Top 10 Reviewer has posted between 10 and 19 reviews
Top 20 Reviewer has posted between 20 and 49 reviews
Top 50 Reviewer has posted between 50 and 99 reviews
Top 100 Reviewer has posted 100 or more reviews
Stephen S
I'm a PGA Professional from Scotland with a huge interest in golf course architecture. I grew up in South West Scotland playing and caddying at Turnberry and Western Gailes. When I was 15 my family moved to Adelaide, Australia where I fell in love with sand belt courses. Having represented state and country in amateur golf there, I decided to move back to Scotland to pursue my PGA degree. I was fortunate enough to start my apprenticeship at the Old Tom Morris designed Machrihanish. Since then I have been a teaching Pro at Turnberry and now reside in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
I would say my taste in architecture comes from my appreciation for old links courses in Scotland like the Old Course, Machrihanish, Royal Dornoch and North Berwick. There are not many courses in the world that are more enjoyable to play than those 4 and we need to get back to these short fun quirky courses that challenge ones imagination without feeling the need to thrash driver on 14 tee shots. My favourite architects are Harry Colt, Pete Dye, Mike Strantz and Alistair McKenzie (mainly for his bunkering).
The first time I played this course I fell in love. Muirfield is next door but Renaissance occupies a much more interesting piece of land and has the dramatic holes along...
This course is probable the best in Queensland, but it's not on the level of the Melbourne courses. The architecture is good with nice wide fairways, not too wide, but I...
Chambers Bay received bad press after the 2015 US Open due to its agronomy issues but don't let this put you off playing here because it truly is an excellent course. The...
Having played Tom Doak's Heathland course a few weeks ago, my expectations for the Moorland course were not high despite most locals telling me that the Moorland is the b...
As usual with a Tom Doak design, this course had some width and a good variety of holes. Although the starter told me this was a links course (I chuckled), it was very so...
I don't have a lot of good or bad things to say about this course. Its a typical modern design with very little imagination. Greens were raised up and very challenging if...
A beautiful and very well maintained course with decent architecture but nothing I haven't seen before. The fairways were generous and greens pretty standard. This course...
I was pleasantly surprised when I played Sawgrass. I have played a number of courses in Florida and due to the largely flat terrain, they are mostly devoid of memorable c...
The original course at Machrihanish is still the best course in the area but benefits from the relationship it has with the new Mach Dunes and the beautiful hotels they o...
This is my favourite course in Myrtle Beach and possibly the most enjoyable golfing experience I've had in all of the low country. I am a strong advocate for shrinking go...
Gullane No1 is a classic design with very minimal contouring and extremely good turf conditions. There are very few standout holes on this course but the views and pure l...
I've never been a huge fan of Nicklaus designs but this one is excellent. The routing and cliff top views are as good as you'll see anywhere in the world and the course c...
A great little course with good turf. The Stranraer area is blessed with hidden gems but this course and St Medan are the only two that play like a true links. My only gr...
This course is a hidden gem in the beautiful town of Kirkcudbright. The course has a lot of character and is in good condition. I liked how far back the rough was cut, it...
I have played a lot of the great courses in the world and Tobacco Road is now my favorite. I played it on 22/4/20 in perfect conditions. EVERY hole is interesting and fun...
Royal Adelaide is the quintessential classical sandbelt layout. The first time I played the course, I was very underwhelmed by the course. It took me a few years of playi...
I played this course in February and was excited to play a course I'd seen on TV over the years. I don't have much good to say about this course other than the conditions...
The West Links at North Berwick is the most fun course to play in Scotland. It has a feeling similar to St Andrews with the start and finish in the town. There's a great...
As a local, I have had the pleasure of playing the Ailsa course many times over the years. In my opinion, Turnberry used to be a 6/10 course on a 10/10 piece of land but...
I am astonished to see True Blue as 28th on the list of SC courses, it is firmly inside the top 10 in my mind. I played True Blue in late March in beautiful weather and w...
