Forty years ago, in 1983, The Open Championship was held at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England – not far from where this year’s Open is being contested at the Royal Liverpool Golf Course (July 20-23) in Wirral, England. I was fortunate to attend all four days of The Open back in 1983. The memories remain vivid. During the opening round of the tournament, an R & A official (The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews) asked me to be a part-time employee. He wanted me to be a ball marker along the first fairway to…
Author: Mike May
Mike May
Mike May is a freelance golf writer based in Wellington, Florida. Mike, an avid golfer, is also a member of the Golf Writers Association of America. He traces his roots as a golf writer to the 1983 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale -- which he attended for all four days -- and then voluntarily wrote his own account of that major championship event. In addition to being a golf writer, Mike coaches girls high school basketball, officiates high school soccer, and works with a cause (PHIT America) that is focused on bringing daily P.E. back to all U.S. schools. Mike is a 1985 graduate of the University of Florida where he earned a degree in broadcasting. Mike can be reached on email at: mmaymarketing@gmail.com
While world-renowned golf course architect Pete Dye, native of Urbana, Ohio, is famous for designing the Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, the annual home of The Players Championship, the Maple Creek Golf and Country Club, located on the east side of Indianapolis, is actually Dye’s first 18-hole golf course design. Originally opened as Heather Hills Golf and Country Club in 1961, this 18-hole layout was created in partnership with his wife, Alice. Today, the Maple Creek Golf and Country Club (10501 East 21st Street, Indianapolis, Indiana; 317-894-3343; www.maplecreekgc.com) features small tees and greens, narrow fairways lined with mature…
The Crown Jewel of Golf in Kent As you tune-in to watch the Open Championship at Royal St. George’s Golf Club this month (July 15-18), there are 16 ‘Fast Facts’ about the Royal St. George’s Golf Club which are worth reading and remembering: LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: This championship links course is located in the southeast of England at Sandwich Bay with stunning views of the iconic White Cliffs, just outside the charming medieval coastal town of Sandwich in the county of Kent – located in the extreme southeast of England. Geographically, Royal St. George’s is less than a two-hour drive…
There are many unique elements of the Masters golf tournament which make it one of the world’s greatest events in sports – either as a participant or an attending patron. When you think about the Masters, you expect to see coverage by CBS, the Par 3 Contest being played on the day before the tournament’s first round, those in attendance enjoying pimento cheese sandwiches on-site, and loud roars emanating from Amen Corner. This year, the only constant will be coverage by CBS, as spectators, er, patrons, will not be permitted on the premises due to COVID-19 concerns. Just because patrons…
Thanks to a very generous gift from Ned and Sue Pfau, the golf program at Indiana University has received a much-appreciated ‘shot in the arm.’ The championship golf course at Indiana University (1350 South State Road 446, Bloomington, Indiana; 812-855-7543), which first opened in 1955, has re-opened after a complete re-design by highly acclaimed golf course architect Steve Smyers. Smyers’ track record in the golf business made him the perfect candidate to oversee this project, as his resume includes work on 90 golf courses on six different continents since the late 1980s. “We built a brand new golf course. This…
Cornwall’s Top Ten Golf Clubs, Historic Road, Top Hotel, & Native Food When people conjure up images of England’s most southwesterly county of Cornwall, they often think about the area’s rugged, cove-filled coastlines, its beautiful beaches, the many quaint seaside villages, the BBC-TV shows Poldark and Doc Martin, which are filmed in Cornwall, and this area’s famous foods such as Cornish clotted cream, Cornish pasties and freshly caught seafood, which is hauled in from the nearby Atlantic Ocean. In addition to being one of Great Britain’s more popular vacation destinations, Cornwall is home to a number of first-class golf courses…
If you are looking for a place to experience world-class dining next to a famous castle, enjoy a tour of that famous castle, play golf in the ‘shadows’ of that castle, and spend an evening (or two) in a spacious, comfortable, affordable B & B next that castle, then head for England’s Leeds Castle (www.leeds-castle.com). Located on the outskirts of Maidstone in England’s county of Kent, the Leeds Castle ‘complex’ is a classic four-in-one getaway destination. The four focal points of interest for this true ‘bucket-list’ destination are the 900-year-old Leeds Castle, the elegant Castle View Restaurant, the nine-hole Leeds…
Since 1891, the sand hills and gorse that form the backbone of what is now the Burnham & Berrow Golf Club — located in Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, England — have stood the test of time and continue to do so. While admirers of the Erin Hills Golf Club in Wisconsin talk about how that piece of property was a natural location for a golf course, the same can be said about Burnham & Berrow. The presence of so many perfectly situated sand dunes, the wonderful views of the adjacent Parrett Estuary and Bristol Channel, the steady (and, at times, strong)…
The Sultan’s Run Golf Club (www.sultansrun.com; 812-482-1009) is one of the marvels of golf in Indiana, if not the entire Midwest. Designed by Tim Liddy, a protégé of Pete Dye, this 18-hole layout is located in the southwest Indiana community of Jasper, about a 30-minute drive from the resort town of French Lick. Years ago, this piece of property where Sultan’s Run is now situated (1490 North Meridian Road, Jasper, Indiana), was once the home turf of the famous horse Supreme Sultan, which once sired a record number of world champion American Saddlebred horses. Not surprisingly, the logo for Sultan’s…
If you are seeking a getaway to a resort that combines memories of yesteryear with the amenities of today, choose the French Lick Resort in the adjacent towns of French Lick and West Baden, Indiana. It’s fair to say that the French Lick Resort, which includes the French Lick Springs Hotel (443 rooms) and the West Baden Springs Hotel (243 rooms), truly rivals what is offered at, say, the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, which proclaims itself as ‘America’s Resort.’ When you enter the French Lick Springs Hotel or the West Baden Springs Hotel, both lobbies exude ‘old world charm’…