in 2000, is staying out of the bunkers. South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen, who has resurfaced as a serial major contender of late, certainly took note while winning by a country mile in 2010, and narrowly missing out to Zach Johnson in a playoff in 2015.

Rory McIlroy, who sat out that Open after twisting his ankle playing soccer, knows the Old Course well and tied for third in 2010 after opening with a 63. This noble competitor surely has at least one more major title swirling around a crystal ball, and it is more likely to come at St Andrews than Augusta.

McIlroy has become golf’s moral compass (even though his sense of direction on the course might be a little erratic at times). But with the game, truly, at a crossroads, the Northern Irishman took responsibility for directing traffic and ushering the burgeoning talent away from the Middle East. “It’s dead in the water in my opinion,” said McIlroy of the SGL at Riviera. “I just can’t see any reason why anyone would go.”

Chasms have split the landscape of tour golf in recent months, there is no doubt, but the four pillars of tour golf—the majors— remain resolute.

The key to winning at St Andrews, as Woods demonstrated to perfection in 2000, is staying out of the bunkers 36

KINGDOM 54

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IN THE FLOW 40

KINGDOM 54

MAJORS Morikawa

Collin Morikawa belied his lack of experience to win the PGA Championship on his debut in 2020, and then The Open at his first try last July. Robin Barwick spoke to the fastest learner in the majors and his longstanding coach

C

Collin Morikawa was tied with Paul Casey for the lead late in the final round of the 2020 PGA Championship at Harding Park, San Francisco. The pair were just a shot ahead of Bryson DeChambeau, Jason Day and Tony Finau, with Dustin Johnson launching a late bid. It was a misty, pastel day by Lake Merced—it is the Bay Area, remember—and Morikawa’s grey sweater matched the tones of the distant hills under this pale sky. There was an eerie atmosphere, too.

It was the final throes of a major championship, bunched up leaderboard, destiny hovering above, yet the pandemic had kept away the galleries, and a muted calm on the golf course was at odds with the sporting spectacle.

Morikawa was pretty calm, too. As he strode up to the short par-four 16th he found the tee markers moved further forward than anticipated. The hole was brought down to 293 yards, the green just off-center to the right, with a stand of cypress trees ready to tangle with anything sliced, and it was a perfect fit for Morikawa’s dependable cut with the driver.

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A major champion [above], and [right] with fiance Katherine Zhu, caddie J.J. Jakovac, Rick Sessinghaus and manager Andrew Kipper

The 23-year-old (at the time) from Los Angeles— playing in his first ever PGA Championship—hadn’t planned to take driver, but he had the clarity of mind to play the hole as it was presented and to seize the opportunity. The fearless pretender played the perfect shot. His drive faded into the green from the left, took one bounce short of the putting surface and rolled up to stop just seven feet from the hole. Standing on the 17th tee ahead, Casey would later call Morikawa’s tee shot a “nail in the coffin.” Morikawa guided in the seven-foot eagle putt and held his composure to beat Casey and Johnson’s late flourish by two.

“I wasn’t planning on going for it at the beginning of the week,” admitted Morikawa afterwards. “I actually never even tried it. It was just something when everything fit; the circumstance, wind and everything was perfect, and obviously it worked out.”

Rick Sessinghaus has coached Morikawa since the golfer was eight years old. Sessinghaus was one of the few people walking with Morikawa that Sunday at Harding Park, along with the golfer’s manager Andrew Kipper and girlfriend (now fiancé) Katherine Zhu. “The shot happened to match exactly what a stock driver is for Collin, so he made the decision,” starts

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KINGDOM 54

Sessinghaus, who first met Morikawa on the driving range at Scholl Canyon, a small club overlooking Los Angeles. “Some people might say he did it under pressure, but to Collin it was simply the right shot for him to play in that situation. I really appreciate that Collin is able to make those decisions in that kind of situation.”

Morikawa showed the same composure 11 months later, when paired with Louis Oosthuizen in the final group in the fourth round of The 2021 Open at Royal St. George’s.

Like at the 2020 PGA, Morikawa was making his debut in The Open, and again, he showed almost unbelievable calm to vanquish more seasoned challengers; ultimately finishing two ahead of Jordan Spieth and four shots clear of Oosthuizen and world No.1 Jon Rahm.

“In the moment Collin is a very focused, calm and composed individual, whether that is on the golf course or not,” adds Sessinghaus, who is a mind coach as well as a PGA professional. “That characteristic only intensifies in a positive way when Collin is under pressure. It is a default.

“It’s like: ‘Okay, I am hitting the tee shot on the 16th at Harding Park. This is going to be fun.’ That perspective is unique. I have cultivated that but Collin already had it at an early age.”

Putting fun first “I pretty much had plastic clubs in my hands before I could walk,” remembers Morikawa in an exclusive interview with Kingdom. “I took my first lessons at the age of five and I loved it, and I think I had a decent swing, which is not that crazy to say for a five-year-old. I joined a junior camp at Scholl Canyon, and down at the far end of the range was this guy Rick giving private lessons, and he has now been my coach for 16 years.”

As he says, lots of kids have good golf swings.

Lots of teenagers have beautifully honed golf swings.

What separated Morikawa from an early age was his attitude and intelligence.

“Even aged only nine, 10 and 11, here was someone who always had a smile on his face, his parents were always supportive,” recalls Sessinghaus. “Collin was always in a good mood, he asked great questions, he liked to compete.

“That is important because a lot of juniors begin to suffer under the pressure put on them by parents and their golf becomes all about having to win a tournament, whereas with Collin and his parents it was always about developing as a player but also always to have fun. If he did play a poor tournament he never made excuses and that’s rare. Collin had a mindset where he was constantly learning, always curious and he put long-term success over short-term fixes.”

Morikawa’s father Blaine was a capable athlete and growing up he was as happy on a surfboard off Long Beach as he was playing baseball or basketball. Morikawa also picked up little league baseball, but his top sporting highlight off the golf course wasn’t on a diamond: “I’d say the seventh grade Basketball Bowl,” says the former La Canada High School pupil, who turned 25 in February. “It was a one-day event during Thanksgiving, which was a lot of fun. I was MVP for our team and so I would put that high among my career achievements, right next to my majors!”

Yet Morikawa’s favorite playground was the 10-hole golf course at Chevy Chase Country Club in Glendale.

“Chevy Chase is a narrow, very short golf course, and it forced me to be creative,” explains Morikawa. “There were probably only 10 people there a day max., seriously. They had this plateau where you could hit your own balls and pick

“We would start on the tee box for number two but play to the fifth green. We could make up our own golf holes”

Morikawa and Sessinghaus at the 2017 U.S. Amateur

them up but I hated doing that so they would give me a cart and I would always just go on the golf course and drop a lot of golf balls on the ground.

“There were a couple other guys there, a couple years older than me, who played high school golf, and we would create our own golf holes. We would start on the tee box for number two but play to the fifth green. The golf course was so empty that we could make up our own holes in our own little competition and that was the fun part about growing up around that golf course.”

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Morikawa enjoyed an astonishing debut in The Open

“It still bites me that I was not able to beat Tiger’s record”

By the time Morikawa was 12, Sessinghaus knew he had the mental and emotional capability to forge an exceptional future in golf. When Morikawa won the 2013 Western Junior aged 15, the golfer began to realize it, too.

The Western Junior is played over 72 holes, and that week at Meridian Hills CC, Indianapolis, Morikawa beat a host of older teenagers, shooting four rounds in the 60s to win by five. His 271 was the lowest score in the tournament since Hunter Mahan’s 266 from 14 years before.

“That was the first big junior event I won,” adds Morikawa. “You have to do something special to win and at that point I knew I had that within me. Before then I had top-10 finishes, but winning is different. I hadn’t had the spark to really figure out how to win until then. You have to learn how to win to get to the top level.

“Then as I was transitioning between high school and college I won the Trans Miss Championship and that really catapulted me to the point where I fully believed that, ‘Yes, I can beat everyone out here. I’m not afraid. Let’s see what we can do.’ At that point I was 18.”

Three times Morikawa was named first-team All American at University of California, Berkeley, and on the 2017 U.S. Walker Cup team the smiling assassin won all four of his matches as the home team trounced GB&I in what was as close to a home setting for Morikawa as they come, at Los Angeles Country Club.

From there you are nearly up to date. Morikawa graduated, turned pro in 2019 and promptly made his first 22 cuts on the PGA Tour, an achievement second only to the record of 25 set by Tiger Woods. And within that run was victory in Morikawa’s sixth start, at the 2019 Barracuda Championship.

“It still bites me that I was not able to beat Tiger’s record,” he says. Well, don’t worry too much Collin: not even Woods won any majors on his debuts, whereas Morikawa has done it twice—an astonishing record that is likely to stand not just for years, but perhaps for generations. (Even that momentous victory by Woods in the 1997 Masters—his first major win—was his third attempt at Augusta National.

Talk about keeping us all waiting…)

By the way, in July 2020 Morikawa won his second PGA Tour title at the Workday Charity Open, defeating Justin Thomas in a playoff. That meant Morikawa had won twice before he had even missed two cuts on the PGA Tour.

The last golfer to do that? You guessed it: Tiger, back in 1996.

When records and comparisons with Tiger Woods keep coming up, as they do for Morikawa, you know something special is occurring.

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Morikawa splashes out during the final round of the 2020 PGA Championship

Solving Problems Morikawa didn’t realize it at the time, but as a teenager, when Sessinghaus would take him out on the golf course at Scholl Canyon, the coach was working on his mental fortitude more than technique.

“Seventy percent of our lessons were on the golf course,” explains Sessinghaus. “I would put Collin in golf situations where he felt uncomfortable and make him problem solve. Back then Collin just thought that was what golf lessons were about, but I was teaching him how to use routines to be confident and focused and how to think through shots so he would feel committed to playing a good shot. We talked about that a lot.

“I would want Collin to make the wrong decision in a situation because that is how he would learn to make the right decision in the future. It is pattern recognition and Collin does a very good job of that.”

With these problem-solving lessons, Morikawa was working towards finding what Sessinghaus calls a “flow state,” which the coach has adopted from the theory of Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (a professor at Claremont Graduate University, California).

“Flow state is when we are performing our best, feeling our best, and physiological markers like heart rate and brainwave activity are lower,” says Sessinghaus. “There

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KINGDOM 54

Flow state is about focusing on the present moment, and that is a high-level skill of Collin’s is a calmness, a focus. Flow state is about focusing on the present moment and that is a high-level skill of Collin’s.

He can focus on the present moment and be calm through a mind-body connection, no matter if there is pressure or whatever else you want to call it. It is just another opportunity for him to focus on the present moment.

“Flow state is about confidence. It is the ability to know you have made the right decision and know you have the skills to perform the shot.”

And there we are, transported back to the 16th tee at Harding Park, in the final round of the 2020 PGA Championship, when Morikawa drove for the green with his first major title hanging in the balance, and did so with the measured belief of that young man playing cross-country at Chevy Chase. That wasn’t a pressure situation to Morikawa; it was an opportunity to have some fun—just another chance to do what he loves.

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Dawn of the

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KINGDOM 54

MAJORS Big 3

It was 1962 when golf’s four gilt-edged major prizes were claimed

by Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player between them.

Now 60 years ago, it was the only year in which these three legends swept the major spoils and it spurned the indelible tag of “The Big 3”, as they have been known ever since.

Robin Barwick has been scrolling through the archives

T

THERE WAS SERENDIPITY to the World Series of Golf in September 1962 at Firestone CC in Akron, Ohio. They could not have hoped for a better line-up for the inauguration of this high-stakes showdown between the year’s major champs. Arnold Palmer was Masters and [British] Open champion, Jack Nicklaus had won the U.S. Open and Gary Player took the PGA Championship. The World Series was designed for four golfers but on this occasion they settled for three.

That first World Series of Golf was a portent of the new order taking hold in at least two ways. First, with Nicklaus a major champ for the first time that June—having only turned professional in December 1961—a fascinating three-way battle had quickly emerged for golf’s pre-eminence between a trio of quite distinct characters.

Golf’s new triumvirate came to the fore just as live sports broadcasting was picking up momentum of its own, and the TV networks realized golf’s potential on the small screen. NBC sent a 50-man, nine-camera outdoor broadcast crew to Akron to provide live television coverage of the World Series of Golf in multi-color.

Producer Perry N. Smith told reporters: “For one thing, this is the biggest color remote broadcast ever attempted”.

In Denver, though, they were incensed. While the regular PGA event that week—the Denver Open Invitational at Denver Country Club—offered a first prize of $4,600, the World Series of Golf blew Denver out of the water with a first prize of $50,000. Even the Masters—with the most generous winner’s cheque among the four majors—could offer only $20,000. Noble Chalfant, organizer of the Denver Open, was naturally demoralized that his event was deprived the three biggest names in golf. He threatened legal action against the PGA of America and derided the controversial World Series of Golf as “an exhibition and not a legitimate tournament”.

It was also around this time, September 1962, that newspapers started to describe the three rivals as “The Big Three”.

“Big Three at Firestone” ran the headline in The Evening Independent in Massillon, Ohio on September 6, two days before the event. “GOLFDOM’S BIG THREE”, ran a caption in the Fort Lauderdale News on September 8.

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“PALMER, PLAYER AND NICKLAUS—GOLFING’S BIG THREE…” exclaimed the caption in the Akron Beacon Journal on Sunday, September 9, between the two rounds of the World Series.

On the golf course at Firestone and hinting at his subsequent dominance of the world game, 22-year-old Nicklaus outshone his more experienced rivals over 36 holes. Palmer posted a course record 65 in the first round but faded with a 74 in the second. Nicklaus finished on 135, five under par and four ahead of his rivals.

In the Cincinnati Enquirer on September 11: “If the ‘World Series of Golf’ means anything, it has to mean that Nicklaus, winner of the 36-hole test matching the game’s Big Three here Sunday, has taken over the throne at the ripe old age of 22”.

(Palmer would have taken issue with that bold statement but that is another story.) “The Big Three” moniker was here to stay.

Alastair Johnston works for marketing giant IMG, the company founded by Mark McCormack and built on his work representing Palmer, Nicklaus and Player.

“The World Series of Golf in 1962 was a big deal,” starts Johnston, who worked closely with Palmer and Player in particular. “It was at around this point that these three golfers began to enjoy total domination.”

McCormack shook on a deal to manage Palmer’s affairs in 1961—an arrangement that lasted the rest of their lives. Player and Nicklaus then emerged as Palmer’s closest, fiercest rivals, but there was also a strong affinity between the three men and Palmer cleared the way for both Player and Nicklaus to work with McCormack in 1962.

“There was a kind of travelling introduction of ‘The Big Three’ name,” argues Johnston. “It was a gradual process and then Mark created the TV concept of ‘Big 3 Golf’ at the back end of 1964. From there ‘The Big Three’ name stuck.”

“The Big Three” moniker was tattooed on the American consciousness when McCormack negotiated the eight-part “Big Three Golf ” TV series, which began broadcasting nationwide in the United States by NBC in spring 1965. There were other high-ratings TV matches but “Big Three Golf ” was the biggest hit. The three golfers played each other at a series of spectacular courses including Los Angeles Country Club, Firestone, St Andrews and Carnoustie in Scotland, and onto Dorado Beach in Puerto Rico. The ratings soared.

“Our rivalry happened at a time when golf was just beginning to take deep root in the broader American sports psyche,” Palmer later said. “The intensity of our competition, as well as the distinct differences in our personalities, created tremendous natural drama and a fan interest in the professional game that had never been seen before.

“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.”

Once “The Big Three” became, in 1962, its repetition spread like wild fire. Those 1962 majors were the kindling and that elitist and excessive “exhibition”—the first World Series of Golf—was the spark.

The Evening Independent (Massillon, Ohio) · 6 Sep 196

Downloa

The Big Three played for a $50,000 first prize at Firestone in September 1962, and [right] The Evening Independent in Massillon, Ohio was among the first adopters of the “Big Three” nickname

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62, Thu · Page 16

aded on Feb 1, 2022

‘62 MASTERS APRIL 5-9

I

n 1962 Palmer, aged 32 at the time, was in his captivating prime, but to put the 1962 Masters into context, the story begins 12 months earlier, with a Masters remembered mainly for Palmer’s double-bogey six at the 72nd hole that handed a one-stroke victory to Player.

Fast forward a year and Palmer arrived at Augusta still steaming about his costly lapse and hell-bent on setting the record straight. Scores of 70, 66 and 69 gave Palmer a four-shot lead over Player going into the final round (the exact reverse of 1961), but fellow American Dow

FINAL LEADERBOARD 1 2 3 4 T5 T5 T5 T5

Arnold Palmer Gary Player Dow Finsterwald Gene Littler Jerry Barber Jimmy Demaret Billy Maxwell Mike Souchak

Finsterwald was sandwiched between them in second place, just two back. A closing 75 from Palmer, 73 from Finsterwald and 71 from Player meant all three players finished 72 holes tied on 280, eight under par. After a modest start to the tournament’s first three-way playoff, Palmer reeled off a blistering back nine of 31 for a 68 that sealed his third green jacket, and thus tied Sam Snead and Jimmy Demaret for the then record number of Masters victories. Player finished the playoff on 71 while Finsterwald limped in on 77.

SCORES USA SA USA USA USA USA USA USA

70 67 74 71 72 73 71 70

66 71 68 68 72 73 73 72

69 71 65 71 69 71 72 74

75 71 73 72 74 70 71 71

TOTAL

PLAYOFF

280 280 280 282 287 287 287 287

68 71 77

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‘62 U.S. OPEN JUNE 14-17

H

aving turned professional at the end of 1961, Nicklaus won for the first time as a pro in spectacular fashion, defeating Palmer in an 18-hole playoff in the U.S. Open at Oakmont near Pittsburgh, where local hero Palmer was supposed to win and where the partisan support was vociferous.

Nicklaus, who had finished second and fourth as an amateur in the two previous U.S. Opens, displayed a fortitude that refused to allow the hostile crowd to break his concentration, and after six holes of the playoff he held a four-stroke lead. Palmer rallied but in the end capitulated by three strokes, 71-74.

Admiringly, Palmer noted that the crowd hadn’t fazed Nicklaus one bit but, as a staunch advocate of fair play, he

FINAL LEADERBOARD 1 2 T3 T3 5 T6 T6

Jack Nicklaus Arnold Palmer Phil Rodgers Bobby Nichols Gay Brewer Gary Player Tommy Jacobs

was bothered by the abuse. Another thing that bothered him—although he never used it as an excuse—was a deep cut on a finger that had required stitches only a few days before the championship. One difference between himself and Nicklaus that Palmer did rue, publicly, was the number of three-putts they had on Oakmont’s treacherous greens.

Whilst Palmer three-stabbed 13 times across 90 holes, Nicklaus only did so once. “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”.

Nicklaus was the youngest U.S. Open winner since Bobby Jones in 1923 and the first, since Jones in 1930, to hold both the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur Championship trophies simultaneously.

