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Originally published in Top 100 Golf Courses.
At Elie, we don't know what Old Tom was thinking. There's no overarching technical pattern, no documented philosophy to guide our interpretation. That lack of explanation is what gives the course its purity. You're forced to experience it on your own terms, to figure out what works and why without being told what the design is supposed to mean. That might be the most valuable thing courses like Elie offer: the chance to encounter golf before it had to answer to anything but the ground itself.
The Wesleyan women’s golf team is just six years old, but they have already orchestrated a meteoric rise in Division III. From a five-player roster in 2019 that had a scoring average of 118.4, the Cardinals have surged to 10th in the nation following a breakthrough this fall season.
The World Cup is the most romantic tournament in sports. It will also be a $150 billion betting market. What happens when those two things intersect?
Putting skill separates players most on mid-range putts, roughly 10-30 feet. Inside five feet, almost everyone converts, and beyond 30, almost nobody does. According to Data Golf, per tournament, Augusta produces 3.6 more putts from inside five feet and 2.4 more from beyond 30 feet than the average Tour stop. This is due to the sloping greens and the large number of funnel pins. Hit your spot with the iron, and you’re inside 10 feet. Miss it, and you’re looking at a long-range putt. There is less mid-range putting, meaning less room for skill to show up.
Harbour Town rewards precision over power, making it one of the tour’s most unique venues. Few have exploited it better than Matt Kuchar, who has one win and six other top-10s. He’s quietly playing solid golf (78th in Data Golf rankings) and will tee it up as a past champion. It’s been years since we’ve seen a grizzled veteran steal a tournament, but Stewart Cink proved it’s possible a few years ago at Harbour Town, capturing the title at 47. Kuchar is the same age now. If the stars align anywhere for a late-career win, it’s on this narrow, tree-lined layout.
The 2025 squad didn’t walk away with a championship, but they claimed just about every other program milestone. More importantly, they created a culture where competing for championships is expected.