Features
Travel – Mallorca, Spain
As we head into 2025, chances are you’ve got a couple of resolutions up your sleeve. Maybe you’ve got a wellness goal and want to improve your diet, exercise more, get some rest, or take better care of yourself. And maybe (since you’re reading AVIDGOLFER) you also want to… play more golf? Golf is not only a great resolution, it …
Cover Story – Beau Welling
Beau Welling could easily be described as the most interesting man in golf course design. His love for golf began as a child and developed as he made his way through Brown University as a member of its golf team. After a brief stint in the financial world, his longtime dream of golf course design began to take shape under …
Course Review – Tour 18
Tour 18 in Dallas has been a staple of the Dallas-area golf scene since the mid-‘90s. Think of Tour 18 as an interactive trip around the golf world. It features replica holes of some of the most famous designs in American golf. From Doral’s Blue Monster, Oakmont’s church pews and Amen Corner, these 18 holes are a great trip to …
Feature – For Love of the Game(s)
Dr. Jim Hilliard loved the game of golf. He played religiously and always enjoyed the challenge of trying to perfect a game that is imperfectible. As a collegiate athlete, an offensive lineman for the Texas Longhorns, sports were a huge part of Jim’s life. He loved football, but while at Texas he also found another calling, earning a degree in …
Cover Story – Best of Public Golf 2024
A New Number One! Yes, avid golfers, it is once again time for our rankings of the best daily fee and municipal courses in Dallas-Fort Worth. This is the 26th year for our public rankings, and in that time, many courses have come and gone from the Metroplex golf landscape. Renovations to courses, clubhouses and amenities must be considered, as …
Travel – Idaho
Sometimes, out-of-the-way is the best way. Opened to national raves in 2005, Osprey Meadows at Tamarack Resort in the mountain and meadow bounty of west-central Idaho’s Valley County would enjoy a buoyant, but brief debut. After a quick trip in the spotlight, the 3,600-acre resort property’s ill-timed unveiling amid national economic downtown would see the Robert Trent Jones II-designed course …
Travel – Lajitas Golf Resort
If you are a golfer in Texas, you have likely heard of Lajitas Golf Resort … but chances are you have yet to make the trip to the Big Bend to see it. If you have yet to embark on this Texas adventure, it’s time. It’s time to stop making excuses and cross this one off the Texas golf bucket …
Cover Story – Marty Turco
The Dallas Stars franchise has seen its share of netminders over the years. From Andy Moog and Eddie “The Eagle” Belfour to Kari Lehtonen and current goalie Jake Oettinger, the franchise has boasted plenty of talent between the pipes. But, if you take a gander at the franchise leaders in net for the Stars, one name pops up again and …
Feature – The Southwest Airlines Showcase
Cedar Crest Golf Course in southern Dallas has been home to history since its charter in 1919 (see sidebar). New history was made in November of 2023 with the debut of a nationally televised tournament on GOLF Channel showcasing the top 42 amateur golfers in the country – 21 men and 21 women – from diverse and underrepresented groups, of …
Golf Tech – MACHINE Putters
Watch a golf tournament on TV and you’ll see professional tour players making a ton of putts, especially within 10 feet of the hole. One reason? Virtually every touring professional has a fully customized, professionally fit putter. It’s the same for college golfers and top amateurs. It’s extremely rare for an elite-level golfer to have an “off-the-rack” putter. On the …