NGLA serves as a showcase for template golf, and it’s only fair that Charles Blair Macdonald would contribute his own designs to the mix—rather than draw inspiration from Scotland. No. 14 “Cape” is a case in point.

L'expérience du sublime. Dinard is correlative with Pebble Beach and Old Head where the experience is so much more than the golf course in terms of the traditional ratings criteria such as design, challenge, variety of holes, presentation etc.

Richard Smith and his wife Ruth take a trip from Knoxville to Sand Valley via Lawsonia to check out a few excellent public access courses in The Badger State.

Most of the template holes replicated by Macdonald and his acolytes draw inspiration from originals based in golf's homeland, the British Isles. The Biarritz is a rare exception, most commonly traced back to the Southwest coast of France, in the region of the same name.

Irish golf is set for an extended spell in the golfing spotlight following Shane Lowry’s Open Championship victory, with the announcement of Adare Manor as host venue for the 2026 Ryder Cup.

Pairing golf with wine sounded good to us, so we headed to Bordeaux and Biarritz in the historical Aquitaine region to sample both pleasures.