SCORES USA USA USA USA USA SA USA

72 71 74 70 73 71 74

70 68 70 72 72 71 71

72 73 69 70 73 72 73

69 71 72 73 69 74 70

TOTAL

PLAYOFF

283 283 285 285 287 288 288

71 74

SPRING 2022

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‘62 [ BRITISH ] OPEN J U LY 1 1 -1 3

W

hen Palmer made his [British] Open debut in 1960 at St. Andrews, Australian Kel Nagle beat him by a stroke. At the 1962 Open at Troon on the west coast of Scotland, it was a rolereversal, with Palmer finishing first (his sixth major win) and Nagle second. This time, though, it wasn’t remotely close. Palmer led Nagle by five going into the final round and finished with a six-stroke victory. To underline the extent of his superiority that week, Nagle was a further

FINAL LEADERBOARD 1 2 T3 T3 5 T6 T6

Arnold Palmer Kel Nagle Brian Huggett Phil Rodgers Bob Charles Sam Snead Peter Thomson

USA Aus Wal USA NZ USA Aus

seven shots ahead of the third-placed golfers, Phil Rodgers and Welshman Brian Huggett. It was Palmer’s second straight win in the game’s oldest championship, and his popularity that week with the spectators was such that the R&A were forced to introduce stricter crowd control measures. The roping-off of fairways and the fencing of course boundaries began a year later, after thousands of fans at Troon evaded the turnstiles and stormed the golf course from the beach.

Palmer’s total of 276 tied Ben Hogan’s record low score in a major, from the 1948 U.S. Open at Riviera.

SCORES

TOTAL

71 71 75 75 75 76 70

276 282 289 289 290 292 292

69 67 69 71 70 70 71 74 69 70 72 72 70 70 75 73 72 71 77 75 70

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‘62 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP J U LY 1 9 -2 2

A

w e e k after missing the halfway cut in The Open at Troon, the Black Knight was back on his charger and setting the record straight. The 1962 PGA Championship— Pennsylvania’s second major of the year—was held at Aronimink Country Club, Donald Ross’s masterpiece in Newtown Square near Philadelphia, that even in those days measured over 7,000 yards. It proved a fitting stage for Player’s third major

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KINGDOM 54

victory, and the sixth of his PGA Tour career.

Trailing by one to Doug Ford at the halfway stage, Player edged ahead with a third-round 69 and went on to hold off fast finishing Bob Goalby by a single shot with a closing 70 for a 72-hole total of 278, two under par. George Bayer, who trailed Player by two after 54 holes, tied for third on 281 with Nicklaus who surged through the field with a final round of 67. Palmer, who won a total of nine times in 1962, was never really a factor, tying for 17th.

FINAL LEADERBOARD

SCORES

1 2 T3 T3 5 6

72 69 69 71 69 72

Gary Player SA Bob Goalby USA George Bayer USA Jack Nicklaus USA Doug Ford USA Bobby Nichols USA

67 72 70 74 69 70

69 71 71 69 73 71

TOTAL 70 67 71 67 71 70

278 279 281 281 282 283

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What to Make of Mickelson...

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KINGDOM 54

IN CONVERSATION

To understate things, Phil Mickelson splits opinion.

Entertaining to watch and one of the greatest golfers of his generation, his recent shenanigans are gold-leafed in irony and have left him... Where, exactly? Art Spander considers what to make of Lefty’s complicated career, with additional reporting from Kingdom staff

H

He sipped a $40,000 Burgundy from The Open trophy. He commuted the 90 miles from his home near San Diego to Riviera Country Club—by jet. He’s earned $800 million through golf. And he’s ripped into the PGA Tour.

The same man was forced to accept that he was not as good as Tiger Woods, yet had the fortitude to rebound and win six majors. His record as golf’s oldest major champ could have a shelf life even longer than his enduring ability to win—and to confound.

Phil Mickelson does not quite meet the lyrics of Kris Kristofferson as a “walking contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction,” but unquestionably Phil is a complicated piece of work with at least two sides, maybe more.

During that stunning, unexpected victory in the 2021 PGA Championship—aged 50 years, 11 months, seven days—Mickelson lifted the game to a level of excitement and anticipation we thought only Woods could cook up.

There never was a shot Mickelson was afraid to take or a comment he was hesitant to make, and we saw the best of him at Kiawah Island last May. It defies logic that he beat beefy Brooks Koepka on the longest golf course ever to stage a major championship, with the Ocean Course elongated to 7,876 yards. Mickelson was 20 years older and 20 yards shorter, and yet he won by two. Even Woods admitted it was “truly inspirational.”

Mickelson found the right words afterwards, too:

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MICKELSON’S MAJORS

2004 MASTERS

After logging eight top-3 results in majors without a win, Mickelson broke through at Augusta with five birdies in the final seven holes, including an 18-foot birdie on 18 to defeat Ernie Els by a shot.

2005 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

After thunderstorms at Baltusrol meant a Monday finish for the leaders, Mickelson birdied the final two holes to edge out Steve Elkington and Thomas Bjorn by one.

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2006 MASTERS

2013 THE OPEN

2010 MASTERS

2021 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Mickelson saved his best until the final round; a 69 easing him to a two-shot victory over South Africa’s Tim Clark. Mickelson’s third major title was made sweeter by his nemesis Woods helping him into the Green Jacket.

Mickelson’s 6-iron from between two pine trees off the 13th fairway in the final round, which travelled 206 yards—over the creek—to set-up a birdie, is the most famous shot of Mickelson’s career. He became the eighth golfer to win three Masters titles.

Mickelson birdied four of the last six holes to shoot a final-round 66 to win by three. It was the lowest final round by an Open champ at Muirfield and Mickelson described it as “arguably the best round of my career.”

The “Awe on the Shore” saw Mickelson, aged 50 and without a win in two years, become the oldest major champion ever. He said: “There’s no reason why golf can’t be the game for a lifetime if you take care of your body and do it the right way.”

“I hope this inspires some to just put in that little extra work,” he said, “because there’s no reason why you can’t accomplish your goals at an older age. It just takes a little more work.”

He can be charming, giving advice to young golfers and motivating the next generation of tour and club golfers alike. He can be difficult, giving hell to U.S. captain Tom Watson after America lost the Ryder Cup in 2014.

Unfortunately for a golfer of such generational talent, Mickelson has not won the U.S. Open and almost surely never will. Whether you are a fan or not, his name would have sat neatly with golf’s most exclusive list: the fantastic five of Sarazen, Hogan, Player, Nicklaus and Woods.

Six times Mickelson was second in his national open and so golf’s grand slam seems out of reach, as it was for Arnold Palmer (who finished tied-second in the PGA Championship three times but never won it). Still, Mickelson has said he will retire if he finally does win that elusive U.S. Open, and after this year more than a few might be pulling for him, if just to see a more elegant, less awkward end to what should have been a not-at-all awkward and otherwise glorious sunset of his career regardless. But then it is awkward, and so here we are (or here he is, at least).

PRODIGY TO PARIAH?

Phil holds his head on the final green of the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot

“There’s no reason why you can’t accomplish your goals at an older age; it just takes a little more work”

Since he was a toddler, Mickelson needed to be part of the action, or to create the action. His parents once attended a workshop called “Raising the strong-willed child.” Mickelson’s dad, Phil Snr., is an accomplished sportsman and a jet pilot who almost made the U.S. Olympic ski team. Phil Jnr. picked up golf by mirroring his father’s swing—“mirroring” being the operative word as “Lefty” is actually a rightie; he only swings from the left side because of the mirroring. Talk about gifted and strong-willed!

Young Phil was forceful and successful. While still an amateur, he won a pro tournament—the 1991 Tucson Open—and magazine cover shoots followed, as did the attitude. If Mickelson’s ability is matched by ego, the result has usually been great entertainment. Consider that he threw away his best U.S. Open chance in 2006 in dramatic style at the final hole, yet holed a birdie from 18 feet on the last green to grab his first major success at the 2004 Masters. Often toiling in the shadow of his pre-eminent rival Woods, the chilly dynamic between the two became one of tour golf’s biggest draws, and it continues to fascinate.

That rivalry helped to make Mickelson’s winning moments all the more impactful, such as the shot on 13 at Augusta National that helped win the 2010 Masters. But then the drama of those winning moments, in turn, made Mickelson’s other moves more impactful, such as when he skipped this year’s AT&T Pebble Pro-Am (which he won six times) to chase money in Saudi Arabia. Self-aware at the time, he knew exactly how it would be viewed.

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“I know I will be criticized; that’s not my concern” Mickelson at the Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, 2020

“I know I will be criticized,” Mickelson said, soon after arriving for the Saudi International tournament. “That’s not my concern,” he added at the time.

Now 51, Mickelson is (or was) the most influential of the PGA Tour golfers who’s considered leaving the U.S.-based tour in favor of the promised mega-bucks Saudi-backed Super Golf League, which is being spearheaded

by Greg Norman, another major champ often at odds with golf ’s governing bodies (and in particular the PGA Tour).

Mickelson might speak on behalf of some PGA Tour colleagues in calling out his home tour on its media rights policies, but unquestionably he went further than most of them were willing to go when he uttered one of the young year’s most repeated quotes, saying of the Tour’s rights fees, “That type of greed is, to me, beyond obnoxious.”

At the time of writing Mickelson sits second only to Woods on the PGA Tour’s list of Career Money Leaders, on a total of $94,955,060 earned from prize money alone.

That does not include earnings from other tours, from sponsorship and countless other appearances made over the past two decades since he turned pro. He also pulled an additional $6 million from the inaugural year

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of the TOUR’s Player Impact Program (finishing second to Woods). Understandably, some struggle to empathise with Mickelson, one of the richest men in sports.

Momentum turned against the Super Golf League in February following additional (and even more controversial) comments from Mickelson. At the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, respected and staunch PGA Tour supporter Rory McIlroy called Phil’s SGL comments, “naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant.” Soon afterwards Mickeslon issued an apology and took a break from tour golf.

And yet, weeks later at Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, McIlroy had softened up a bit, offering “I think Phil has been a wonderful ambassador for the game of golf, still is a wonderful ambassador for the game of golf... We all say things we want to take back... Hopefully he comes back at some stage, and he will, and people will welcome him back and be glad that he is back.”

Mickelson and the PGA Tour clearly have a serious rift to overcome, but if there’s a chance at an elegant reset between the two, count us among the crowd hoping he takes it. Love him or not, tour golf is a more colorful picture with Mickelson in it.

Your Vision M e e t s

R e a l i t y

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MAJORS Moments

WELCOME HOME The 150th Open will take place from July 14-17 in the Auld Grey Toun of St Andrews, known to all who’ve ever swished a mashie as the Home of Golf. It will be the 30th occasion the Old Course has staged the game’s most venerable Major.

Paul Trow looks back at how it all began

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Created by the hand of God with the tools of wind and rain, the Old Course at St Andrews has been a sporting cathedral for nigh on six centuries. Today no golfer’s life is complete without a pilgrimage to this ancient university town in the Kingdom of Fife on the east coast of Scotland.

Shaped like a shepherd’s crook as it wends its way north towards the Eden estuary, this ancient stretch of linksland begins and ends under the imposing gaze of the iconic R&A clubhouse. Among its features are the stuff that golfing dreams are made of… the Swilcan Burn, the Road Hole, the Valley of Sin, Granny Clark’s Wynd, double-greens on which putts can exceed 100ft, pot bunkers ingrained with the sands of time.

The R&A was founded here in 1754 by 22 “Noblemen and Gentlemen, being admirers of the Golf.” In 1873, after the first 12 Opens had been held on the western side of Scotland at Prestwick, a silver claret jug was adopted as the trophy and St Andrews played host for the first time.

The winner was local caddie Tom Kidd who beat a thenrecord field of 26 players over two rounds on a cold, bleak October day to claim the princely sum of £11 ($14.75).

The Open returned to the Home of Golf on 10 further occasions before World War I. The last four of these—over 72 holes by then—were shared equally by Hall of Famers J.H. Taylor, of England, and Scotland’s James Braid.

The R&A took sole charge of The Open in 1920 and St Andrews’ supplanting of Prestwick as the Open’s spiritual home was complete. Four championships were played over the Old Course between the wars and there have been 14 since the end of World War II. St Andrews has presided over many memorable moments and saluted a galaxy of champion golfers, its legacy immortal.

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IS THE MOST SURPRISING COURSE ON THE MONTEREY PENINSULA THE ONE YOU HAVEN’T PLAYED?

Credit: Trendy Golf

The Monterey Peninsula has its seaside icons, but perhaps the most surprising is the one you haven’t played — a Tom Fazio masterpiece set within a 20,000–acre nature preserve. Those who know the game view The Preserve’s 18 as one of the best in America, and surely not to be missed.

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1927 From Hate to Love On his first skirmish with the Old Course in 1921, Bobby Jones, golf ’s greatest amateur, ripped up his card and stormed off in disgust. Having licked his wounds, he returned six years later and led from start to finish. In 1958, when he became the first American freeman of St Andrews since Benjamin Franklin, Jones said: “The more I studied the Old Course, the more I loved it, and the more I loved it, the more I studied it.”

Palmer the Savior

Having won that year’s Masters and U.S. Open, Arnold Palmer’s presence at St Andrews for the Open’s centenary provided the shot in the arm the championship desperately needed after decades in the doldrums. He could have been forgiven for deciding “never again” after the final round was delayed for a day due to a deluge that flooded much of the course. But after finishing runner-up, one shot shy of Australia’s Kel Nagle, the King vowed to return and was duly crowned “champion golfer” in 1961 and 1962.

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The Golden Pair Eight years after his dramatic playoff victory over Doug Sanders, Jack Nicklaus triumphed for a second time over the Old Course. Victory meant Nicklaus had won all four of golf’s majors three times each.

With just three holes of the final round remaining, he trailed playing partner Simon Owen, of New Zealand, by a shot, but a birdie-par-par finish gave him a two-stroke cushion over his pursuers.

1978

Reign of Spain To win his second of three Open titles, Seve Ballesteros had to see off defending champion Tom Watson. As the Spaniard faced a 15ft putt on the final hole, Watson was tangling with the Road Hole wall by the 17th green. The sight of Ballesteros punching the air with unbridled joy after his closing birdie moments later remains an abiding memory. So, too, do the words of announcer Peter Alliss: “I think he rather enjoyed that.”

1984

1990 Annus Mirabilis This was the year that England’s Nick Faldo was at the height of his powers. The reigning Masters champion, who had come up one shot shy of a U.S. Open playoff at Medinah a month earlier, was bunkered only once in four days and never three-putted at all. Victory was in effect secured on day three when, not for the last time, Faldo out-dueled Greg Norman, carding an impeccable 67 as the Australian stumbled to a 76.

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1995 Tiger’s Taming Fresh from a 15-shot U.S. Open triumph at Pebble Beach, Tiger Woods was equally imperious as he claimed his first Claret Jug. Not once in four rounds did he visit a bunker and his eight-stroke victory meant he’d become the fifth player to lift all four majors (following Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus). He won again over the Old Course five years later, though that time his margin was a mere five shots.

2000

Long John’s Day John Daly’s playoff win reinforced the view that a long driver with a big hook can take much of the danger out of the Old Course, but the reality was more nuanced.

Costantino Rocca, needing a birdie three to tie the American on the 72nd hole, duffed his chip after driving into the Valley of Sin. He spared his blushes by rolling home a 60ft putt, but come extra time the burly Italian was emotionally flat and had nothing left to give.

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TURKISH AIRLINES: READY TO TAKE TRAVELERS AROUND THE WORLD AGAIN

Turkish Airlines, flying to more countries than any other airline in the world, invites travelers to once again seek the destinations they’ve dreamt about this past year. With 321 destinations to choose from, in 127 countries spanning five continents, the opportunities for exploration are endless.

Success in Uncertain Times Despite the pandemic, Turkish Airlines was able to maintain a robust route network, closing 2020 as Europe’s busiest in flight numbers. Building on this success, the global carrier continues to provide connectivity and add new flights: most recently, the carrier launched service from its 10th U.S. Gateway, Newark Liberty International Airport.

Turkish Airlines Premium Travel Experience Travelers can look forward to world-class services and amenities, award-winning cuisine and world-famous Turkish hospitality whenever they board a Turkish Airlines flight.

The airline is known for a rare dining service offered to Business Class passengers: Flying Chefs who prepare gourmet meals on board using only the highest quality and freshest ingredients, which have earned the airline many awards, including the title of the “World’s Best In-flight Catering Service” on numerous occasions.

New Amenity Kits Let You Travel In Style This year, in collaboration with one of Turkey’s most prestigious artists, designer Devrim Erbil, Turkish Airlines launched an exclusive new line of travel kits. Provided to all Business Class passengers on five to eight-hour flights, they feature an eye mask, earplugs, non-slip socks, a dental care set with toothpaste, hand cream and lip moisturizer by New Zealand brand Antipodes, known for its premium all-natural ingredients. Offered in eight different artwork designs, each one features a different iconic Istanbul landmark.

Health & Safety at the Forefront While added routes and onboard services resume, health and safety continues to be Turkish Airlines’ top priority, and has been since the pandemic began, when the airline introduced new in-flight health protocols: “Hygiene Kits” containing a face mask, disinfectant and antiseptic tissue, as well as “Hygiene Expert” cabin crews, appointed to flights to enforce all on-board hygiene and social distancing measures. Turkish Airlines was awarded the highest “Diamond” level status by APEX (Airline Passenger Experience Association) Health Safety, powered by SimpliFlying, for the airline’s continued efforts in ensuring the highest standards of cleanliness and sanitation, which was deemed worthy of less than 10 airlines.

Istanbul Airport’s Innovative Travel Experience The airline’s hub at Turkey’s new, state-of-the-art Istanbul Airport, which is the biggest built-from-scratch airport terminal in the world, also offers an incredibly smart and innovative travel experience. Next-level precautions, from smart screening helmets measuring passengers body temperatures to sanitizing luggage during the X-ray screening process and terminal cleaning via UV autonomous robotic cleaners, continue to keep travelers safe during their journeys.

Travelers in search of a flight experience that offers world-class amenities and reassurance that health and safety are top of mind, as well as an experience that reminds them exactly why they love to travel in the first place can seize the opportunity to widen their worlds in style with Turkish Airlines.

