Journal

“The most amazing golf course on Earth” is a big call. For Caddie, it was a promise worth chasing to the foot of the Himalayas and pursuing on the back of a fleet of Royal Enfields.

Caddie, Volume Two

The Australian Open returned to Royal Melbourne with record crowds and the ‘Rory factor’ in play. I spent the week inside the ropes, re-learning the craft of tournament photography on some very familiar ground.

After nearly 15 years in development, 7 Mile Beach is on the brink of opening. And when it does, it is going to be spectacular. Contours took a walk with founder Mathew Goggin out on course and recorded his insights and excitement about the project.

In the middle of one of the harshest deserts in the world, Furnace Creek Golf Club lies in wait for those wanting to experience one of the most absurd rounds of golf on the planet.

Inspired by the legendary Ben Hogan and driven by a commitment to preserving the essence of the game, Adam Jefferson shares his vision for reviving the craft of golf equipment, creating a community of golfers, and keeping the spirit of golf alive. Mulligan’s Clubmakers is on a mission to redefine the golf retail experience, one club at a time.

From his early memories of watching the tournament on television to his persistent efforts to secure tickets through the annual ballot, Matthew Mollica takes us on a journey through his unforgettable experience at the 2024 Wednesday practice round.

Whether helicoptering amidst Bond-esque luxury or commandeering a targeted redeye mission, determination pays off when I finally capture magic hour’s radiance washing over Te Arai Links’ sublime Coore & Crenshaw design.

Does Australian golf suffer from a lack of variety compared to America’s strategic riches? In his latest article, Lukas Michel unpacks this question through first hand experiences at top courses in both countries. Analysing differences across layouts like National Golf Links of America, Maidstone, and Friar’s Head, Michel makes the case for bolder experimentation in Australia. With several redesigns currently underway, he sees opportunities for architects to introduce new themes and break from classic Sandbelt conventions.

At New Zealand’s Cape Kidnappers, Tom Doak designed a world-class course atop dramatic clifftops. However, in this piece the acclaimed architect pines for the rugged, epic layout he imagined but never built down below, amid the property’s sprawling grazing lands and river valleys.

Don Placek’s narrative is like a meandering fairway, full of surprises, bunkers of wisdom, and greens of innovation. The Principal at Renaissance Golf Design is a modern-day troubadour of golf, strumming his own tune amidst the echoing whispers of tradition and proving that sometimes, the clearest, simplest notes, also resonate the loudest.

I met Brian Palmer shortly after playing at Shoreacres, a beautiful Seth Raynor course outside Chicago, in 2017. But it was a few hours earlier, on the driveway into the course, that I first became enamoured with his work. I had done a double take as the morning sun hit the fairway of the first hole – it looked like a giant putting green. After I rolled a birdie putt into a bunker on the back-9, with Brian watching on and quietly chuckling at my fate, I knew this was a man to watch.

Overlooking the world famous Bondi beach is the distinctly not famous Bondi Golf & Diggers Club. Running along stunning clifftops, this 9-hole public golf course takes some of the most expensive real estate in the world, yet offers a truly accessible golf experience.

The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs and its world-top-100 golf course have long occupied a rarefied place on the international short list of luxury stay & play venues. Hal Phillips visited this stunning part of New Zealand to attend the opening of its deluxe new four-bedroom Residences and found himself in a slice of paradise.

As it celebrates its 18th birthday, we delve into the history and development of the remarkable Barnbougle Dunes. Through conversations with Tom Doak, Brian Schneider and Mike Clayton, we explore the challenges faced during construction, the natural changes over the years, and the impact Barnbougle has had on golf in Australia and internationally.

The Isle of Skye can be summed up in a word – remote. Known for its rugged landscapes, the Scottish Isle’s sprawling mix of lochs, peninsulas, mountain ranges, and rock formations are as mystical as they are jaw-dropping.

Amidst the ever-evolving world of technology, the realm of golf course architecture has experienced its own transformation, with digital tools reshaping the design process and the way we interact with the natural beauty of these landscapes. Tom Doak’s precise recreation of The Lido course at Sand Valley has opened a window to the bold designs of eras past and Lukas Michel asks – is modern golf design being too safe?

The picturesque island of Langkawi, located off the western coast of mainland Malaysia, is famous for its 10 million-year-old rainforests, white sand and pristine turquoise waters.

Bob Harrison was the main man on the ground for Greg Norman Golf Course Design during the build of the Moonah Course at The National. We asked Bob to take us back to the time of the design and construction of the course, learnt how it’s held up over time, and ask what’s next for Harrison Golf.

Every year, in the late summer or autumn, when the winds fall still, The Royal Melbourne ground staff swap their mowers for blowtorches. With careful planning, incredible precision and years of experience, the heathland areas at Royal Melbourne receive a much needed burn, providing long awaited growth opportunities for some of the rarest and most delicate fauna found anywhere in Australia.

William Watt imagines golf courses in some of the world’s most remote and stunning landscapes through these experiments in AI generated photography. He also speaks to AI enthusiast and architect Rob Wilson about how the technology is evolving and what the future might hold.

Walking the lush fairways and playing the holes that he had watched for 20 years on television was a dream come true for Lukas Michel. Through more than a dozen rounds at Augusta, he discovered its intricacies and secrets, and eventually rubbed off some of the blinding lustre of the ‘Augusta Sheen’.

Now two years since the first divots were taken on the Gunnamatta course at The National, Tom Doak offers Contours some intriguing insights into his design process, what makes Australian golf unique, and a hint at what’s next for an architect at the peak of his powers.

William Watt traverses fuel panic, ranch links, and beaver fever in Grant County, Oregon, USA.