Course guides & playbooks
How to Play Pasatiempo: Mastering MacKenzie's Greens and Barrancas
Pasatiempo is Alister MacKenzie's own favorite course and one of the great public-access tests in America. Here's how to handle its fierce greens, deep bunkers and tricky barrancas.
How to Play Erin Hills: A Practical Guide to Wisconsin's U.S. Open Venue
Erin Hills is a walking-only, fescue-lined championship course in rolling Wisconsin countryside. Here's how to choose tees, handle blind shots and avoid the tall fescue.
How to Play Streamsong Red: Dunes, Big Greens and a Giant Biarritz
Coore and Crenshaw's Streamsong Red brings dune golf to central Florida. Here's how to handle its huge greens, short par 4s and the unforgettable Biarritz par 3.
How to Play TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course: Desert Strategy and the Famous 16th
Home of the PGA Tour's rowdiest week, the Stadium Course is a public desert layout with a closing stretch everyone wants to play. Here's how to score on it.
How to Play Chambers Bay: Ground Game, Big Slopes and the Lone Fir
Chambers Bay is a walking-only, links-style municipal course carved from an old quarry above Puget Sound. Here's how to handle its huge slopes, firm fescue and dramatic elevation changes.
How to Play Torrey Pines South: Strategy for the Cliffside Major Venue
Torrey Pines South is a municipal course that hosts the PGA Tour and has staged two U.S. Opens. Here's how to land a tee time, choose sensible tees and handle its long par 4s and canyon-edge holes.
How to Play the Kiawah Island Ocean Course: A Mid-Handicapper's Survival Guide
Pete Dye's seaside monster has hosted a Ryder Cup and two PGA Championships, and the wind decides how hard it plays. Here's how to pick your tees, manage the breeze and walk off with a score you're proud of.
How to Play Whistling Straits (Straits Course): Bunkers, Bluffs and Lake Michigan
More than a thousand bunkers, a big lake breeze and Pete Dye's visual tricks. Here's how everyday golfers can enjoy the Straits Course without getting overwhelmed.
How to Play Pacific Dunes: Tom Doak's Cliffside Masterpiece
With four par 3s on the back nine and holes perched above the Pacific, Pacific Dunes is a strategic delight. Here's how to play the angles and handle the wind.
How to Play Bandon Dunes: Wind, Gorse and Ocean Bluffs
The course that launched America's favorite golf destination rewards low shots, ground-game creativity and respect for the gorse. Here's your strategy for Bandon Dunes.
How to Play Bethpage Black: Surviving the Warning Sign
The sign says it's for highly skilled golfers only, but a smart plan makes Bethpage Black a thrilling public-course challenge. Here's how to tackle the long walk and the brutal par 4s.
How to Play Pinehurst No. 2: Taming Donald Ross's Crowned Greens
Pinehurst No. 2 is won and lost around its turtleback greens. Here's how mid-handicappers can hit smart targets and turn the putter into a secret weapon.
How to Play TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course: Beating the Island Green and More
There's far more to Pete Dye's Stadium Course than the 17th. Learn where to aim, when to lay up and how to stay dry from the first tee to the 18th green.
How to Play the Old Course at St Andrews: Strategy for Everyday Golfers
Hidden pot bunkers, double greens and the Road Hole. Our playing-partner guide to getting around the Home of Golf with your ground game and your dignity intact.
How to Play Pebble Beach Golf Links: A Mid-Handicapper's Guide
Small greens, ocean cliffs and the most famous short hole in golf. Here's how to plot your way around Pebble Beach without letting the Pacific swallow your scorecard.