TRAVEL Hilton Head

ISLAND PERFECT The ground here is soft, a mix of sand and soil churned by centuries of late summer storms, white-tailed deer and people. The former mostly are indigenous, the last mostly not, but then life on this island long has been a balancing act of what was here and what has come. Getting that balance right means that one of the world’s most-visited destinations is also one of its most natural, that casual beach fare and fried seafood are complemented by sophisticated European-style dining, and that epic golf and modern resorts live alongside one of America’s oldest touchstone cultures. Under an unspoiled sky, with the sun or stars pouring down and just the right amount of warm breeze on your skin, it is difficult to imagine a better place to be than on Hilton Head Island

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At 12 miles long and 5 miles wide, Hilton Head Island’s attributes belie its modest size. This is evidenced in the 2.5 million visitors who join roughly 40,000 full-time residents each year to enjoy world-class beaches, golf, dining and more. Historically known for cotton, fishing and timber, the island found its start as a visitors’ destination in 1956, when Charles Fraser’s Sea Pines Plantation set the bar for modern resort communities. Today there are many such communities (long called “plantations” here, though some recently have dropped the moniker) with their own golf courses (see sidebar: Golf), dining, extensive bike paths, recreational opportunities, and accommodation options to suit every budget and taste. I chose the Sonesta Resort located in the Shipyard neighborhood, and it was sharp, clean and nicely sited on a romantically rustic beach, complete with boardwalks to the sand, sea grasses, and playful waves. I visited in the late winter off season and had the place largely (and beautifully) to myself, but it’s clear from the expansive entertainment areas around the pool and throughout the property that it’s a bustling resort come summer. Regardless of the slightly lower temperatures during my stay, the staff could not have been warmer, and I made a note to return with family. An evening arrival saw me head straight to dinner at Nunzio, a nearby (everything is nearby on Hilton Head Island) and upscale Italian restaurant with a wine list that emphasizes Italian and Californian wines. Starters such as Bietole con Caprino (oven-roasted golden local beets, baby arugula, goat cheese and caramelized shallots) and Capesante Grigliate al Tartufo (grilled diver sea scallops over sauteed spinach, lemon, truffle beurre blanc and minced peppers) nicely bolstered courses of house-made pasta, accurately prepared meats and traditional Italian dishes. That and a vibrant bar scene made for a great opening night in Hilton Head.

Idyllic beach [top]; Neptune statue by the harbor [above]; sculpture celebrating the island’s more than 60 miles of dedicated bike paths [far right]; and just a small sampling of the incredible delectables on offer at Hilton Head Social Bakery [right]

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SOCIAL BAKERY The line was genuinely “out the door” by the time I arrived at Hilton Head Social Bakery, not quite early the next morning. I was assured the line had formed even before the doors were unlocked, it seemed to be moving along, and so I shifted on my feet and took in the scene: Boats of all sizes floating nearly motionless in the harbor, a dog enjoying a drink of water, and a small bird perched on a brick wall staring intently at a table of men sipping coffee, eating pastries, and throwing smug looks at the line. I was behind a couple and, as it happened, when they approached the first glass case full of pastries, I ended up both inside and outside of the café, holding the door halfway open in hopes they would move forward so that I might fully enter.

They didn’t and so I retreated a step outside, which caused the entirety of the line behind me to step back as well. What followed was an unexpectedly long and silly samba of the couple scrutinizing the options in case #1, advancing to case #2, returning to reconsider #1, walking to case #3, then back to #2 and so on, with all of us in the line advancing and retreating as they moved and pondered the choices.

When I finally made it inside, I understood their dilemma: The array of baked pastries, sweets and savories here—each a small work of art—presents a sort of “l’âne du Buridan”

conundrum (as a student of 14th century French philosopher Jean Buridan might say). “Buridan’s Ass” essentially has it that, when presented with equally compelling piles of hay, a hungry donkey will become paralyzed by choice and will starve to death. I was hoping for a better outcome here, but the shelves of freshly baked goods in the little shop owned by award-winning Chef Philippe Feret and his wife, Marissa, were overwhelming. Feret grew up working in his father’s bakery in Paris and was executive chef at New York’s Windows on the World and Tavern on the Green before heading south. His creations are sophisticated and delicious, and the shop unpretentious, and so the line and the couple’s dance were understandable, if unsustainable.

Finally, one-half of the couple apologized for the other and insisted a choice be made. It was, and a few of us offered comments such as, “Great choice!” and “Oh I might get that too!” in hopes that by reinforcing the decision, it would hold.

When it was my turn, feeling the surge of anxious hunger behind me, I ordered black coffee and an almond croissant.

Both were so good that I returned the next morning and upped my game with a latté and an Apple Orange Tart. And I grabbed a petite pan au chocolat as well—because life is too short to wait in line more than once per day.

World-class golf, beaches and dining— all in harmony with nature—make Hilton Head Island a top spot

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Hilton Head’s sky reveals possibilities in day or night

ISLAND ORIGINAL

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Driving onto the near 70-acre site of Hilton Head’s Coastal Discovery Museum, I was struck by the stillness and the warm weight of the place. Once worked by slaves as a cotton and vegetable plantation (and with the museum housed in some of the original buildings), the site features trees that pre-date America’s early transgressions. One—gnarled, long dead and struck by lightning who knows how many times— might even have grown while Spanish soldiers marched around its base in the late 16th century. Others, hundreds of years old, are still towering, Live Oaks arcing wide branches over a forested hiking trail that seems to connect a series of organic cathedrals—green-fringed portals, down the nave, under a vast domed canopy of branches then through the apse and ambulatory and back through another portal— one after the other. Walking this trail and later standing on a boardwalk with the museum’s affable President/CEO Rex Garniewicz (a fascinating conversation), looking over the site’s expansive salt marshes, it occurred to me that this should be every new visitor’s first stop, Hilton Head Island as it was. The land here is patient, it has seen a lot of history, and in this quiet state it compels one to consider preservation. No wonder, I thought, the developers here forbade billboards, excessive lighting and other features in disharmony with nature. Even signs and advertising must be painted in colors that complement nature, and the emphasis on balance surely is one of the reasons why the island is so compelling. The museum also showcases local artists, including basket-weavers from the Gullah community (more on them below), and has a wonderful summary of local history and a rich calendar of events and interactive opportunities for local school groups and visitors.

Despite its relatively modest size (12 miles long by 5 miles wide at the widest point), Hilton Head Island is a golfer’s paradise. There are 23 championship courses on the island and more than 40 total in the area, all complemented by a wide array of accommodations and dining.

Accordingly, the island is an easy solution for anyone pondering where to go on a luxury golf vacation. With so many great options it’s hard to choose favorites, but we like the 54 holes at Palmetto Dunes Resort. The Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course here is specifically nice, with its par-5 10th one of only two oceanfront holes on the island. There’s water on nearly half the course, a beautiful and terrific test of golf. Likewise, the George Fazio Course also is beautiful, demanding accuracy among its mature hardwoods and inspiring the best kinds of golf dreams with its well-manicured greens. There’s an Arthur Hills Course here as well, a strategic test that will compel you to consider every decision, right up to what to order at No.19. Lastly at Palmetto Dunes, we love the new Toptracer Driving Range—the first in the Southeast. It allows you to work on your game alone or with friends in an interactive golf entertainment experience, and it’s a tremendous bit of fun as well. Again, Palmetto Dunes is only one of many golf destinations on Hilton Head Island, a golfer’s paradise that must be played to be believed.

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GULLAH FESTIVAL

LOOKING BEYOND

Fortunately, my visit to Hilton Head Island coincided with the annual “Taste of Gullah” festival, part of a month-long celebration of the Gullah people’s culture and history.

Enslaved and brought from Africa to the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia to work cotton and vegetable plantations, the Gullah effectively lived as a free people starting in the early 1860s when Union troops seized the region. Due to the remoteness of the islands, the Gullah were left mostly alone until the mid-20th century, their culture evolving largely untouched into a vibrant tapestry of Western African traditions, cuisine, arts, languages and dialects, all shaped by the community’s experiences on the Sea Islands. Today the Gullah are a dynamic part of the Lowcountry, with an estimated 300,000 living along the southeastern coast. They are an important part of the American story, perhaps best told from the Hilton Head Island site of Mitchelville, a town established by a Union general in which escaped slaves and others were given the freedom to govern themselves. They held elections, passed laws, collected taxes and, in what might have been the first mandate of its kind in the South, required that children be educated—all of this some years before the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued, making Mitchelville the first self-governed freedmen’s town in America. The February celebration is a showcase of arts, culture and food, the last of which should be sampled if you’re in the area. Barbeque, gumbo, fried chicken and more, all of it has deep roots in Gullah culture, beautifully expressed in local eateries such as Ruby Lee’s and others.

Bill the Sky Guy, aka Bill Gwynne, is an amateur astronomer with an enthusiasm for the stars that is highly contagious.

After meeting with him in his studio (he’s also a sound engineer), I found myself looking up at the night sky with far more interest than I had done in years. Perhaps he re-kindled a bit of the boyhood wonder that I used to have when it came to the subject of space, watching launches from Cape Canaveral. Perhaps he overwhelmed me with his technical knowledge and deep understanding of how to navigate among the stars. Perhaps both. Working with sophisticated equipment and a home-built observatory (that he can control from anywhere), Bill has traveled the cosmos from home, taking fantastic photographs of the Horse Head Nebula, Crab Nebula and many other galactic wonders (see them at BillTheSkyGuy.com). Helping him achieve this, he says, are the lighting restrictions on Hilton Head Island, which result in less light pollution and a clearer/darker night sky compared to many other urban environments, including nearby Savannah, which is easily visible at night from Hilton Head island. The restrictions also are why the island is a protected spot for sea turtles, with requirements that beach lighting be off or at least not visible during nesting season.

Beyond his home observatory work, Bill occasionally sets up a telescope at an event or in a public place and invites others to look—not to glance, but really to see—beyond the limits of our day-to-day lives here on Earth. He is, to me, another indication of the “bigness” of this island, evidence of the amazing personalities that it attracts and the wonderful possibilities that it supports.

Golf at Palmetto Dunes [left]; Gullah community singers at the Taste of Gullah Festival [right]

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COMPLETE ISLAND Chef Orchid Paulmeier brings Filipino roots and Food Network credibility to Southern BBQ in her preposterously satisfying One Hot Mama’s restaurant, just one of several great options from the community-oriented SERG Group of restaurants, which includes numerous local favorites. More than her amazing sauces and perfectly prepared barbeque, it’s Chef Orchid’s heart that makes this a relaxed “must stop” when on the island. More upscale, I enjoyed a beautiful steak and wine dinner at Alexander’s, located in the Palmetto Dunes neighborhood, and honestly one could come to the island for the food alone. Still, one of my favorite meals was at the Fishcamp on Broad Creek. Charlie Simmons, Sr., was an island staple in Hilton Head’s early days. Known as “Mr. Transportation,” he ferried people to Savannah and to other locations in the years before there was a bridge to the mainland. He also made grocery runs, kept general stores and functioned as the island’s connection to the outside world. The restaurant’s original location, built before the bridge opened, carries on his spirit, offering a wealth of seafood, fried green tomatoes, hushpuppies, oysters and other unpretentious local fare. That, cold beer, and new friends made for a fantastic evening, a beautiful memory, and a good night’s sleep. Driving back home the next morning (after grabbing a cup of coffee and a small bag of house-made doughnuts from the excellent breakfast spot, Nectar Farm Kitchen), my mind returned to the evening at Fishcamp, to the conversation with the Bill the Sky Guy, to the beautiful golf course at Palmetto Dunes, and to so much more. One last early morning trip to the beach to stand where people have stood for centuries and marveled at the sea, and my only thought was of returning.

Beautiful starts to the day are complemented by beautiful ends—not a minute lost

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WEXFORD GOLF There’s a sense among the pure game’s fans that the coures at Wexford is a bit of an underappreciated gem. Upon its reopening following a redesign by Arnold Palmer in 2011, Palmer himself offered that “Wexford is a special place to us, and we enjoyed the responsibility of remaking this exceptional club.” Palmer and Arnold Palmer Design Company architects Brandon Johnson and Thad Layton let nature be their guide at this remarkable property, equally thrilling for the mind, body and soul.

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TRAVEL Fife

Fringed with Gold In St Andrews, history rises from the well-worn cobbles, escapes from the candlelit pubs and sweeps across the golf links, carried by a sea breeze. With The 150th Open being played upon the Old Course, St Andrews, Robin Barwick visited the “Home of Golf” in February—not to play golf or to follow the well-trodden path, but to look beyond the famous highlights of golf’s most ancient town PHOTOS:

Iain Struthers

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King James VI of Scotland (who became James I of England in 1603) is thought to have been the first to describe the Kingdom of Fife as “The beggar’s mantle fringed with gold.” It is a curious, poetic phrase. If Fife is a mantle (or cloak) it belongs to the beggar because the ragged coastline of Fife leaves the mantle frayed. Yet the mantle’s fringe of gold represents the string of picturesque fishing villages that decorate the shores of Fife.

Scottish artist Clive Ramage has painted many Fife fishing villages, and he writes: “The gold lining perfectly captures the beautiful fishing villages that fringe the East Neuk [the most easterly part of Fife], especially when the phosphorescent orange street lamps are aglow and the houses are lit up and cosy on a cold winter’s night.”

The fishing villages of the East Neuk are linked by the Fife Coastal Path, which starts at the Tay Road Bridge at Newburgh on the Firth of Tay—a water’s edge that serves as the northern boundary of Fife—and runs just over 80 miles around to the Forth Road Bridge at Kincardine. Crail is one such classic and unspoilt Fife fishing village—10 miles to the south of St Andrews and Fife’s most easterly village—with a small yet robust harbor that has withstood all the North Sea could muster since the 16th century. Scotland is full of fascinating medieval history and Crail is no different, having been declared a royal burgh by Robert the Bruce in 1310.

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East Neuk by Scottish artist Clive Ramage (cliveramage.com); approaching St Andrews via the Fife Coastal Path [below]

Crail is a very long walk from St Andrews via the coastal path (or a short drive), and between the two lies the ancient farming village of Kingsbarns. The nine-mile stretch of coastal path between St Andrews and Kingsbarns provides one of the world’s more life-affirming walks if you have the energy for a day’s trek, passing by rock-strewn, sandy beaches, through untouched woods, past rolling farmland and across breezy clifftops that rise up to offer panoramic views over the “Auld Grey Toon.”

Intrepid visitors who venture along the Fife Coastal Path will forever identify with the fringe of gold, and as well as to the villages, you might wonder if the “gold” from the old saying refers to Fife’s chain of sandy beaches or to the golden hues of the fields of swaying barley in summer.

“The Fife Coastal Path is absolutely spectacular,” starts Louise Turner, commercial manager at Rufflets Hotel, St Andrews. “In addition to all the great pubs and restaurants in St Andrews, the obvious pleasure here is to be by the sea.

Many of our guests enjoy heading out to the East Sands and West Sands, or down to Kingsbarns. It was down at the West Sands where they filmed Chariots of Fire.”

The old fishing village of Crail [top]; Rufflets [above] is an idyllic country house retreat

It was in the garden of the Rufflets hotel that Jack Nicklaus celebrated his 1978 victory in The Open

Rufflets is an elegant country house hotel tucked behind pine trees on a 10-acre property, yet just a mile inland from the heart of St Andrews. Built as a private residence in 1924, it was converted into a hotel in 1952 and has welcomed some of St Andrews’ most discerning visitors since. Jack Nicklaus always stayed here on his numerous trips to the town, and it was in the hotel garden where he celebrated with friends after winning The Open on the Old Course in 1978. Tom Watson is among many of the world’s very finest golfers to have favored Rufflets too, and Tiger Woods has stayed here.

Rufflets is the ideal base for visitors looking to retreat from the bustle of the town at the end of the day—albeit a pretty understated bustle (unless it’s Open week)—and for those who want to wake up with views over beautifully manicured gardens that lead down towards a wooded glen and gently flowing river.

“Couples who come to stay here are often just looking for a little time away from their usual routine,” adds Turner, “looking for some time to enjoy a change of scene and relax as much as possible.”

Just don’t expect to stay here during The Open. That week has been fully booked at Rufflets for years.

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Local Dram Kingdom readers will know of the famous Kingsbarns Golf Links—which lies firmly among the world’s very finest modern links—yet also garnering a reputation in the village is the Kingsbarns Distillery, which is more or less next-door neighbor to the golf club. Owned by the Wemyss family, who have been age-old Fife landowners, the Kingbarns distillery resides in a renovated farmstead, where whisky has been distilled since 2015.

In fact, the distillery was the brainwave of a Kingsbarns caddie, Doug Clement, who saw an opportunity after so many visiting golfers had asked for local distillery recommendations, only for Clement to direct them down to Edinburgh or across to Perthshire. Clement took his idea to the Wemyss family in 2012, who already ran an independent drinks bottling business, and so the extension from bottling to distilling was a giant leap but not made without some knowledge of where they would land.

A decade after the idea took hold, the Kingsbarns Distillery offers an exceptional visitor tour and tasting experience, while its flagship Dream to Dram single malt has won numerous awards as one of Scotland’s most popular younger malts. Aged in ex-bourbon and first-fill Portuguese red wine casks, Dream to Dram is a distinctly light and fruity whisky, floral, balanced and approachable, with an impressive flavor profile for its age.

“Our inaugural release, Dream to Dram, is full of character and it is turning heads all around this industry,” says Kingsbarns’ director of European sales, Ben Stewart.

Kingsbarns whiskies are already on sale in 46 countries, with arrival in the United States slated for 2023.

DISTINGUISHED STRANGER If you would like to know the preferred drinking spot of St Andrews legend Old Tom Morris, it was in the window of the lounge of the New Club, overlooking the 18th fairway of the Old Course. Morris was a founder member of the club in 1902 and was named its first Honorary Member.

Club rules state there can only be one Honorary Member at a time and that they must be a “distinguished stranger” (Not sure how Old Tom qualifies here as everyone in St Andrews knew him). Each Honorary Member has also been an Open champion. Subsequent honorary members have been Sandy Herd, Bobby Jones and Arnold Palmer, while the current “HM” is Tom Watson.

The New Club lounge [above]; the original cask of whisky distilled at the Kingsbarns Distillery

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Pie & a Pint “People don’t get a proper feel for St Andrews until they put on their walking boots and walk around the town,” starts Graeme Pook, founder of travel company, Executive Golf and Leisure, and a former European Tour pro. “That is the fun of it; to go and explore up the wee nooks and crannies and wee alleyways and you think, ‘Gosh, I never knew this was here.’”

We took Graeme’s advice, and went in search of a classic Scottish pub. The Dunvegan is just a wedge from the 18th green of the Old Course and is a popular, famous haunt, while the Jigger Inn at the Old Course Hotel is a modern pub pretending to be the old caddies’ lair. Nope, we wanted to find a pub that provides authentic Fife hospitality, and after much walking, ordering of drinks and sipping of pints—in the name of research—we found the place we were looking for on South Street, less than a 10-minute walk from the flagstick on 18, and it’s called The Criterion.

The building dates back to 1874 and it originally housed a bootmaker, although by the mid-1880s it found its vocation as a public house. The Criterion is a genuine town pub that doesn’t differentiate between tradespeople and students, or between locals and wanderers; it is down-toearth and welcoming to all.

During an era when family-run pubs are increasingly few and far between, The Criterion is owned and operated by husband-and-wife Steve and Hazel Latto. The Criterion features beautiful bar stools upholstered in dark red leather

“Go and explore up the wee nooks and crannies and wee alleyways and you think, ‘Gosh, I never knew this was here’”

A flight you’ll be happy to book at The Criterion

and booths in leather and the pub’s own authentic tartan.

