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The Lefty Golf Blog

Course stories, architecture deep-dives, book reviews, and the Muni Manifesto. RSS feed for the subscribers.

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May 24, 2026 · Architecture

Doak vs Dye: The Minimalist and the Maximalist

Tom Doak lets the land decide. Pete Dye decided for it. Two philosophies, two legacies — and why both are right.

May 23, 2026 · Architecture

The New Minimalists: King-Collins and the Future of Golf Design

How two guys who lost their jobs in the 2008 crash built Sweetens Cove from a flooded gravel pit, invented the no-tee-time model, and redefined what golf can be — from Tennessee to Inness in the Hudson Valley.

May 16, 2026 · Architecture

Pete Dye's Caribbean Masterpiece: Teeth of the Dog

How Pete Dye carved a masterpiece from coral by hand in the Dominican Republic — and why he chose to spend eternity beside its 8th green.

May 14, 2026 · Architecture

Greens That Won't Forgive You

Cape Arundel and Walter Travis's wildly undulating greens — false fronts, chocolate-drop mounds, and why a 5,900-yard course still beats you up.

May 14, 2026 · Architecture

The Bunker That Ate Gumbley

25 feet of sand, railway sleepers, and a blind second shot — the 16th at Southport & Ainsdale is named after the man who couldn't get out of it.

May 11, 2026 · Architecture

Links Pilgrimage: What Royal Liverpool Taught Me About Wind

Four days on the English coast — Royal Liverpool, Royal Lytham, Formby, and Southport & Ainsdale. What links golf actually asks of you, and the lefty who once won here.

May 11, 2026 · Architecture

C.B. Macdonald and the Template Holes

How one man's pilgrimage through Scotland and France gave American golf its architectural language. The Redan, Biarritz, Alps, and Eden — explained through Yale, Greenbrier, and Mid Ocean.

May 11, 2026 · Muni Series

The Muni Manifesto: Why America's Oldest Public Courses Matter Now More Than Ever

America's oldest public courses are democratic infrastructure, not interchangeable recreational assets. From Brooklyn to Louisville, the case for keeping them alive.

May 11, 2026 · Muni Series

Cherokee Park: When Louisville Almost Paved Over a Landmark

The 9-hole course in Cherokee Park was nearly paved for parking in 2023. The community fought back — and won. A story about what happens when a city decides golf matters.

May 11, 2026 · Muni Series

Shawnee: Louisville's Hiding-in-Plain-Sight Classic

A 1928 gem on the Ohio River. On the National Register of Historic Places. Built on land so poor it could only be a golf course — which is exactly why it's still here.

May 11, 2026 · Muni Series

Seneca: The Everyman's Course That Produces Champions

No frills, no pretension — just the course where Justin Thomas learned to go low. Louisville's most underrated muni.

May 11, 2026 · Muni Series

Van Cortlandt: America's First Public Golf Course

1895. The Bronx. The birthplace of public golf in America — and somehow, it's still here, still $43 for 18 holes, still doing exactly what it was built to do.

May 11, 2026 · Muni Series

Dyker Beach: A Links Course in Brooklyn

Wind, fescue, and a forgotten history — Dyker Beach was once a genuine links before the city grew around it. The bones are still there.

May 11, 2026 · Muni Series

Marine Park: The Championship Muni

7,000 yards from the tips, built on reclaimed tidal flats. RTJ Sr. proved that championship golf and public access aren't opposites.

May 11, 2026 · Muni Series

Forest Park: Inside NYC's 9-Hole Ecosystem

A 9-holer inside the busiest golf ecosystem in America. What NYC's 9-hole culture teaches us about access, pace of play, and why shorter doesn't mean easier.

May 11, 2026 · Muni Series

Silver Lake: The Staten Island Sleeper

A 1929 gem on Staten Island that nobody talks about. Tight, tree-lined, and a proving ground for NYC's competitive amateur circuit. Silver Lake deserves better than anonymity.

May 11, 2026 · Muni Series

The Park: West Palm's $300 Muni Experiment

Gil Hanse, $300 greens fees, and a nonprofit ownership model. The Park is rewriting what a municipal course can be — and raising uncomfortable questions about who it's actually for.

May 11, 2026 · Muni Series

The Soul of a City (Is Its Municipal Golf)

What Louisville's munis taught one lefty golfer about access, community, and why where you learn the game shapes how you play it.

May 11, 2026 · Muni Series

How to Play All 13 NYC Munis in One Summer

The New York City municipal circuit is the most underrated golf pilgrimage in America. A guide to playing all 13 — logistics, rankings, and the best post-round deli in every borough.

May 10, 2026 · Architecture

The Great Golf Land Grab

KSL bought Invited for $2.6B. Bain bought Concert Golf for $1.3B. Topgolf sold for $1.1B. Inside the wave of private equity consolidation reshaping who owns American golf.

May 10, 2026 · Architecture

Macdonald's Template Holes: The Four Every Golfer Should Know

The Redan, Biarritz, Alps, and Eden. C.B. Macdonald's template holes are the architectural DNA of American golf — and you've played them without knowing it.

May 10, 2026 · Book Review

Tom Doak — The Anatomy of a Golf Course

★★★★★ · The definitive textbook on reading golf course design — by the architect who later built Pacific Dunes. What every golfer should learn to see.

May 10, 2026 · Book Review

Pia Nilsson & Lynn Marriott — Every Shot Must Have a Purpose

★★★☆☆ · The VISION54 framework applied to course play. What Annika's coaches taught the world about decision-making, pre-shot routine, and playing with intention.

May 10, 2026 · Book Review

Pete Dye — Bury Me in a Pot Bunker

★★★★★ · Pete Dye's autobiography, co-written with Mark Shaw. The man, the myth, and the railroad ties — from Alice's design genius to the 17th at Sawgrass.

May 10, 2026 · Essay

The Lefty Tax

Everything costs more, nothing fits right, and the advice isn't made for you. Welcome to golf from the other side of the ball.

May 10, 2026 · Essay

The Ball Wall: How I Rank 50 Golf Courses

No algorithm, no committee, no pretense. The methodology behind the rankings — and why the list is always slightly changing.

May 10, 2026 · Essay

Ball Wall Gaps: The Courses Still Missing

A public inventory of the bucket-list courses not yet played. Pebble Beach. Bandon. Sand Hills. The list of what needs to happen to make the Ball Wall whole.

By Category

Architecture

Deep-dives into golf course design — the architects, the philosophies, and the courses that define what's possible.

8 posts · Doak, Dye, King-Collins, Macdonald, Travis & more

Muni Series

America's public courses — the history, the threats, the comebacks. Why munis matter and which ones are worth the trip.

12 posts · NYC circuit, Louisville, West Palm & more

Book Reviews

What to read, what to skip, and what every serious golfer should have on the shelf.

3 reviews · Doak, Dye, Nilsson & Marriott

Essays

The lefty experience, the ranking philosophy, and the bucket list that keeps growing.

3 posts · The Lefty Tax, Ball Wall, Wish List

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