A year in architecture - 2018 newsmakers (part 2)... M. James Ward weighs in on the golf ball distance debate, says goodbye to Pete Dye and takes a look at the alternative golfing options that are emerging around the world.

The 2018 calendar is drawing to a close and looking back there were a number of key newsmakers clearly providing a significant impact on the architectural side of things. In some cases the headliners of 2018 will carry forward into 2019.

Here’s the rub, in fact here’s two rubs. Oitavos purports to be a natural links course. It’s not. No run on fairways, hit and stick on the green, best played through the air and crater plug marks on the fairways. It looks somewhat like a links, but plays more parkland...

Why isn’t the holiday course at its best when my home course is in great condition? Three factors conspire to make certain times of the year very trying for Mallorcan greenkeepers…

Over the years, many people have written in asking us to explain our ranking and rating process. In this article we explain that design is the most important element of consideration but we also admit that subjectivity is impossible to eliminate.

On my first visit a few years ago, Lough Erne blew me away… I’ve [since] become less enamoured by the course… the widow’s peak style bunkers, clover-like in their appearance, aren’t to my taste and the fairway conditions can play very soft.