Ingredients for the pub’s food menu are locally sourced and this pub’s “Cri pies” are so good that a recent American visitor asked if they could be shipped to the States.

Then there are the drinks: 170 whiskies (including a batch from Kingsbarns), 82 gins, more than 30 rums and six cask ales. The well-lit, mirror-backed bar shelves are bursting with bottles of all shapes, sizes and colors—such a seductive sight—and the pub will serve flights of different whiskies for those looking to experiment.

Oh, and The Criterion welcomes dogs, as all the best pubs do.

There is so much to love about St Andrews, and not just for the golfer. Given more space we would take you to the castle, to the harbor and go for fish ’n’ chips. If you are coming over to Scotland for The Open it will be an occasion you’ll never forget, but perhaps try to schedule a visit out of season to get a true feel for the “Auld grey toon.”

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VIVA GOLF VEGAS Some people think casinos, some libations, some shows and some… other things; but as far as Michael Williams is concerned, Las Vegas is all about a buddies’ golf trip. Let’s hit the road...

Hole #18 at the Summit Club in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Photo: The Henebrys

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TRAVEL Las Vegas

A Alternatively called Sin City, Marriage City, Neon City, and the Entertainment Capital of the World, Vegas also holds 70-some golf courses, many of them world-class. Add to that good food and all of the off-course extras, and it’s easy to fill a foursome on a long weekend.

As someone who has navigated Las Vegas through various life stages—as a hard-partying 20-something, a convention-attending 30-something, and now as a dad of two in my 40s—I think it’s safe to say that I’ve grown to appreciate the city’s ability to be many things to many different people. And if your thing is playing golf, eating well and having fun with your friends, then there’s definitely a Las Vegas for you.

It’s incredibly easy (and usually inexpensive) to get to Vegas; almost every fair-sized city in America has a direct flight. What’s more, Vegas was built for visitors, so travel arrangements should go smoothly. Las Vegas has 14 of the 20 largest hotels in the world and more than 150,000 hotel rooms, so it’s not as if it’s going to sell out. Why not go in together on a suite with your buddies and live like kings for a few days? And eat like royalty as well! The restaurant scene here is unrivaled, and there’s every possible vibe and cuisine available. But all of that is for after the golf, and the golf is amazing.

When people think of desert golf, the first places that come to mind are probably Scottsdale or Palm Springs, but Vegas holds its own in the game. There’s an incredible amount of top-notch public golf in Southern Nevada, such as the perfectly manicured Tom Fazio-designed enclave of Shadow Creek. As for private courses, they’re superb: The Summit Club, Southern Highlands and TPC Summerlin are just a few—although getting a tee time at these aspirational clubs is all about knowing the right people. If the idea of a golf buddies’ trip to Las Vegas has your wheels turning, then based on my past experience allow me to offer a suggested itinerary. Just remember to drink/eat/play responsibly, and maybe to limit those “bet you don’t make this putt” wagers to $10 or less—no sense ruining a trip for a friend by emptying his pockets (or your own).

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Delano behind Mandalay Bay; Nobu’s incredible Cod Miso

STAY The options for hotels from vibe to price are nearly limitless, and there is something for everyone. Having stayed at nearly all of the big hotels, my preference is always for the “boutique” experience. I prefer to navigate a smaller hotel attached to the big casino—it’s the best of both worlds. The boutique hotel rooms are also less standard than the main casino hotels and feel more like a cool city hotel. You also get proximity to restaurants and gambling if you want it.

A few of my favorite hotels are the NoMad Hotel, which is an MGM property, or the Delano, which is in its own tower behind the Mandalay Bay. If you want to walk to golf you could stay at Encore at the Wynn hotel or in one of the Wynn Fairway Villas, which look out onto the golf course.

Other good options are the Cosmopolitan and Aria, which are both modern and have a lot of interesting dining options.

Keep in mind, some courses have special requirements—e.g.

Shadow Creek requires you to be a guest of an MGM property and a part of the M Life rewards program.

DAY 1 Wynn Golf Club Ease into your Vegas golf trip with the last course on The Strip. Just like everything the Wynn does, the golf course is immaculate and it obviously has incredible proximity to the action. When it comes to this course, Tom Fazio is a worldbuilder. Through sheer genius, imagination and a healthy budget Fazio managed to create an expression of nature and perfectly manicured golf—complete with massive waterfalls— in the shadows of the Wynn towers. There’s no better way to start a golf trip than to play at one of America’s premier resort courses. Afterwards, decompress and relax at the pool or in the Wynn spa.

DINNER: Nobu (Caesars Palace) Go big or go home. Since you spent the day at one of the nicest resorts in Vegas playing a big-ticket golf course, you might as well go for it with dinner. Nobu is featured in rap songs for good reason: it’s a scene and it absolutely delivers.

Miso Cod, Rock-Shrimp Tempura and a cold draft beer postround is about as good as it is ever going to get.

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DAY 2 36 Holes at Paiute Golf Resort There are three Pete Dye-designed courses at Paiute: Wolf, Sun Mountain and Snow Mountain. Located in Northwest Las Vegas, about 30 minutes from The Strip, all three golf courses are surrounded by the vast expanse of the desert that makes up the Paiute Tribal lands. Expect some seriously incredible views and, of course, some signature Pete Dye elements—including island greens and intimidation off the tee. All of the courses at Paiute are among my favorites anywhere and they hold up as the ultimate “if you know, then you know” golf courses.

Paiute Golf Resort [above]; Carbone restaurant; waterfalls at the Wynn Golf Club [below]

DINNER: Carbone (Aria) Carbone is equal parts dinner and theater. It’s “red sauce” comfort food at its best with an atmosphere that manages to enhance the experience further. Carbone is one of my favorite spots in NYC, so I always make sure to add it to a Vegas trip. Nothing beats a big round table with good wine and even better friends.

DAY 3 18 or 36 at Wolf Creek in Mesquite, NV If you aren’t against venturing a bit further afield, Wolf Creek is a 90-minute drive from The Strip and absolutely worth it for the the pure natural beauty of this golf course.

Like many desert golf courses this place is super-pure. At times you might look around at the natural beauty of the place and marvel at just how lucky we are that our species decided to expend a tiny sliver of our ingenuity into the field of golf course design and construction. Just stunning.

DINNER: Bavette’s Steakhouse

One of my favorite things about Vegas is the city’s ability to recruit great restaurants like Bavette’s from all over the U.S. to open the only other outpost in Vegas. What could be more appropriate than a good steak and a stiff drink with your golf buddies? I can think of nothing better.

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DAY 4

OLD SCHOOL VEGAS

Cascata Located just out of town in Boulder City, Cascata is a complement to Shadow Creek in terms of grandeur and experience. Expect a high-touch first class affair from the minute you set foot on property. When you see the waterfall running through the clubhouse you will know you’re in a different sort of place. Get caddies, prepare to flush irons off grass that feels like the nicest carpet you’ve ever seen and then just soak up the special treatment. This is experiential golf at its finest.

Fremont Street

DINNER: Joe’s Seafood Prime Steak & Stone Crab

Joe’s is one of my favorite restaurant experiences of all time.

It’s rare for me to make it to Miami to go to the original Joe’s (pro tip: slip the maître d’ a twenty to jump the line for a table) but since I end up in Vegas often I always go for seafood, steaks and a martini at Joe’s. Don’t miss the namesake stone crabs with mustard sauce.

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Fremont Street is a time machine back to the quaint days of Vegas pre-IPO. Filled with vintage Neon signs and old west references, this is a throwback experience that’s unlike must of the gloss that you find on The Strip. Fremont Street has somehow become equal parts charming and creepy, which I think fits a Vegas experience.

Battista’s Hole in the Wall This place is an off-the-strip gem and a holdover from another time. Bi-coastal folks would understand a comparison of Dan Tana’s meets 21 Club. Put more simply, this is the type of place where Frank Sinatra would be a regular.

The Peppermill Walking into the Peppermill is like stepping back in time. Off the strip, this old school lounge is a true Vegas experience. Commandeer a banquette and enjoy a retro Vegas cocktail experience. There aren’t many places like this left in Vegas.

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TRAVEL Mix

Golf + Piñon Hills Golf Course and Purgatory Resort [right]

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Ski

Where greens and green runs abound in the same season, paradise isn’t far away

Photo: Eric Berry

I

If you don’t know it already (but of course you do), “golfski” is the Slovenian word for golf. It’s a shame, really, because if it wasn’t already taken, “golfski” would be a great way to express the joy of schussing down the slopes and playing 18 on the same day—and yes, that’s possible if you know where to go. Thankfully, we do. The following spring travel options double both the good times and the luggage fees, offering great skiing and golf for those who want too much of a good thing. We’d call it “funski,” but then that’s Bulgarian for “funky,” which you also knew, of course. Whatever the verbiage, just don’t mix up your footwear and you’ll be fine.

DURANGO, COLORADO

Though Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid didn’t travel to Durango specifically for the jaw-dropping descents (into the town’s Animas River, in their case) crowds of skiers come to Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort each year for precisely that. An average of 260 inches of snow falls here annually, big storms alternating with clear sunny days, making the skiing as epic as the setting. Durango sits in the “four corners” area, in which Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico share borders. The ski season often pushes into mid-April, when nearby golf courses are starting to open, and that includes the local Hillcrest Golf Club, a solid 18-hole option that in milder years has opened in February.

For state-hopping options, Piñon Hills Golf Club and San Juan Country Club (site of the annual San Juan Open, now in its 58th year) are just an hour and a half to the south, in San Juan, New Mexico.

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THE BIG ISLAND, HAWAII

Sometimes it transpires that Hawaii’s Mauna Kea volcano, at 13,796 feet above sea level, gets enough snow to allow skiing and snowboarding—but there are a few things to keep in mind: The lava under the snow will trash your skis (and maybe your bum); there are no lifts to the top, and so you’ll have to trade rides in a 4x4 with other skiers/snowboarders; it’s completely possible that, even if there’s enough snow, 76mph (or higher) winds will make skiing impossible; there are possible environmental impacts; no grooming; no “ski patrol” to help if you get into trouble; and violently volatile weather. If this sounds appealing, check with SkiHawaii.com or HawaiiSnowSkiClub.com to ensure you don’t get yourself into trouble. And when you’re done trashing their skis (SkiHawaii rents sticks, poles and boots for $50/day) take heart that the golf at the bottom of the mountain is consistently beautiful. We like the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel with its Arnold Palmer/Ed Seay course, featuring ocean views, sunshine and Mai Tais, but there are plenty of great options.

Sun Valley, Idaho

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SUN VALLEY, IDAHO

With wild weather, this perhaps is not the best bet for same-day golf/ski opportunities, but on those rare occasions when great snowfall, mild temperatures and sunny days combine here, Sun Valley can be epically special. Mt. Baldy is the centerpiece of the resort, with a peak at 9,150 feet and a base at 5,750 feet. Ample lifts and runs, heliskiing and other winter sports opportunities, plus a fulfilling array of accommodation types and dining mean your snow fix is met, while three on-site golf courses take care of green dreams.

Start up top on the cold stuff, then cross your fingers on the way down and hope RTJ Jr’s Trail Creek Championship Course is open by the time you reach the bottom.

SNOWBIRD, UTAH

Between the somewhat chilly and modest styling and the State of Utah’s quirky laws regarding alcohol sales (e.g. no doubles allowed) you might find a few challenges to getting the party started at Snowbird, but there’s no denying the incredible mountain and the “longest season in Utah” skiing, which can go as late as Memorial Day. When you’ve had your fill of powder (if that’s possible), The Ridge Golf Club in West Valley City is a well-regarded local track that typically opens in mid-April. In-between that and Snowbird, Old Mill Golf Course, Mountain View, Meadowbrook and others offer great golf just 12 miles from the resort while 40 minutes to the east there’s Park City Golf Club, often ranked among the state’s best. There’s also a Nicklaus design at the private Park Meadows Country Club where, presumably, one could find a proper stiff cocktail. Maybe not? Well, doesn’t hurt to ask.

Whistler Golf Club [above] Palisades Tahoe [left]

LAKE TAHOE, NEVADA/CALIFORNIA

Famous as both a winter and summer playground, Tahoe offers the best of both worlds in spring, with late-season skiing sometimes possible into mid-May, at which point local tee sheets are starting to fill up. The historic Palisades Tahoe continues to set the local bar, with thousands of skiable acres across two mountains, an Olympic legacy and views for miles. Heavenly has the views as well (perhaps the best in Tahoe, in fact) and a wide array of possible accommodations, making it a great option. When you’re done descending, we like Old Brockway and its 1926 layout

by John Duncan Dunn (Shinnecock Hills), which tends to be open while there’s still snow. Host to the first Bing Crosby tournament in 1934, the nine-hole is a perfect way to follow a morning on the slopes. The Nicklaus design at Old Greenwood might open in time to catch some skiing as well, and the same goes for the Trent Jones, Sr., Championship Course at Incline Village—also a great place to stay as it’s a convenient base for both golf and skiing.

MT. HOOD, OREGON

More flannels than Ferraris, this not-Aspen ski destination delivers unpretentious, straightforward winter action. The mountain’s resort is called “The Resort At The Mountain,” the on-site golf courses are called “The Courses,” you’ll find the resort online at theresort.com, and what more do you need? Staff will sort lift tickets at places like Timberline, Mt. Hood Meadows, Summit and Skibowl, then get you sorted for the 27 holes of Salmon River Valley golf.

WHISTLER BLACKCOMB, BRITISH COLUMBIA

With solid winter sports credentials (how about the 2010 Winter Olympics, anyone?) Whistler Blackcomb is a no-brainer for skiers and snowboarders, but its warmweather sports potential is as appealing. At the higher elevations of the two mountains, there’s still plenty of snow for fun in April and early May, meaning mornings can be spent skiing while afternoons can be spent on course.

There’s a beautiful Palmer design at the Whistler Golf Club and the lovely Big Sky Golf Club as well, which opens in mid-April. Nicklaus North Golf Course is well reviewed, and there’s an RTJ Jr. design at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler. In fact, three of the area’s courses are within 1.25 miles of each other (Big Sky is a short drive). As good: the “Sea to Sky Corridor” offers a rich array of dining and microbreweries, meaning this could be the ultimate spring golf/ski destination, weather permitting.

The resort is called “The Resort,” the courses are called “The Courses”— there’s no pretension to be found here

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Evan Schiller | golfshots.com Teton Pines [above] and Okemo [right]

BELLAIRE, MICHIGAN

Michigan might not be the first place that comes to mind when you’re shopping for goggles and the skis are getting waxed, but the three villages at Shanty Creek Resort in Bellaire might change that. With 55 runs across two mountains, including the steep drops on Schuss Mountain known as “Kingdom Come” (a name we quite like), there’s a lot to love. And if the weather’s right, there’s even more: four golf courses, including the Arnold Palmer-designed “The Legend” course, make Shanty Creek Resort a great place to enjoy the best of late winter/early spring—or any season, for that matter.

LUDLOW, VERMONT

Known for cheese, Ben & Jerry’s, and fantastic fly fishing, Vermont also possesses some great skiing. Its Okemo Mountain resort is on the largest vertical drop in the southern part of the state (2,200 feet) and offers 119 trails over 632 acres. Nearby, once you’re done with the slopes, Okemo Valley Golf Club (the state’s first heathland-style course) and Fox Run are ready with forested layouts, waterfalls and everything one could want from Northeastern golf. Easily reached from most major East Coast cities and family friendly in a number of ways, we’re thinking this might warrant a new Ben & Jerry’s flavor: “Golfski” maybe?

Anyone? Anyone…?

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PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

Okay, sure, we know: There’s no snow skiing in Palm Springs.

(But there is a gondola that’ll take you up a mountain!) Still, with so much great golf in the area we figured we’d stretch things a bit. Classic Club, PGA West, La Quinta Resort and 121 other courses are there for the taking in later winter/ early spring, when temps are in the 60s, the evening fire pits are roaring, and the cocktails are flowing. All of it is just an hour and a half from Big Bear, a charming ski area with 18 trails and enough good times to help you forget that you’re not in Vail. Honestly, if you’re looking for a golf-forward early season vacation with a hint of late-season fun in the snow, the desert might be your spot.

JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING

Wyoming’s rugged ski country isn’t everyone’s first choice for spring skiing, but the season can go into April and so it is possible. Finding a golf course open that early can be a bigger challenge, but also possible. Only 10% of the trails at Jackson Hole Resort are rated “beginner” (50% are rated “expert”), but if you’ve got the skills then Jackson Hole can provide a thrilling, pure ski experience. Things calm down a bit on the local courses, with places like the semi-private Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club, the Palmer-designed Teton Pines, and Snake River Sporting Club all offering all the Old West peace and quiet a skiing/golf cowboy could want.

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CLUB Locker Rooms

Through the Keyhole Kingdom staff have visited locker rooms far and near.

Some are remembered for their hospitality, some for design, some for smelly socks. The following is our “Best” list— for all sorts of reasons Augusta National Best locker room for Chatting to past Masters Champions

Augusta National has reserved one of the finest rooms in the house for the lockers, or to be specific, the Masters Champions’ lockers. The most striking feature about the Champions’ Locker Room is its quiet intimacy, which is typical of the central section of Augusta’s clubhouse, the original plantation manor house built in 1854. The building has been painstakingly preserved and extended since it was converted into a clubhouse in 1931, and the manor house steadfastly retains a beautifully antiquated feel, including limited proportions. This is comfortably the smallest locker room among the following pages—and perhaps the most special.

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Cape Kidnappers Best locker room to...

Show off a new camera

Even if you forgot your clubs, you’d still have the experience of a lifetime here. Serving New Zealand’s epic Cape Kidnappers golf course, this wood-and-stone Lodge offers 180-degree views of the Pacific Ocean and the jaw-droppingly beautiful cliffs around Hawke’s Bay. In addition to being a great place to relax, the lodge is the perfect place to not read the manual for your fancy new camera—but no worries: even the most ham-fisted photographer will take winning shots outside.

Centurion Club Best locker room for...

A whisky

Something new greeted us at the Centurion Club, where the club’s highest tier of members have their own whiskey bottle cabinet in the locker room.

With a delightful parkland course, Centurion Club only opened in 2013 yet it is already established as one of the pre-eminent clubs of England’s south.

The club is located in St. Albans, only an hour from Central London, but don’t expect pinstriped suits and City attitudes in the locker room; it was designed as a relaxed space and an escape.

Loch Lomond Best locker room for...

Chatting to the attendant

The clubhouse is the former seat of Clan Colquhoun, called Rossdhu Mansion and built in 1773. This Georgian manor house has been converted with great care and is complete with many original furnishings and antiques. The locker room is one of those transportive spaces in golf: Enter, and you instantly feel connected to the game’s roots. Designed in keeping with the rest of the house, long-standing locker room attendant Willie Henry is a master at remembering names.

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Kingsbarns Golf Links Best locker room in...

Which to quote Thomas C. Latto

Post-round, if someone waxes nostalgic, raise your glass and say, “Ah, When We Were At the Schule…”, then let your voice trail off. Someone might recognize this as the title of a famous poem from Thomas C. Latto, a son of Kingsbarns who emigrated to Brooklyn, NY, in the 19th century.

The setting is ideal, as at Kingsbarns the locker room is upstairs and offers spellbinding panoramic views across the course and the waves as they roll in off the North Sea—the poetry is everywhere.

Blessings Golf Club Best locker room for...

Contemplating architectural right angles

Located in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, Blessings achieves the architecturally rare feat of somehow elevating the contoured landscape around it without stealing the spotlight from Mother Nature. Radiating Mid-Century Modern sophistication, but clearly an evolution of the style, the clubhouse designed by architect Marlon Blackwell eschews ye olde lodge conventions and compels thoughts of what’s yet to come.

Tradition Golf Club Best locker room for...

A west coast toast to Arnie

Arnold Palmer designed and built the course here in La Quinta, Calif. (which he covered in wildflowers to please his first wife, Winnie), and he had a house here as well. Unsurprisingly, the locker room suited his standards—and if it’s good enough for Arnie, it should be good enough for anyone else. Raise a glass and toast the greatest, then step back outside and marvel at the beauty.

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Dundonald Links Best locker room in which to say...

“Beam me up, Scotty”

There’s something of a traditional Scottish hunting lodge about the clubhouse at Dundonald, although its locker room is the nearest resemblance we’ve ever seen to the Starship Enterprise. Grey tones lit by spotlights combine to striking affect with circular mirrors, ceiling features and flooring. It is thoroughly modern, elegant and perfect for trying out your best Captain Kirk one-liners.

TPC Sawgrass Best locker room to...

Not get a haircut while sitting in a barber chair

This chair started out at Sawgrass CC, which held the Players Championship before Pete Dye’s Stadium Course was built. In the 1979 Players, the weather came in hard and scoring soared. Ben Crenshaw took to the barber chair to get a trim and let off some steam, a few players gathered around, and a tradition of storytelling from the chair began. If you’re lucky enough to be near the chair in March, you’ll likely hear a good tale.

Carnegie Club Best locker room for...

Showing off your Andrew Carnegie trivia

With views over the Carnegie Links and the Dornoch Firth, the clubhouse at the Carnegie Club is posh but relatively straightforward—a rest for the eyes compared to the gloriously Edwardian interior of the estate’s Skibo Castle, once owned by Andrew Carnegie. As for showing off in the warm, oak-panelled locker room, jot this down: Carnegie gave away 90% of his wealth before he died— nearly $65 billion in today’s money.

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CLUB Flite Golf

GOLF’S NEW AGE

PGA WEST in La Quinta, California, the PGA Tour venue and destination of golfers’ dreams, is taking golf entertainment technology to the next level in partnership with Flite Golf & Entertainment

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ake it from PGA Tour pro golfer Hudson Swafford: there is something special going on at PGA WEST, the nine-course golf and sports hideaway in La Quinta, California, in the heart of the idyllic Coachella Valley. (And yes, you read that correctly, that’s nine courses—including the Citrus Club next door—not nine holes.)

“I’ve fallen in love with this place,” said Swafford in January, as newly crowned champion of The American Express, one of the PGA Tour’s more historic tournaments (once known as the Bob Hope Desert Classic). In fact Swafford has won The American Express at PGA WEST twice—the first time in 2017—which sees him join an elite list of double winners led by Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper, Johnny Miller and Phil Mickelson. (Palmer actually won the title five times but that was a love affair already covered in Kingdom.)

Success—in any pursuit—breeds contentment, but Swafford’s devotion to PGA WEST is about a lot more than winning.

“This is kind of my West Coast home, honestly,” said the 34-year-old Floridian, now a three-time winner on the PGA Tour. “I come out here early [in the season], get some work in. Things just click here.”

Swafford is right: things do just click at PGA WEST, which has become known as “The Western Home of Golf in America”, typically attracting more than 250,000 visitors a year. It sounds like a crowd, but when PGA WEST boasts nine courses, five clubhouses, two private clubs—

including a sports club—a resort-style pool and an array of other immaculate sports facilities, the visitor numbers are comfortably manageable.

“Our goal at PGA WEST is to bring it into the top five golf resort destinations in the country, along with Pebble Beach, Pinehurst, Bandon Dunes and Whistling Straits,” starts Doug Howe, Partner and C.O.O. of Century Golf, which has part-owned and operated PGA WEST since the beginning of 2020.

“We want PGA WEST to be in that discussion and so we renovated the Arnold Palmer private course and Greg Norman resort course last year, and this year we will begin returning the Pete Dye Stadium Course to its original design. We are creating an exceptional golf experience.”

Highlighting the off-course entertainment options at PGA WEST this summer will be brand new Flite Golf & Entertainment facilities. Flite provides custom-built, first-of-its-kind, interactive golf practice and entertainment technology, and its full capability will be showcased at PGA WEST. Flite’s proprietary technology will give golfers tour-level feedback on the driving range at the Stadium Course. Ultraprecise shot tracking data reveals shot distance, clubhead speed, ball speed and shot shape on every shot, so golfers can get fully dialled in before they step onto the first tee.

If tour champ Swafford loves PGA WEST now, think how smitten he’ll be next winter when he can tune up for the new season with a steady stream of Flite shot data.

“We have built our own proprietary technology platform that is patented and protected,” starts John Vollbrecht,

Everything clicked for Hudson Swafford in The American Express at PGA West

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Flite technology is adding a new and innovative layer to the golf facilities at PGA WEST

“We learned early on that our technology platform is second to none” founder and CEO of Flite. “We spent two and a half years on a driving range creating a system that can track every single golf ball without requiring RFID chips in the balls. We use real golf balls and we track every shot—and not just the ones that hit a target, because we understand there are a lot of bad golf shots out there, and to the dedicated golfer they are just as important as the good ones.”

In Pete’s Grill at the Pete Dye Clubhouse at PGA WEST, Flite will also provide an entertainment golf center with state-of-the-art simulators, where groups may hire out bays, hit golf shots, order food and drinks off the menu and enjoy waiter service to the comfy lounge seating area behind the driving bay. Ensuring that golf is fun, relaxed, lively and entertaining to all ages and abilities, the Flite bays will feel like a living room—but with one side removed to watch the action in full swing.

Groups will be able to play a variety of interactive golf games with Flite’s shot-tracking technology; driving range darts, blackjack and H.O.R.S.E, while an exclusive handicapping system enables golfers of varying abilities to compete in a long-drive contest. Flite also provides a “course gameplay” option, through which golfers strike shots that appear on screen at the golfers’ choice of iconic golf courses, including Pebble Beach and the Old Course, St Andrews.

“We learned early on that our technology platform is second to none,” adds Vollbrecht. “It has become even better than we could have dreamed at the start. We want to license our technology platform into as many driving range bays as possible around the world, whether they be at entertainment venues or at green-grass locations. Our partnership with PGA WEST is seeing the opening of our

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first green-grass, hybrid entertainment facility. The project is incredibly exciting and we could not have asked for a better venue to showcase our products.

“Century Golf does operations really well. We do the technology really well. Each partner is concentrating on what they do really well and then making them mesh in a way that no-one else in the industry has the capability to do.”

Beyond PGA WEST, the Flite and Century Golf partnership is going to provide its golf entertainment offering to other venues, including Flite’s entertainment flagship, Atomic Range, in Las Vegas.

“Most likely, every driving range that succeeds over the next few years is going to have to have some sort of technology and entertainment,” says Vollbrecht.

Chimes Century Golf’s Howe: “The relationship with Flite has been fantastic. We have integrated very well into a cohesive team to deliver an exceptional experience for our guests. Now we are going to bring all this expertise to other parties who want an independent golf entertainment venue. We are the only supplier of the whole package, including design consultation, technology, operations and comprehensive services, so this is a unique offering to the market.”

The challenge with already being one of the finest golf resorts in America is how to keep improving when everyone around you, like Hudson Swafford, loves how things are right now. It must be tempting not to fix what ain’t broke, but ultimately that philosophy leads to stagnation. Building on success comes from embracing new ideas, making brave decisions and working hard to make sure they work. That is what we are seeing at PGA WEST, with a technological solution provided by Flite. Exciting times ahead.

Our past isn’t just a part of who we are, it defines our present and our future. www.penfoldgolf.com |  penfoldgolf

CLUB

MAJOR TIES Here we present a diverse trio of golf destinations, yet what ties them together are the majors, either through staging them or being designed by major champions

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BLUEJACK N AT I O N A L Texas

olling around 767 acres of land in Montgomery, Texas, 50 miles northwest from Houston, Bluejack National has become established as one of the finest and most diverse residential communities in North America. It is home to the first Tiger Woods-designed golf course in the United States and Woods’ only private course in the U.S.—a rare gem and inevitably the headline act—but the truth is that at Bluejack National, world-class golf is just the tip of the pine tree.

The Fort at Bluejack National opened in 2018, incorporating an array of family amenities such as two swimming pools, a burger joint and bar, pickleball

courts, 10-pin bowling, a football field, tennis center and even a “mini-Fenway” Wiffle-ball diamond. You might ask if it’s good for kids? And the answer is, “it’s great once the parents let the kids have their turn…”

The peerless amenities are complemented by an extensive network of walking trails around the expansive, wooded property.

Tiger’s course still looks pristine, yet having been open for play since 2016, it has had time to settle and in fact is now better than new. Woods has ensured the golf course provides a memorable challenge for golfers of all levels, and we love that the folks at Bluejack make it hard to lose your golf ball: there is no rough beyond a friendly first cut.

Woods also designed Bluejack’s beautiful 10-hole short course, The Playgrounds.

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CABOT SAINT LUCIA Windward Islands

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he Windward Islands string out between the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea and among them is Saint Lucia, named by French colonists after St. Lucy of Syracuse.

Saint Lucia is just 27 miles long, 14 miles wide and shaped like a teardrop, and at its northern tip lies the Point Hardy peninsula, fringed by white sand and surrounded by azure waters. At this idyllic setting the brand new Cabot Saint Lucia private community will open later this year.

Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated golf course introduction of 2023 will take place here when Point Hardy Golf Course—the first Caribbean design from celebrated duo Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw—opens for play. The dramatic course has been rolled out along one and a half miles of island coastline, and the property is also opening bespoke real estate, a sumptuous spa, upscale beach club and fine-dining through a trio of restaurants. Secluded beaches await guests and residents, while sunlit, panoramic views can be enjoyed across the property. Promising to be the ultimate Caribbean luxury enclave—friendly, welcoming and social yet discreet and secure—a limited selection of once-in-a-lifetime real estate opportunities await.

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OMNI HOMESTEAD Virginia

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ou may not find a place where first-class, modern hospitality intertwines so seamlessly with famous history as it does at The Omni Homestead Resort, nestled on 2,000 acres of a secluded valley, deep in the wooded foothills of the Allegheny Mountains of Virginia.

With a history spanning more than 255 years, The Homestead joined the game with the construction of a six-hole course in 1892, one of the first mountain courses to be built in the country. Donald Ross updated the “Old Course” in 1913, adding his distinctive saucer-shape greens and contoured fairways, while the first tee remains the oldest in continuous use in the country.

In 1899, President William McKinley, the first sitting president to play golf, teed it up on

the Old Course. Less than 10 years later, President William Howard Taft, a frequent Homestead guest, established golf as the most favored presidential sport. He said, “As every man knows who has played the game, it rejuvenates and stretches the life span”.

The Omni Homestead’s Cascades Course, a William Flynn design, has hosted 8 USGA championships and is where Bath County native and legendary golfer Sam Snead began his professional career. It was here that Frenchwoman Catherine Lacoste stunned golf’s pro ranks by becoming the only amateur ever to win the U.S. Women’s Open.

Championship sporting clays, zip lines, archery, falconry and horseback riding, along with a luxurious spa, highlight other popular pursuits at this four-season resort, while skiing and ice skating come to the fore during winter months.

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Royal St. George’s, venue for the 1975 Penfold PGA Championship

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CLUB Profile

WHEN PALMER WON THE PGA Penfold, a name once synonymous with the world’s finest tournaments, golfers, golf balls and accessories, is bringing vintage Britain back to the pro shops of modern America

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No-one ever accused Arnold Palmer of shirking bad weather. The British links are renowned for fast-changing and occasional brutal golf conditions and Palmer knew all about it.

The Old Course at St Andrews, a golf course that hardly ever floods, was submerged by torrential rain that interrupted The Open in 1960 and filled the depths of the Valley of Sin. Palmer made his debut in golf’s oldest major championship that summer, and finished just a shot shy of winner Kel Nagle. A year later at Royal Birkdale,

ropes and pegs were no match for gales that blew away many of The Open’s marquees—and this time Palmer won the Claret Jug by a shot.

Fourteen years later, when Palmer made the visit to England for the 1975 Penfold PGA Championship at Royal St. George’s—another classic, uncompromising links and regular venue for The Open—the weather turned nasty again. Palmer was 45 by now but he was ready, as ever, and an eagle in the final round at the treacherous par-five 14th—a long, straight hole with Out of Bounds threatening all along its righthand side—set up a two-shot triumph. He shot 71, one under par, in the final round and was the only golfer to finish under par that day.

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The PGA Championship—the PGA of America’s version and golf’s fourth major—was the one major title to elude Palmer. He won the Masters four times, The Open twice and the U.S. Open once but could not complete his career grand slam.

“You know I’ve been trying for years to win a PGA Championship,” beamed Palmer as he cradled the Penfold PGA Championship trophy. He was the first American winner of the Penfold PGA title and also the only one, until Billy Horschel last year won what is now called the BMW PGA Championship.

“Royal St. George’s Golf Club is one of England’s toughest links courses, and the scene of one of my proudest international victories—in the Penfold PGA Championship in 1975,” Palmer would tell Kingdom magazine years later.

“But a word of warning to Americans who plan to go over there: when the wind blows and the rain lashes at Royal St. George’s it can be a brutal course to play, and one that requires patience and fortitude.”

Penfold was the title sponsor of the European Tour’s PGA Championship for three years, from 1975 to 1977, and the company also was the pre-eminent producer of golf balls at the time—famous for individually wrapping them. How popular were they? It was a Penfold Red Heart that James Bond [played by Sean Connery] used in the 1964 movie Goldfinger, and if it’s good enough for Bond...

“It was a big story when Arnold Palmer flew over to England and won the Penfold PGA Championship,” starts Gavin Perrett, C.E.O. of Penfold Golf, who is leading a resurgence of sorts in the company. “Penfold put up the biggest prize fund in the history of the championship at that time, to make it the European Tour’s flagship tournament.”

Albert Ernest Penfold founded his company (originally called Golf Ball Developments Ltd) in Birmingham, England, having designed the Maxfli ball for Dunlop. Penfold devised a new winding technique for the rubber thread, which permitted extreme tension and boosted shot accuracy and distance. The company also invented what is thought to have been the world’s first golf ball testing robot, which remains on display at Ladbrook Park Golf Club, just south of Birmingham. Penfold himself served as club president there in the 1930s.

Palmer accepts congratulations at the ‘75 Penfold PGA [top]; Goldfinger & James Bond go head to head at London’s Stoke Park

Bond declared: “Here’s my Penfold Hearts,” as he foiled the cheating Goldfinger on the last green

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With its legacy of style, class and performance, Penfold is back on course

The Penfold ball was so popular on both sides of the Atlantic that in 1936 the company opened a U.S. factory in Brooklyn. In the 1930s, Penfold produced 6,000 golf balls a week—approximately 300,000 a year—and by the time Bond played the Red Heart in Goldfinger the company had become the first manufacturer to produce one million golf balls a year. Gary Player and Seve Ballesteros swore by the Penfold Ace, with a tight-wound construction and thin balata cover to boost feel on scoring shots.

Sales rocketed in the mid-’60s once Bond declared, “Here’s my Penfold Hearts,” as he foiled the cheating Goldfinger, and Ballesteros won The Open for the first time at Royal Lytham in 1979 playing the Penfold Tradition.

Golf balls remain central to Penfold operations today, along with a striking line of Heritage golf bags and accessories. The Heritage Sunday golf bag combines nostalgia with innovation and a touch of class. Available in green, navy or burgundy, the bag is made from waxed

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canvas and full-grain leather and fitted with a waterproof lining. The minimalist Heritage Sunday bag has just two zip pockets as it harks back to simpler times.

Also look out for Penfold’s line of vintage gloves this spring. Made from the finest cabretta leather to bring a thin touch, light feel, yet strength and durability, the gloves have a contemporary fit with vintage styling, and striking colors to revive the Penfold gloves worn on tour by the world’s best players in the 1970s, complete with the distinctive Penfold heart logo on the back of the hand.

“We have something unique with our new gloves,” adds Perrett. “The colors match a lot of the bright colored gloves worn by golfers in the ’70s, such as an orange glove worn by Gary Player; the color is identical but the glove has a modern fit and design. We also have white versions with a red heart and a black heart.”

With its legacy of style, class and performance, Penfold is back on course, where it belongs.

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Renewed Strength

The ruined clubhouse at Oakland Hills Country Club on February 18, 2022 (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

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CLUB Oakland Hills

A devastating fire brought down the clubhouse at Oakland Hills Country Club in February. It was a shocking loss to the club and to American golf, yet no-one was killed, the clubhouse will be rebuilt and the heritage of this famous club remains indelible

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The damage left by the raging flames of February 17 is so severe they may never pin-point the cause of the fire that destroyed the clubhouse at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, outside Detroit.

Club president Rick Palmer called it a “gut-wrenching day,” adding: “We have lost our iconic clubhouse… but we are comforted to know that the heart and soul and legacy of the club resides in our membership and staff. We will move forward with a purpose to honor all those who made this grand building come to life with their golf and their work.”

Oakland Hills was established in 1916, and its South Course opened in 1918. Walter Hagen was the club’s first pro, and the club has hosted six U.S. Opens and three PGA Championships among a list of majors, plus the 2004 Ryder Cup. Also gut-wrenching to the membership is the irony that they lost their stately clubhouse in its centenary year.

The clubhouse opened in August 1922, having been designed

by Detroit architect C. Howard Crane, who also drew up a number of Detroit theaters (the club’s website notes the clubhouse cost $650,000 to build—$300,000 over budget).

It is hard to find good news with such a trauma, yet there is great relief that no-one was injured in the fire— which started in an attic space—and that at least some of the club’s priceless items of memorabilia were rescued by firefighters. At a club board meeting two days after the fire

it was quickly and unanimously agreed to re-construct the clubhouse as a replica of the lost building, and so already the club membership and staff have a positive, unifying project into which they can pour their passion and energy.

Support from the wider golf community has been extensive, and the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation joined a fund-raising effort to support Oakland Hills employees, as it will be more than a year before many of them can return to work at the Michigan club. Matching donations made by supporters, the Foundation is donating more than $32,000 to the workforce fund.

A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP

Arnold Palmer’s connection to Oakland Hills ran deep. He was a 16-year-old amateur—every bit the unpolished gem— when he first played there, having qualified for his first-ever national tournament, the 1946 Hearst National Junior Championship. Palmer lost in the final on that occasion but 35 years later scored one of his most famous victories on the same golf course, in the 1981 U.S. Senior Open.

That ’81 Senior Open was a pivotal moment in the establishment of seniors tour golf. The USGA had only introduced the championship for over 55s in 1980, but quickly realized that bringing the qualifying age down to 50 would open up the fledgling championship to a lot more star quality, including Palmer—aged 51 at the time—and other major champs like Billy Casper, Gene Littler and Don January. The over-50 age requirement also brought the championship into line with the Senior PGA Tour (now the PGA Tour Champions) which had also only just started up with a short tournament schedule in 1980.

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Oakland Hills has suffered a brutal shock, but already the club is recovering and it will continue to move forward

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The South Course at Oakland Hills [above], and Palmer in 1981

Courtesy of USGA

The result of that ’81 Senior Open on the South Course at Oakland Hills was immediately rewarding: It was a thrilling tournament that Palmer won with his frequent come-from-behind style, in an 18-hole playoff against Casper and little-known Bob Stone. From there the Senior Open became established as the cornerstone of the Senior Tour.

Years later, Oakland Hills staged an elaborate gala dinner to present an honorary membership to Palmer, with two of Detroit’s all-time sports heroes—hockey’s Gordie Howe and baseball’s Al Kaline—on hand for the occasion.

As for the South Course at Oakland Hills, it has not held a major championship since Padraig Harrington won the 2008 PGA Championship, but it might play better than ever in 2022, thanks to an extensive $12-million restoration led by course architect Gil Hanse. The project took nearly two years and was completed last summer, and thankfully the course was undamaged by the clubhouse fire.

Long regarded among the mightiest achievements of design genius Donald Ross, with painstaking reference to historical records and photographs Hanse returned the bunkering, course widths and shot angles to those laid out by Ross. Many trees had to be removed as the project respected the original design, which opened up wind flow around the course and also some vistas that had been gradually lost over decades of growth.

Critically, the course is now underlaid with 21st century technology. All 18 greens were rebuilt to meet USGA specifications and installed with a PrecisionAire system that controls moisture and temperature, and will help to nullify the effects of both heavy downpours and extended dry spells. Course drainage and irrigation also was laid out anew, helping to improve the efficiency of course maintenance, which in turn will ensure this restoration endures.

“By returning the proportions of the features to the large scale of the property, we learned so much about how to create interest, strategy, and beauty,” said Hanse last year.

“This was a truly thrilling project for us and we are excited about the transformation that has occurred.”

The biggest departure from Ross’s design is that now the South Course can play up to 7,700 yards, with this extension introduced to ensure the course plays the way it was originally intended.

It was announced in January that Oakland Hills will host the U.S. Women’s Open in 2031 and 2042, to confirm USGA approval of the South Course restoration, and Oakland Hills must be near the top of the USGA’s list to host the men’s U.S. Open once again.

Oakland Hills Country Club and its community has suffered a brutal shock, but already the club is recovering and it will continue to move forward. Faced with adversity, the club’s true spirit has shone.

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MOVE E-Trucks

BIGGER, MEANER, TOUGHER, GREENER

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You’re not making a grocery run and you don’t need a free latté with your vehicle purchase. You need a truck; something that can haul heavy, tow large, and get wild off road. Well, forget diesel-stained jeans and big bills at the pump—electric trucks, finally, are having a lightbulb moment

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HEN GENERAL MOTORS’ all-electric EV1

debuted in 1996, the “soap bar,” as MotorWeek described it, had a range of 60 miles. That’s only 40 miles more than the better-named “Electrobat” in 1896—depriving GenX early adopters the joy of proclaiming “Look how far we’ve come in the last century!” How far? Forty miles.

Since the 1830s, when the first electric vehicles were built, “EV” development primarily focused on making cars go further, faster and more stylishly. But progress was slow: 20mph in the Electrobat’s case, 80mph in the EV1’s.

Consider that the 1896 vehicle beat its internal combustion contemporaries in road races, and one could even argue that things were (quietly) rolling backwards for EVs. But then Tesla happened in 2008, and global warming got real, batteries improved and suddenly EV development shifted into high gear. Fast-forward to today and very non-soapbar-like stunners such as the new Lotus Evija are burning up test tracks at more than 200mph, with a range of just under 200 miles—so things have improved dramatically.

And yet, amidst nearly two centuries’ worth of performance and style upgrades, one vehicle type appeared to have been left behind: trucks.

Well hitch up your jeans, because that’s about to change. As of right now, a wide range of electric pickups is starting to hit the road and they may convince fans of their internal combustion counterparts to pack up the pump— once they get used to the idea of plugging in.

Until recently, for every pickup truck ad featuring construction workers or cowboys charging down a dusty trail, there’s been an EV ad featuring sustainably grown vegetables (Ford C-Max); cute polar bears (Nissan Leaf ); happy acoustic guitar songs about humming (Toyota Prius); or models zooming around clean urban fantasies (nearly all). These ads sell a lifestyle, while pickup truck owners often are focused on making a living, on function over form.

But then you come to the subject of torque—the twisting force an engine generates, which helps with climbing mountains and pulling heavy loads—and suddenly truck fans are listening. In EVs the engine doesn’t need to rev up to develop max torque. Rather, torque is available instantly, like a light switch, and this is a big advantage. Ford’s new electric F-150 Lightning develops 775 lb-ft of torque—more torque than any F-150 in history—and it can power your home in the event of a blackout. And there’s more, as the absence of a gas engine can mean design tweaks for improved fording depth (for driving through water) and increased storage, along with zero emissions, lower cost of operation and the other niceties offered by all EVs. Lastly, electric trucks in the wilderness might make the most of an attribute largely lost on their city-dwelling brethren: silence, and we’re happy to call that an advantage. Whether or not you hear them coming, the following could appear soon on a trail near you—ready to plug in, turn on, and get out of town. We’re looking forward to all of it—and to someone resurrecting the “Electrobat” name. We’ll take ours in black, please.

CANOO +

Redolent of the snub-nosed haulers of the 1960s, Canoo’s pickup features a drop-down nose gate and plenty of storage where one might expect to find an engine—just one of many innovations, which also include bed lighting; a power strip; steps; roof rack; and flip-down tables (all integrated); an extendable bed; and more. The pickup is one of three planned EVs from Canoo, a startup that’s aiming to “bring EVs to everyone.” Pricing of the company’s “Lifestyle Vehicle” Vanagonstyle transport bears that out, starting at $34,750, and if the pickup, launching “as early as 2023,” is close to that, it’ll be one of the more accessible—and, to our eyes, stylish. Preorders open now.

CANO O.COM

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RIVIAN R1T + Currently setting the bar, the first Rivian R1Ts should be in driveways by the time you read this—and what a truck the customers are getting.

MotorTrend’s 2022 Truck of the Year, the Rivian R1T is a complete re-think of what a pickup can be. Innovations include “why hasn’t someone thought of this before now” kinds of design tweaks (e.g. a transverse “gear tunnel” behind the cab/under the bed) and properly remarkable tech, such as

individual motors for each wheel, with micro control over traction and handling. It’s technically a more capable off-roader than a Jeep Rubicon, it has a range of 300+ miles, a towing capacity of 11,000 lbs and a list of surprises and capabilities that is too long to include here. Moreover, it looks like a pickup truck, not like a sci-fi toy, and we suspect that will be appealing.

Starting just under $70,000—and worth every penny.

RIVIAN.COM

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HUMMER EV +

Whatever else this is, it could be one of the greatest re-brands in history, with Hummer transforming from being known as a forestchomping, gas-guzzling Terminatormobile to a full EV. And then there are the numbers: Zero-60 in approx. 3 seconds; up to 1,000 hp; up to 11,500 lb-ft of torque(!); and a range of 350+ miles—plus the available ability to “crabwalk” (drive diagonally) and more. It sounds like a capable lot of fun, for both the pickup and an SUV version. Reservations being accepted now, and we’re optimistic.

GMC.COM

TESLA CYBERTRUCK +

Elon Musk’s design drove a wedge right through truck town, but will it end up being the greatest pickup ever? If the planned specs live up to the design sheets, then maybe. Everything written about the Cybertruck feels like another reason to drop your jaw, from its “nearly impenetrable exoskeleton” to its planned 3,500 lb payload capacity; over 14,000 lbs of towing capacity; air suspension with built-in air compressor; 0-60 time of 2.9 seconds; 500 miles of range; “Armor Glass” (which had an unfortunate moment at an early demonstration); and, perhaps most incredibly, a stated base price of $39,900. With production apparently delayed until Q1 2023, we’ll remain cautiously curious, but you won’t catch us betting against Elon Musk. What do you wear to drive this thing, anyway?

TESLA .COM

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FORD F-150 LIGHTNING +

HIMALAYA DEFENDER 110EV +

For those who prefer not to buy off the rack, Defender-reinvention company Himalaya might build you an all-electric classic Land Rover Defender 110 EV, complete with custom chassis; hand-fit top-end leather interior; state-of-the-art tech and more, converted to run as a full EV. The company’s builds are renown as superlative (and fully custom, made-to-order) revisitations of Land Rover’s iconic Defenders, and the full EV conversion they built last year garnered headlines around the world. There won’t be many on the road, and the style is already proven, so if you’re looking for something a bit special then this might be worth investigating.

DRIVEHIMALAYA .COM

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Ford F-Series isn’t just the best-selling pickup in America, it’s been the bestselling vehicle in the country for more than 40 straight years. If the electric version hits, it’s possible that it could change the EV market in some serious ways—and one could argue that it already has. In line with its “All Work” marketing, the new Lightning will have more torque than any F-150 in history; lots of storage up front; the ability to function as a generator; and more. Max towing is targeted at 10,000lbs, range at 300 miles, and payload at 2,000 lbs. Looking every bit an F-150, will it continue the F-Series dominannce? Stay tuned.

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PREMIUM COMFORT

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HANDMADE Gins

The British Spirit It was a decade ago that a “gin-aissance” started to gain real momentum in the UK, triggering the rapid evolution of a British craft gin industry.

Now in 2022, there are clear signs that a similar movement is happening Stateside. Robin Barwick distills the issue...

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Never doubt what kind of business success can emerge from the basement or garage. Golf equipment giant Ping started out with Karsten Solheim toiling away at his garage workbench; Jeff Bezos—reportedly now the world’s richest man—launched Amazon as an online book shop from his garage. Microsoft was a garage start-up too, while sportswear company Under Armour came into being in the basement of founder Kevin Plank’s grandmother’s house (imagine the panic when the NFL asked for a meeting at Plank’s “office” at short notice).

Batch Gin is not looking to grow into any kind of mega-brand, but it produces some of the UK’s most interesting small-batch gins, and it, too, began in a basement in the Lancashire town of Burnley, a roll-your-sleeves-up, straight-talking kind of place in the heart of England’s industrial northwest. Company founder Phil Whitwell knew his business had outgrown the basement once sales started to pick-up and he and his nephew Ollie were struggling to haul palates of gin up the stairs.

The distillery has been located in a repurposed mill since 2015, where a diverse and ever-changing product range is led the Batch Signature Gin. Distinctly spiced yet not overpowering, the Signature Gin is distilled with an array of botanicals including cinnamon, cloves, frankincense, myrrh, nutmeg and orange peel. The flavors conjure thoughts of sleigh bells and reindeer, although there is no low season when it comes to appreciating a well-balanced, hand-crafted spiced gin.

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Batch Signature Gin from Burnley; The Darnley’s Gin Cottage in Kingsbarns [below, right]

The Batch distillery epitomises the British craft gin industry, and while Batch gins are imported into the United States, this small business with a staff of five produces on average only 1,000 bottles of precious liquid a month.

“We want a sustainable craft business,” Whitwell has said. “The objective is not to get to the point where we get acquired or stocked in a national supermarket. We’re in it for something we all enjoy doing.”

The most interesting and creative gins are usually the ones distilled in small batches.

“Quality can be lost in mass production,” Whitwell tells Kingdom. “You lose the attention to detail and if you are distilling in large volume you just can’t afford to take risks because if you make a mistake you might be throwing away thousands of litres of gin.

“At Batch we are constantly innovating and tweaking our recipes. Botanicals change and even if you don’t change the recipe you can’t always get exactly the same flavor profile. We are able to react to that but it is harder to do on a big scale, so the recipes for the bigger distilleries tend to be very safe.”

Gin has a long and sometimes notorious history in the UK, and in particular in London. The juniper berry-based spirit originated as a medieval elixir in the Netherlands (“Jenever” is Dutch for “Juniper,” which became shortened

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Since 2016 the number of gin distillers in the UK has trebled to nearly 600 to “gin”), before the Brits took to it with such resolve that much of London became intoxicated in the 18th century “Gin craze.” Glamorous gin palaces reigned a century later—once the trade had genuine regulation in place—as a growing middle class had the disposable income to splash out on a “flash of lightning,” as a shot of gin was sometimes known. Now, another 150 years on, gin served with tonic or in cocktails has enjoyed a rocketing “gin-aissance,” with an array of small-batch gins challenging the long-standing mass-market brands.

“We were the first gin distillery in Lancashire in 2015,” says Whitwell, “but there are now 70 others in Lancashire alone. That growth is reflected throughout the UK.” UK gin sales surpassed £1 billion for the first time in 2015, and since 2016 the number of gin distillers in the UK has trebled to nearly 600, with more than 300 in England.

Small & Sustainable The attention to detail in producing craft gins extends to sustainability. Darnley’s Gin is a young brand making a big impact from a small cottage at the Kingsbarns Distillery, just to the south of St Andrews on Scotland’s east coast.

“We source as many of our botanicals as we can locally, whether they are grown or foraged, and we are making our operation increasingly sustainable,” explains William Wemyss, founder of Darnley’s Gin. “For instance we offer gin pouches, so customers can buy refills in pouches which saves on glass bottle production and so reduces CO2 emissions, as a glass furnace uses a lot of heat.

Also from a transport point of view the pouches are lighter.”

At the forefront of the Darnley’s range is its “Original”, an award-winning and elegant London Dry gin. Made with a recipe inspired by the abundant elderflower growing naturally on the Wemyss family estate in Fife, the dry and subtle Darnley’s Original brings hints of elderflower, grapefruit and juniper, along with light floral notes.

“London Dry is sort of the Champagne of gins,” adds Wemyss, “because you get all the flavors from the botanicals very well integrated into the white spirit, rather than flavors just being stuck in after distillation. To be a London Dry gin all the botanicals must be in the still when you distil. You can’t add or infuse any flavor after distillation.

Compounding flavor into a gin after distillation is much easier, whereas we are trying to focus on quality.”

Many of the flavored mass market gins are made by adding a syrup and coloring to the gin after distillation.

“Compounding is the easy way to keep your flavor consistent but there are no natural ingredients involved,” explains Batch Gin’s Whitwell. “It’s a shortcut because it is easier to add flavors afterwards than it is to bring them through in distillation, and that is not what we want to do here, certainly.”

The American market has become increasingly important to British gins. While the UK has become saturated with small gin brands, there is much more room for growth on the other side of the Atlantic, where popularity of craft gins is gaining momentum.

“In the United States the market was polarized to New York and California for a long time,” says Whitwell, “but there is growing interest out there and a lot of room for expansion. We are very focused on the U.S. market and we are beginning to see sales increase in more states, like Florida and Texas.”

Meanwhile Darnley’s Gin, which produces in the region of 40,000 bottles of gin a year, is on sale across 24 American states at the time of writing, with “Sales growing very strongly,” says Wemyss; 40,000 bottles might sound like a lot—it is more than treble the annual output of Batch—yet it is still a small fraction compared to the mass market giants of Tanqueray, Gordon’s, Beefeater and Bombay Sapphire.

Either way, Wemyss claims status as a craft gin is more in ethos than it is in production volume.

“It is more of a mindset,” he says. “Producing craft gin is about quality, particularly in terms of making sure all the botanicals are traceable and local where possible, and to ensure you are sourcing the best botanicals available.”

So for that full flavor in a G&T keep the gin smallbatch. It might cost a couple extra bucks at the bar but as long as you don’t drown out the taste with too much tonic—the gin lover’s cardinal sin—it will be worth it. And as committed gin drinker Ernest Hemingway once said, “It’s five o’clock somewhere.”

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Well Played

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HEALTH Wellness

Golf’s longstanding benefits are being realized in a world of new wellness destinations that are embracing the game.

Breathe deeply, open your mind, and swing—you just might live longer

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ravel has changed over the past few years, and it’s now nearly impossible to divorce the question of wellness from the vacation equation. As the ultimate “get outside” sport, golf long has offered benefits, but only recently have they come into play as part of a greater wellness regimen. The following hotels and resorts have taken a deep dive into the experiences, therapies and modalities that support wellbeing, and it’s notable that golf often is on their menus. If you feel like your mind, body and spirit (and your golf game) could use some attention, these health-focused resorts will help you craft the ultimate feel-good trip—and it just might lower your score. Travel well.

MOROCCO

MEXICO

Amanjena

Chablé Yucatan

With its rosy-pink palatial architecture, elegant courtyards and private guest pavilions, the Amanjena has a thoroughly Moroccan aesthetic, with a thoroughly Moroccan wellness program to match.

Beyond the pampering spa menu with treatments starring local argan oil and clay, Amanjena hosts mini full or half-day retreats, sessions with visiting wellness experts and, of course, a traditional hammam experience to polish and revive your skin. A stone’s throw away, you’ll find 27-hole Amelkis Golf Club, which hosted its first PGA Tour Champions event in 2020. It comes recommended by Maha Haddioui, the country’s only professional golfer and the first woman from the region to join the Ladies European Tour. Mint tea and life-changing experiences not guaranteed, but definitely on offer.

Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula has become an established wellness destination in recent years ( just look at the proliferation of healthcentric hotels in Tulum). But if you want an experience that feels completely immersive, with a strong culturally specific wellness theme, head to Chablé Yucatan—a luxury resort settled in a remote swathe of jungle 30 minutes from Merida. Home to one of the only spas in the world with its own cenote (a natural well, often viewed to have healing or mystical properties), Chablé specializes in Maya-inspired ancient healing treatments and rituals, including a temazcal (sweat lodge) ceremony, alongside more modern offerings. Look for the “Wellness golf,” a mindful approach to the sport set on a course that’s been specially designed to encourage presence and union with nature.

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C O S TA R I C A

Four Seasons Papagayo Costa Rica’s Pura Vida ethos (an ingrained cultural celebration of the simple, pure joys in life) naturally incorporates daily movement, social connection and immersion in nature—elements that also make Costa Rica one of the happiest, healthiest and longest-living countries on the planet. To dip a toe in the pura vida lifestyle, check into Four Seasons Papagayo. Overlooking the ocean but surrounded by emerald jungle, the resort bills itself as a convenient launchpad for experiencing the best of Costa Rica, from wildlife spotting in the Cloud Forest to surfing the country’s best breaks.

While some of the activities on offer are decidedly wellness-y (picture morning meditation, four types of yoga and “sound bath” sessions) others are simply about soaking up the surroundings. Trade the Stairmaster machine for the Pura Vista Climb, a nature trail with 1,000+ steps to the top and back down again, then hit the resort’s Arnold Palmer-designed championship course, keeping your eyes peeled for monkeys. Bonus points for evening nature experiences with the on-site naturalist.

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H AWA I I

Sensei Lānaʻi Situated on the less-visited but no less beautiful Hawaiian island of Lānaʻi, the Sensei Lānaʻi is a luxury retreat co-founded by Dr. David Agus, a worldclass oncologist and wellness specialist.

If you want to take your wellbeing to the next level, this is where you come.

Retreats at Sensei are run by a team of expert “guides,” who customize the experience according to each guest’s needs and preferences, creating a seriously personalized holistic approach to health and vitality. Sensei Lānaʻi was created in partnership with Four Seasons and shares a golf course with its sister property, the Four Seasons Resort Lānaʻi. Perched on a lava cliff with the swirling Pacific Ocean beneath, the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course challenges even the most skilled golfers with its landscape of picturesque ravines and gorges. Leaping spinner dolphins and near-daily rainbows over Hulopoe Bay make this a world-class yes.

WISCONSIN

The American Club Historic, grand and set amidst a pristine natural environment that invites any number of holistic experiences, The American Club is one of the country’s storied golf destinations. Five-star Immersion Weekends offer wellness consultations, private yoga on the lake, guided hikes, fitness classes and mindfulness opportunities, all of which is presented alongside a foundational Kohler Waters Spa—appropriate for the experts in shaping water’s path. We are connected by water, and so is the Kohler family of properties, with the sublime treatments of a Kohler Waters Spa available across the brand’s top destinations. Relax, rejuvenate, and relish the restorative power of Earth’s mineral-rich waters, then return home refreshed and ready for your next round.

SCOTLAND

Old Course Hotel Herb Kohler, executive chairman of the storied fixtures firm, is as deeply invested in golf as he is in his company, making it perhaps no surprise that, in addition to the American Club, he also owns the Old Course Hotel at St Andrews. Besides an American accent, he has brought to Scotland and to the hotel a Kohler Water Spa that, sited in the ancestral home of golf, is a fair complement to the rugged landscape and history outside.

Thirteen treatment rooms are ready to accommodate a deep menu of treatment options, which is overseen and directed

by Spa Therapists who will custom-tailor a wellness experience for visitors—golfing and non-golfing alike. Bring your sense of adventure and a desire to improve and to indulge, and you will be richly rewarded (not to mention, relaxed).

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MAURITIUS

Heritage Le Telfair Golf & Wellness Reso

It’s hard to picture a location more conducive to wellness than Mauritius— an island nation with a mountainous interior, ringed by the calm Indian Ocean.

At luxury Mauritian resort Heritage Le Telfair, intuitive service and customizable itineraries form the foundation of a wellbeing-focused getaway. To start with, you can play as much golf as you like on the resort’s award-winning course, thanks to its unlimited games policy. Follow that up with a consultation at the Seven Colours Spa, where the team will devise a wellness program to suit your needs and goals. These programs weave together fitness classes and pampering treatments with mindfulness exercises, like forest bathing and esoteric therapies like energy healing. It’s a long way to go for wellness, but then how far is too far when one is chasing life experiences?

NEW ENGLAND

Miraval Berkshires Resort & Spa Arriving in the tranquil New England countryside feels like a giant exhale even before you’ve commenced with the wellness activities on offer at Miraval Berkshires Resort & Spa. Once you’ve settled into your cozy cottage-style suite, peruse Miraval’s themed “journeys of intention” (think couples’ retreat, mental wellbeing, fitness focus and more).

Pick from the buffet of related classes, workshops and activities available on-site, including equine therapy, photography excursions, stand-up paddleboarding and mindful golf—the last via instructor-led sessions at the nearby Wyndhurst Manor & Club, which encourage you to let go of judgmental inner dialogues and focus on the game. Can enlightenment really live this close to New England’s urban madness? As it turns out, yes.

MAURITIUS

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NATURE HEALS— WE HELP

Continuing the Palmer family’s legacy of supporting children’s health, character, and nature-focused wellness

PALMERFOUNDATION.ORG

Back to the Future

Dr. Thomas J. Graham

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HEALTH

More than a regional medical destination, Kettering Health stands at the intersection of a legacy of historic innovation and a resolve to transform today’s model of healthcare for the future

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harles F. Kettering famously said, “My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there.” And the legendary inventor and industrialist’s career left no room for doubt in his conviction. An Ohio native, born in 1876, Kettering revolutionized the auto industry, powered flight and delivered 186 patents, countless processes and product advancements that improve our lives still today.

He led research at General Motors, Delco Electronics and the National Cash Register Corporation (NCR), becoming responsible for famed inventions like the electric car starter, freon gas (enabling refrigeration) and leaded gasoline. However, his greatest contribution may be his insight into how healthcare is delivered. Today, the dynamic monument to his brilliance is the thriving healthcare system that bears his name: Kettering Health.

Comprising 14 medical centers and over 120 sites of care, the Dayton-based system reaches patients throughout western Ohio and beyond. Over the past year, nearly 100 player-patients have sought care at Kettering Health, a preeminent destination for the care of the professional athlete, specifically for hand and wrist surgery. In that time, they’ve come for the care of Dr. Thomas J. Graham, the world-renowned hand surgeon—and Kettering Health’s inaugural Chief Innovation and Transformation Officer.

Kettering Health couldn’t have picked a better leader who understands the challenges of patient-centered care, the nuances of the process of innovation, and

the manifold opportunities the latter offers to elevate the former. In addition to his unique clinical practice, Dr. Graham directs “Innovation Kettering,” the health system’s technology-transfer and entrepreneurship arm that seeks to establish the contemporary expression of Charles Kettering’s innovative legacy. A prolific inventor himself, Dr. Graham holds over 60 medical device patents and is a serial entrepreneur, having launched five companies. He is also healthcare’s first Chief Innovation Officer (at Cleveland Clinic), authoring the best-selling book Innovation the Cleveland Clinic Way, describing how to build innovation at-scale within large corporations.

After stints in Baltimore—where he served as the Chief of the Congressionally-designated National Hand Center—and in New York City, Graham admitted, “It was time to come back to Ohio. I was born here; my wife was born here; I got my medical education here; my first job was here.”

“It was time to come back to Ohio; I was born here, my wife was born here...”

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Dr. Thomas J. Graham [left]; Charles Kettering standing behind Augustus Post, Alfred P. Sloan and David H. Morris during a General Motors luncheon [right]

“I embrace the ‘maker economy,’” stated Dr. Graham.

“I was always so proud to have been from a place that contributed so much to the development of our country, but still has so much contemporary potential to remain at the vanguard of creative thought.”

Raised in the former “pottery center of the world” in East Liverpool, Ohio, Dr. Graham later attended boarding school in Pittsburgh and college in Massachusetts, learning early on about the symbiotic dynamics of economics and innovation. “I saw the region’s dominant industries, pottery and steel, crumble before my eyes in the 1970s,” he said.

“And I got the memo early that you need to continue to innovate and collaborate to remain relevant and sustain leadership in any endeavor—healthcare is no different.”

Among his colleagues, Dr. Graham emphasizes “practicing innovation as a discipline, one that improves and extends human life while creating economic opportunity for the communities we serve.” And it’s that comprehensive approach he’s taken with him to Kettering Health.

“Innovation Kettering” reflects Kettering Health’s system-wide commitment to solve big problems for large populations, faster and more economically. The

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system prides itself on agility, enabling its leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. It not only pivoted its clinical operations to care for patients amid the everevolving complexities around COVID-19, but it also took a leadership role in helping thousands of citizens confidently receive vaccination and pioneered protocols to monitor the population and transfer high-acuity cases.

“Yes, we’re a multibillion-dollar company,” Dr. Graham described. “We’re one of the largest employers in our region, but healthcare is always a local phenomenon. The center of the medical universe is where the patient and doctor get together, and we must always strive to render the right care for the right problem, at the right place and time.” Dr. Graham infuses lessons from his three-decade’s long career of caring for over 2,000 professional athletes to establish that “major-league” level of care at Kettering Health. “We deliver the same level of world-class care for the schoolteacher and the assembly-line worker that we render for the professional athletes I serve.”

Dr. Graham is a self-described “culture guy,” drawing upon his decades in professional sports where teamwork is paramount and critical to building an “innovation

IT CAME FROM DAYTON

In the early 1900s, Dayton, Ohio, held the most patents per capita. Here are a few Dayton inventions: • • • • • • • •

Airplane Cash register Self-starting ignition for automobiles “Pop top” beverage can Ice cube tray Stepladder Flight simulator for training pilots Electric wheelchair

• • • • • • • •

Statoscope Electric lights for automobiles Spark plugs Leaded gasoline Automatic transmission Four-wheel brakes Freon The Internet search engine

ecosystem” that defines Kettering Health’s creative culture and promotes collaboration between the other regional medical systems, research universities, industry partners, investors and philanthropists.

“Here at Kettering Health, the leadership comprises some of the most dedicated and thoughtful people; the way they conduct their personal and professional lives was extremely attractive to me. We have a real opportunity here to be the laboratory for the new post-pandemic healthcare delivery system.” Having seen Kettering Health grow from a collection of full-service community hospitals into a nationally recognized regional health system, Dr. Graham has been applying his unique expertise from leading at some of the largest medical centers in the world to accelerate that transformation.

He takes regular inspiration from Charles Kettering’s thinking, noting the namesake’s relationship with innovation was a “perfect balance of optimism and realism.” Graham remains impressed with Kettering’s consistent use of genius to solve practical problems. “If you drove in a car, flew in a plane or enjoyed a cold drink today…thank Charles Kettering.”

Charles Kettering led “the Barn Gang,” so named because they invented and tested many things we take for granted in an old structure on the property of John Patterson, NCR’s founder. The group consisted of the likes of the Wright Brothers and Edward Deeds—who helped lead the rebuilding of Dayton after the Great Flood of 1913—with guest appearances from Thomas Watson (IBM’s founder) and Henry Ford. This brain trust established Dayton as the “Silicon Valley” of last century–a mantle Dr. Graham is working to re-establish.

Among the many famous Charles Kettering quotes Graham encourages his colleagues to read and heed, his

Charles Kettering said, “Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail”

two favorites are “Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail,” and “High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.” To call out the importance of collaborating and gaining perspective from others, Graham humbly adds one of his own: “Innovation happens best at the intersection of knowledge domains.”

“I would hope that Charles Kettering would be proud of us,” reflected Dr. Graham. “Despite our established thought-leadership, we are always questioning and innovating. I am just as proud of the way we conduct our business; caring for our community and also positioning ourselves as the ‘best partner in healthcare’ and one of the most dynamic systems in the country.”

Another dimension to Dr. Graham’s personal history is his close relationship with Arnold Palmer. “Like any kid growing up around Pittsburgh in the 1960s and 1970s, I was first a fan. Then we became very close friends. He was my patient and my partner in launching the Arnold Palmer SportsHealth Center (Baltimore).” Graham admitted, “I certainly miss Arnold, but his lessons of humility and how to treat people live on in all of us who knew him; it is one of the greatest privileges of my life to have shared such a close relationship with such a great man.”

Three decades of caring for the world’s most elite athletes and teams have given Dr. Graham an intimate glimpse into one of the world’s most unique subcultures: professional sports. “I have come to understand championship organizations. They put their most valuable assets, their people, in the position to succeed and contribute to the bigger collective goal.” Graham shared that Kettering Health unequivocally qualifies in this stratum, and it continues to grow and innovate to maintain leadership in the future.

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GIFT GUIDE Spring

Renewal In spring’s season of reinvention and revisitation, perhaps some new tools and accessories are in order...

ROLEX

GMT-MASTER II

The classic Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II from Rolex is the quintessential timepiece for the globetrotter. Equipped with a patented calibre 3285 self-winding mechanism that provides a constant source of energy, the GMT-Master II features hands for hours, minutes and seconds, and additionally an independent arrow-tipped hand which circles the dial once every 24 hours and keeps time in an alternative time zone to the conventional watch hands. This sophisticated timepiece comes with a bidirectional bezel and 24-hour graduated monobloc Cerachrom insert in two-color ceramic.

RO L E X .C O M

DEWAR’S

THE CHAMPIONS EDITION

Dewar’s 19-Year-Old Champions Edition will be the ideal companion for the closing stages of the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club, Brookline, as one golfer fulfils his destiny and creates a moment to savor. This Limited Edition blend from the famous Scottish distiller is also one to savor in special moments. Finished in new American oak and rye casks, the 19 Year Old is rich and complex, both bold and balanced, and brings notes of heather honey, butterscotch and cinnamon before a fruity finish.

D E WA R S .C O M

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GIFT GUIDE Golf

STEWART GOLF Q FOLLOW

Simply press “Follow,” place the handset on your belt or back pocket, and walk. Keep your mind on the next shot, not where your clubs are. Designed, engineered and handbuilt in Great Britain, the Q Follow uses a pioneering microcellular composite chassis to deliver the greatest way to play golf ever by combining cutting-edge technology with extraordinary design.

S T E WA RT G O L F U S A .C O M

CLEVELAND

XXIO

12 LINE

CBX ZIPCORE

What’s that sound—is someone hoeing a field? No: it’s you chunking again with your wedge. Chunks, skulls and duffs—no one wants any part of those, and now, thanks to Cleveland Golf ’s CBX ZipCore wedges, all that noise is over. You’ll loft more shots from the sweet spot thanks to a lightweight, vibration-dampening material added to the wedge’s core: ZipCore. It complements the huge array of other tech that goes into Cleveland Golf’s wedges and turns up the volume on the MOI—and on the applause you’ll receive from your friends after getting up and down.

We’ve long been fans of XXIO clubs for their precision and performance, and we’re happy to see the XXIO 12 line, which was designed exclusively for moderate swing speeds.

Not everyone is trying to smash it to the moon on every shot, and these woods and irons utilize the company’s decades of ultralightweight club innovations, ultramodern materials and aerodynamic tech to offer more precise strikes, more forgiving MOI and more consistent accuracy.

We’ve had great success with XXIO in the past, and we’re guessing XXIO 12 (now available for pre-order) is going to be a winner.

C L E V E L A N D G O L F.C O M

X X I O U S A .C O M

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GIFT GUIDE Spring

LEN LIFESTYLE B E LT S

When Collin Morikawa amazed the sports world by winning The Open last summer at his first attempt, he did so wearing belts from LEN Lifestyle. Based in Franklin, Tennessee, LEN Lifestyle has been crafting leather belts of the highest quality for 10 years.

In that relatively short time the company has raised the industry standard for what the discerning customer can expect from a belt in terms of quality, softness and durability of hides, in terms of dying and finishing and unmatched attention to detail at every stage of hand-made production. An array of available hides includes American alligator, bison and python.

L E N L I F E S T Y L E .C O M

PXG

SUGAR DADDY II MILLED WEDGES

GEM

LOW-SPEED ELECTRIC VEHICLE

Optimal bounce, insane accuracy, and fine-tuned stopping power are yours with the PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II Wedges.

They’re 100% CNC milled and feature Full Face Grooves, High Toe Weighting and two innovative sole designs. The BP-Grind is designed for lush turf conditions, deep sand traps, and golfers with a steeper attack angle. The C-Grind is designed to perform in firm turf conditions and is ideal for skilled golfers hitting creative shots around the green. You can’t go wrong either way.

P XG .C O M

What at first appears to be a golf cart is, in fact, an LSV (Low-Speed Vehicle) that’s street-legal in 47 states.

Equipped with everything necessary to make a short drive to anywhere an enjoyable experience, the GEM has a top speed of 25mph and optional seating for up to six passengers, all of whom will ride in comfort and safety. Three-point seatbelts, headlights/tail lights, turn signals—it’s all here, along with top quality components and engineering.

Customizable, quiet and efficient, nothing on the road shines quite like a GEM. G E M CA R .C O M

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GIFT GUIDE Spring

PENFOLD

THE TRADITION POLO

Stylistically inspired by the Penfold Tradition golf ball used by Seve Ballesteros to win the 1979 Open Championship, this polo is made with 65% cotton and 35% coolmax. The appearance is all traditional pique polo, but the performance is all cutting-edge, thanks to the coolmax technology, which makes for breathable and lightweight comfort on and off the golf course.

P E N F O L D G O L F U S A .C O M

DR. BARBARA STURM SKI CREAM

We agree with Dr. Barbara Sturm’s assertion that “men’s skincare routines should be simple and hassle-free,” and so we’re happy to support her Face Cream Men, a soothing, fast-absorbing cream that helps to “calm” the skin, as she puts it, and to replenish it after shaving—or any other skin-stressing activity.

Whatever your internal stress level, this skin cream will leave you looking refreshed and chilled out—and sporting a “Sturmglow,” which sounds powerfully radiant.

D R S T U R M .C O M

JACK BLACK

ENERGIZING CLEANSER

Dirt and sweat are washed away by this dual-purpose, sulfate-free body and hair cleanser, which leaves the entire body feeling revitalized for peak performance— without overdrying. Rosemary and Eucalyptus offer a cool, refreshing aroma to energize the senses, while the soothing properties of Juniper Berry and Arnica help to relax the body. In the end, this made-for-men brand is a modern path to “appealing,” and that’s always in style.

G E T J AC K B L AC K .C O M

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GIFT GUIDE Spring

REVO

FREESTYLE

From the company known for peerless lens quality and epic style, the REVO Freestyle by Bode Miller is forward-looking eyewear with polarized photochromic lens options that automatically lighten or darken in different light conditions. Styled with Olympic gold medal skier Bode Miller, the ultralight frames and top tech mean that whether you’re on course, on the water, or on the snow, you can shred all day—or at least look like you can.

ARC’TERYX

R E VO.C O M

RUSH JACKET

The Rush Jacket from Arc’teryx reaches the pinnacle of active mountainwear. Made from extra strong Gore-Tex Pro with Most Rugged Technology, Arc’teryx promises the hip-length Rush is “built for big mountains.” The snowboarding and skiing jacket delivers protection and durability while being the lightest jacket by Arc’teryx in terms of weight. Waterproof, windproof and breathable, the Rush is finished with a StormHood that is compatible with helmets, while articulated patterning maximizes mobility— perfect for accommodating your best moves.

A RC T E RY X .C O M

GARMIN

MARQ GOLFER

Garmin commands the sports electronics space, and its MARQ Golfer watch is ample evidence why. A modern smartwatch that’s loaded with features such as a heart rate monitor, respiration tracking and more, this timepiece is a true golf companion. A full 41,000 courses are preloaded, with holes graphically displayed on the face, while an available Virtual Caddie ascertains your position, factors in wind speed/direction and then makes club suggestions based on your typical distance with various clubs, which it tracks. It’s a valued companion on the slopes as well, with preloaded topo maps, run names and difficulty ratings for more than 2,000 ski resorts worldwide—a perfect accessory for those lovely ski-and-golf-in-the-same-day destinations.

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GIFT GUIDE Spring

ODE BREW GRINDER C O F F E E S AV I O R

A powerful and precise home coffee grinder with café capabilities, Ode Brew Grinder was designed to perfect your daily brewed coffee with 64mm pro-grade flat burrs, 31 grind settings and unique single-dose loading for maximum bean freshness. This grinder is ready to hit the grind running!

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LEUCHTTURM 1917 DREHGRIFFEL NR. 1 PEN

The Drehgriffel Nr. 1 from LEUCHTTURM 1917 is a distinctive writing instrument inspired by Jazz Age design. The hexagonshaped barrel and tapered tip which, along with the twist button, come in a contrasting color to the barrel, make a striking statement that is comfortable to hold and more than legible as an homage to the art of writing.

L E U C H T T U R M 1 9 1 7.C O.U K

ETTINGER

MEDIUM POUCH

Much of Ettinger’s catalog is stylistically transformational, enhancing one’s appearance no matter how one is dressed. The London-based fine leather goods’ Medium Pouch is one example: Tuck it under your arm and instantly there’s a bit more class and purposefulness to your impact. Made of soft, durable goat leather, with an Ettinger monogrammed jacquard fabric interior that also displays the house’s Royal Warrant, this is perfect for holding an iPad, notepads and more, keeping everything together in a protective wallet that is sure to complement your best moments. Available in a wide range of colors.

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GIFT GUIDE Spring

BRIONVEGA

RIEDEL VERITAS

A faithful re-edition of a 1971 Italian classic by designer Mario Bellini, the totem rr231 still stuns with its modular study of primary forms—but this is no throwback. The Hi-Fi system and speakers hidden within this work of art are comprised of the finest contemporary technology, as satisfying to the audiophile as to the aesthete. It’s no wonder that Brionvega products are purchasable via the MoMA Design Store, and no wonder that they enhance the multisensory experience of any living space.

When one of the world’s leading glassware companies decides to make a beer glass, it should come as no surprise that it’s instantly a “must have.” The Veritas Beer glass from Riedel is perfectly designed to reveal the color and aroma of your favorite brew, extending the experience on the palate while also helping to dissipate excess carbonation and to maintain a proper head on the beer. Items like this must be tried to be appreciated, and when it comes to new ways to enjoy fine beers, we’re happy to try (and to appreciate, as it turns out).

TOTEM HI-FI

BRIONVEGA.IT

BEER GLASS

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NOBLE MACMILLAN PICK UP STICKS

If one is to play games in life, the games might as well be luxurious, and this top-shelf version of a classic indoor pastime certainly is that. London’s Noble Macmillan upscales the traditional Pick Up Sticks with fine wood sticks and a smart leather case, which can be personalized with a name or initials. Seemingly simple, those who have played this family-friendly game know better: After all, anyone can pick up sticks—but only a select few can elevate them. Available in Sapphire and Tangerine.

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Shaping the Game

Newport Dunes

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LEGACY APDC

There are an estimated 40,000 golf courses on planet Earth— more than 300 of them thanks to the Arnold Palmer Design Company. This year marks 50 years of APDC helping to shape the game, and so we wanted to get back to the beginning, to when Palmer went from dominating courses to designing them. Turns out, he was almost always in the dirt

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As Arnold Palmer told it, he was 3 years old when his father, Deacon, wrapped his young hands around a golf club, showed him how to grip it and said, “Don’t you ever change that.” Unknown is how old Palmer was when his dad wrapped his hands around a rake and set him to work on the course at Latrobe Country Club, where Deacon was superintendent and head pro—but one can guess it was around the same time. Palmer wrote that he used to ride on his dad’s lap on a tractor while Deacon mowed fairways, and that later, when he was in his teens, some LCC members warned him that the muscular physique he was building pushing heavy greens mowers would ruin his golf swing.

“As near as I can tell, it never did,” he wrote in A Golfer’s Life. “I simply wanted good hands like [my dad’s], the hands that shaped Latrobe Country Club.”

Palmer’s hands helped to shape LCC as well, and in 1972 they began to shape a lot more. That’s the year he and partner Ed Seay formed the Arnold Palmer Design Company (originally Palmer Course Design Company). The firm went on to build the first golf course in modern China and more than 300 others, and today it continues to champion Palmer’s outlook and spirit with a combination of respect for the land, love for the game, and a love of people. Almost anyone can have a good time on a Palmer course, but those who like to go for broke will find plenty of risk-reward options, just as Arnie wanted it.

“He enjoyed the process,” says Thad Layton, Senior Golf Course Architect and Vice President of APDC, who went to work for Palmer in 2000. “In the rough phase, at the very beginning, he trusted his architects, but as things went on he was the editor, he refined things, making sure certain pin positions were accessible from certain areas of the fairway, and fine tuning with the eye of a guy who could control his golf shot. But from playing with his friends at Latrobe Country Club and Bay Hill, he also understood how they hit their shots, and he considered that. Our clients love our golf courses because they’re so playable, for pros and for average players alike. Out of all of the PGA TOUR players who’ve thrown their hat into the ring on course design, I think Mr. Palmer got that more than anyone else in terms of making courses playable and beautiful.”

Brandon Johnson, APDC’s other Senior Golf Course Architect and Vice President, agrees completely. “He gave the architects freedom to explore ideas, but he was the great vision-setter. He was quite open and interested in new ideas and trends in design, but he had his vision. He was very heroic as a player and as a person, with that ‘go for it’ riskreward attitude, and I think that does come out in a lot of our work, in terms of how we hone-in on strategy.”

Palmer was intensely invested in his golf courses and in the experience of the people who would play them, both APDC architects confirm, and he took great pride in the efforts he and his team invested in creating golf courses of which his clients could be proud. As he put it, at the end of the day, “Everyone I built a course for thinks they have the best golf course in the world, and I’m very pleased and proud of that.”

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Though APDC came just one year before Palmer’s final PGA TOUR victory (at the 1973 Bob Hope Desert Classic), course design hardly was some kind of retirement project.

In fact, Palmer spent most of his young life working on a golf course, and he began shaping even before he turned pro.

Today, Cape May, New Jersey, is a charming tourist town. In 1951, however, it held a U.S. Coast Guard training base, where Yeoman Palmer built his first golf course.

After being asked by his commanding officers to create a course, Palmer wrote, “I enthusiastically agreed to do the job and was summarily handed a rake and a shovel, placed in charge of an elderly hand-push mower, and directed to a weed-choked grassy patch of ground located between air runways.” The result: a then-beloved chip’n’putt.

Palmer had joined the Coast Guard after pausing his studies at Wake Forest University, following the unexpected death of his best friend and fellow WFU golfer Bud Worsham.

Even at WFU Palmer had flirted with design, working with Worsham and the other team members to turn the school’s grass greens into “something that at least resembled a competitive putting surface,” he wrote. Cape May was a step forward, and there was more to come.

By 1963, Palmer was a six-time major champ and world famous, but he wasn’t satisfied with his seven victories in 20 starts and felt he was losing focus. That fall he returned home to Latrobe, where his father was starting work on the new nine at LCC. “Not surprisingly,” Palmer later recalled, “being the original hands-on boss, he did much of the manual labor and almost all of the design work himself.”

Always ready to put his shoulder to the task, Palmer picked up an axe and helped to build the new nine—and it turned out to be the therapeutic tonic he needed. “I suppose I was anxious to lend a helping hand, shaping some of the fairways and greens with a bulldozer,” he said.

“Latrobe Country Club is a really special place,” Layton told Kingdom some time ago. “It is a cozy course and you can see how it developed Mr. Palmer’s game... You need to be very accurate.”

The work Palmer did at LCC, and perhaps his early work at WFU and Cape May, informed his next venture, a proper 9-hole of his own design in 1964 at Indian Lake in Somerset, just 40 miles from Latrobe. From there, he was off and running, soon entering a work arrangement with Frank Duane, a former president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and a respected designer. Duane worked out the designs and Palmer worked as the field supervisor and on-site consultant. Like Deacon, Palmer was hands-on, often climbing up in a bulldozer to move earth and shape courses himself. Projects built by the pair include Myrtle Beach National and the Bay Course at Kapalua, in Hawaii.

“Mr. Palmer was a field guy and he brought a very discerning eye as a player who won seven majors,” said Layton. “He wasn’t a big fan of things like propping up a bunker that is 50 yards short of the green so that it looks from a distance like it is right on the green. Especially for golfers who were playing one of his courses for the first time, he wanted it to be intuitive. He wanted golfers to know what they need to do with a shot.”

[Left] Ed Seay, Palmer and others working on Tralee; [Below] Deacon (left) and Palmer working on Latrobe Country Club’s second nine; [Opposite Top] Naples Lakes GC; [Opposite bottom] Thad Layton, Palmer and Brandon Johnson on site

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You’ll find him in our golf courses, the risk-reward spirit of him as a player, and him as a person —he’s there

Palmer refined his design sense with Duane, and rediscovered a devotion to classic course architecture.

Among Palmer’s inspirations, he cited the work of Tillinghast, Ross and Mackenzie. Winged Foot, Merion, Oakmont and Brookline “were the Holy Grails of our design thinking,” Palmer wrote. “They were the kind of beautiful, honest, classically shaped layouts golfers of every skill level could appreciate and enjoy playing.”

In the late 1960s Duane was downshifting his career.

Just about this time, in 1970, Palmer met Ed Seay at an exhibition match at Bermuda Run, which Seay had co-designed. Palmer liked what he saw, and six days later he had a new partner and friend for life. Together, the pair built more than 250 courses all over the world, including China’s first mainland golf course in 1981; The Tradition GC in La Quinta, California; The Palmer Ryder Cup course at the K Club in Ireland, on which the 2006 Ryder Cup was played; Kapalua Village Course, Maui, Hawaii; Old Tabby Links, Spring Island, South Carolina; and Tralee in Ireland.

To see evidence of Palmer’s and Seay’s touch, one can look to Bay Hill Club in Orlando, the host course of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.

Palmer owned Bay Hill, of course, and with APDC located on site, the course received the best kind of attention.

“Once, Mr. Palmer was talking to us about Bay Hill and he told us he wanted the golf course to play like a U.S. Open off the tee and like Augusta around the greens,” Johnson told Kingdom. “Mr. Palmer had a knack for explaining things succinctly. For the U.S. Open he meant tight fairways and thick rough, and around Augusta’s greens you can find situations where it seems the ball is never going to stop rolling. He took two very different characteristics, brought them together to create something different, and for a course designer that gives you a lot of latitude on the one hand, while also setting you in a certain direction.”

Over its 50 years APDC has held a great deal of talent, including people like Erik Larsen; Vicki Martz; David Crouch; Eric Wiltse; Liz McCarthy; and others. Today, Layton and Johnson continue to champion Mr. Palmer’s approach and vision, bringing the expertise he trusted to new projects and renovations around the world.

“You’ll find him out there in our golf courses,” says Johnson. “The spirit of him as a player and as a person, that risk-reward aspect of the game; it’s there.”

Layton agrees: “The energy he brought when he set foot on a site, everything got ratcheted up. Everybody was trying to make him proud, to live up to that energy. Brandon and I continue to carry that torch and to put the same level of energy and care into every project. I never saw him as intimidating—but inspiring; someone you wanted to please, to make proud. He was going all-in and so you wanted to do the same. We work to that standard every day.”

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DRINK

Major Cocktails

Like the majors of golf to the game, are the following cocktails the pinnacle of mixed drinks, the pours by which all others are judged, the finest possible combinations of creativity, skill and spirit? No, they’re just four really nice complements to golf-filled weekends. Whether you’re watching the Masters, The Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship or any other tournament, the following pours—and the premium spirits in them—will pair nicely.

Early (but not too early) tee times are encouraged.

DARK ’N’ STORMY MARTINI An elegant version of a piratical Caribbean classic, this Dark ’n’ Stormy is better if you ensure the ginger beer is very cold and the afternoon is very hot 2oz Santa Teresa dark rum ½ oz fresh lime juice 5 oz ginger beer

Pour chilled ginger beer into a martini or coupee glass with the lime juice, then float the dark rum across the top, garnish with a lime wedge and give it your best pirate’s “Arrrrr!”

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LONG BEACH LEMONADE

Sippin’ on gin & juice—with gin from Snoop Dogg himself.

Indoggo gin is as clear as any other and as smooth as Snoop’s best rhymes.

The seven botanicals and hint of natural fruit flavor in this gin make it a perfect complement to lemonade— and plenty more 2oz INDOGGO 6oz fresh lemonade Lemon slice for garnish

Combine INDOGGO and lemonade in an ice-filled glass and stir. Garnish with a lemon slice and you’ll be laid back, with your mind on the majors and the majors on your mind.

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DUTCH MULE

This twist on a Moscow Mule is made with Ketel One Vodka and adds Angostura bitters for a dash of spice. We love the taste, but we’d probably drink it just for the copper mug 1.5oz Ketel One Vodka ½ oz fresh lime juice 3 dashes Angostura bitters Top with ginger beer

Shake everything but the ginger beer and strain into an ice-filled copper mug. Top with the ginger beer, garnish with a lime wedge and sprig of mint, and enjoy.

We’ve loved Hubs Peanuts ever

B HU S

since we tried our first handful and were—genuinely—surprised at how good they are. Available in an array

ANU

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of flavors and in convenient variety packs, these superlative nuts from Virginia are a staple in our kitchen, always ready to satisfy. If you think it’s nuts to be nuts for nuts, you haven’t tried Hubs.

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DEWAR’S 19 CHAMPIONS EDITION The official blended Scotch whisky of the U.S. Open needs no mixers— and no excuse to pour.

Whenever you’re in a major frame of mind, this expression blends doubleaged grain and single malt whiskies and offers a sumptuous array of tasting notes, including honey, toffee, vanilla and ripe cherries With a whisky this good, the only decision is whether or not to add ice.

We’d ask our caddie, but then we’d have to share…

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GREEN JACKET REQUIRED

The Champions’ Dinner in 1958: (clockwise from bottom left) Claude Harmon, Gene Sarazen, Clifford Roberts, Cary Middlecoff, Sam Snead (standing), Doug Ford, Byron Nelson (standing), Jimmy Demaret, Bobby Jones (sitting), Jack Burke, Jr., Craig Wood, Ben Hogan, Horton Smith, Herman Keiser and Henry Picard

ON THE MENU

Menu by Bernhard Langer – 1986 –

Wiener schnitzel with spaetzie New York Prime sirloin steak Black Forest gateau

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Menu by Tiger Woods – 2006 –

Salsa & ceviche, chili con queso & stuffed jalapeno, quesadillas Steak & chicken fajitas with Mexican rice & beans Apple pie & ice cream

Menu by Adam Scott – 2014 –

Artichoke & Arugula salad with grilled calamari Australian Wagyu New York Strip with Moreton Bay Bugs Strawberry & Passion Fruit Pavlova (Scott’s mother’s recipe)

FOOD Champions Dinner

The 2022 Masters will mark 70 years of the Tuesday night Champions’ Dinner, when past Masters winners join Augusta National’s Chairman for dinner

“Surely this has to be the most exclusive club of all,” wrote Ben Hogan in March 1952, in a letter to Augusta National founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts. “Not only do a fortunate few of us have the tournament to look forward to, but the annual meeting of our club as well. Here, long after serious competition for some of us comes to an end, we can still get together and reminisce.”

Hogan won the first of his two Masters Green Jackets in 1951, and following a request in this letter, the annual Champions’ Dinner was inaugurated in 1952. It has featured at every Masters since, with the defending champion choosing the menu and providing the wine.

Hogan served as emcee for the first four Champions’ Dinners before asking his childhood friend and rival Byron Nelson—the champ in ’37 and ’42 (and a more natural storyteller)—to take over. Nelson led the special occasion from 1956 to 2005 until, aged 93, he asked fellow Texan Ben Crenshaw to take the reins. Crenshaw, the Masters champ of ’84 and ’95, has kept the honor ever since.

On the Tuesday evening prior to the 2020 Masters, Crenshaw read out Hogan’s 68-year-old letter. As he did, you could have heard an azalea petal fall on Augusta’s immaculate grass.

“It was emotional,” said Charles Coody after that dinner. Now 84, Coody won the 1971 Masters.

“Having Ben read that letter sure was special. I think it touched all of us.”

Remembering Eisenhower

Emotions have often been stirred at the Champions’ Dinner. In 2015, after an ice storm struck irreparable damage to the famous “Eisenhower Tree”—a loblolly pine on Augusta’s 17th that

President Eisenhower in fact never liked—the tree was removed and from its timber commemorative plaques were made for each of the past winners.

Arnold Palmer, then 85, had been close friends with Eisenhower, and Palmer was presented with his plaque at the Champions’ Dinner by thenchairman Billy Payne.

“It was a very nice gesture,” Palmer told Kingdom magazine afterwards. “The guys started asking questions, which prompted me to make a few remarks. Mostly I spoke about the President and what a great guy he was, how I valued our relationship and how I still do.”

“Arnold talked about the responsibilities we have as Masters champions,” Mark O’Meara, Masters champion in 1998, later told Kingdom.

“He talked about how important it is for young players to behave in the right way and to treat people with respect; the fans, the volunteers and everybody around the game. It was wonderful and incredibly emotional.

Mr. Palmer had tears in his eyes.”

Five years later, in 2020, Tiger Woods made some heartfelt comments a year after his 15th major success.

“Tiger thanked many of us for helping him over the years,” said Bernhard Langer, the winner in 1985 and 1993. “He talked about how it was very emotional for him to win last year because he didn’t know if it would ever happen again. His kids were there in 2019 and he said that giving them a hug when he won reminded him of how Tiger used to give his own parents a hug when he won before. It was a great speech.”

Coody speaks on behalf of many of the past champions when he says: “I will go back even if they need to put an escalator in to get me up the stairs.”

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LAST PAGE

Masterful Cocktail There are roughly 1,600 azaleas along Augusta National’s No.13, giving the hole both a lovely fringe of color and its name: “Azalea.” While the gloriously pink flowers are a feast for the eyes, one certainly wouldn’t want them in the mouth due to their toxicity. Much better to create a cocktail that celebrates their vibrancy while offering an experience more pleasing (and safe) to the palate—and so someone did. The Azalea cocktail enjoys a near-ubiquitous presence at the Masters and is considered to be the tournament’s signature drink.

We like ours with Bombay Sapphire gin as the spirit’s balanced botanical expression is nicely sharpened by the lemon and remains intact alongside the sweetness of the pineapple and grenadine. The sunny day result is a brilliant bit of refreshment and a perfect complement to green jackets—won or purchased.

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2 oz Bombay Sapphire gin 1 ½ oz pineapple juice 1 oz lemon juice (not lemonade) 1 tsp grenadine Lemon wheel, for garnish

Pour everything into a cocktail shaker full of ice, shake with elevated purpose, then strain into a martini glass and garnish with a lemon wheel.

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