The A Position

There’s a great deal of talk in golf right now about renovation: Donald Trump is planning to spend $150 million to renovate the Doral Resort; the PGA Tour is renovating Q-School; Bubba Watson is renovating his trophy case. The game of golf is always changing, always evolving: Equipment improves, courses get longer, players get stronger. But is that enough? The writers at The A Position, the web’s top site for golf and travel don’t think so. In fact, they have a few smart suggestions for renovations that would truly improve the game. Joining them is actor Bruce McGill, who has had a long career in movies and television, and is also a dedicated golfer. Now starring in the TNT series “Rizzoli and ...

Golf as we know it began on an island and has had an energizing effect on countless cays ever since. From Hawaii to the Caribbean, the Mediterranean Sea to the Tasman, the Sea of Japan to Long Island Sound, the game has long been flush with island fever. So which island boasts the best golf? That was the question posed to the writers at The A Position (theaposition.com), the web’s top site for golf and travel. Their choices cover the earth. The finest golf islands are found in both hemispheres and numerous time zones. They are as large as an entire continent, as small as a single green. Adding his isle’s worth is architect Perry Dye (right), son and frequent collaborator of ...

The writers at Golf’s leading website—joined by two-time Masters (and one-time Irish Open) champion Ben Crenshaw—reveal what makes their hearts sing when visiting the Emerald Isle It has been said that if the Scots invented golf, the Irish perfected it. For the journalists at The A Position, golf’s leading website, there is no truer sentiment. Ireland is blessed with an extensive menu of marvelous golf courses—tucked along the sea, rolling across the countryside, accessible to great cities, and in the middle of nowhere. But just as great as the golf are the intangibles, from the warmth of the people to the magic of the light; from melodious place names that lilt off the tongue to ambrosial potions lovingly raised to the lips. Ben ...

Think the golf season starts at The Masters? Or Pebble Beach? Maybe Hawaii? Not if you’re in the business. For the industry’s manufacturers, club pros, and media the game tees off every January at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida, where the trade meets to show off the latest gear—clubs to clothes, gadgets to geegaws. Of course, the writers from golf’s leading website, The A Position were there, front and center, waggling and testing, playing with the latest toys and picking their favorites. Joining TAP at the big show for the first time was sister site GearEffectGolf.com, which is all about golf equipment all the time. The site includes news on the latest and greatest, interactive forums, reviews, rumors, ...

It’s déjà vu all over again: Although the writers at The A Position made a mess of things predicting the top golf stories of 2011, they’re taking another shot this year. A year ago, when most people were recovering from New Year’s hangovers, the members of the leading golf/travel website were guaranteeing that Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson would win majors (they didn’t), the Champions Tour would dissolve (it’s still around, right?), and that golf would figure out a way to stop losing players (nope, sorry, there go two more). Undeterred, if a bit unhinged, this ragtag bunch of amateur oracles has pulled out its tarot cards, Ouija boards, and soggy tea leaves to try again. Joining our panel is ...

New clubs? New swing? New attitude? Every year the holidays provide golfers with the chance to renew, repair, and revive their love affair with the game.   For 12 long months, the writers at The A Position—golf’s leading website—have been looking toward the season of giving hoping to get something that will magically lower their scores and lift their spirits. So in the spirit of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa—and with an eye toward boosting the world’s sagging economies—the celebrants at TAP were asked: “What golf-related gift do you want?” Their answers run the gamut from a set of new irons to more time with old friends, putters to precipitation, Mulligans to marital bliss.   Adding to our wish list is the ultimate granter of ...

Golf overflows with Cups. Ryder Cup, Curtis Cup, Solheim Cup, World Cup. So it’s not surprising that the youngest of these, the Presidents Cup—which will be played November 17-20 at Royal Melbourne in Australia—is often overlooked by golf fans. Not anymore, thanks to a new idea put forward by The A Position (TAP), golf’s leading website. To perk up interest in the Presidents Cup, TAP suggests appointing celebrity captains who can inspire the teams and bring in the fans. (Sorry Fred and Greg, it’s nothing personal.) The writers at The A Position were asked to nominate star-power captains for one or both teams. Showing just how confusing the Presidents Cup can be, some of the writers chose a European to ...

Forget the M&Ms and Mars Bars. For golfers at Halloween—or any time of year—it’s the game itself that provides a well-stuffed pillowcase of treats, and more than a few tricks. What are the supersized candy bars and poison apples that make golf both the sweetest and most disappointing of activities? According to this month’s A List, complied in the spirit of the spooky season by the members of The A Position, the game is a mixed goodie bag of highs and lows, thrills and threats, pleasures and complaints. Adding his own tasty morsel to the list is golf course architect Tom Doak (right), whose top creations include Pacific Dunes (below), Cape Kidnappers, and Ballyneal, plus dozens of other outstanding design ...

A round at an ultra-famous trophy course. Teeing it up with a revered Tour player. Visiting the game’s ancestral home. These are just a few seminal experiences every golfer hopes to enjoy some day. But are all these magical moments really so drool worthy? Possibly not, according to certain members of The A Position, who have compiled an “anti-bucket list” exposing some of the game’s greatest moments that maybe aren’t so much. And that’s even true for professional golfers, as explained by this month’s celebrity guest, Duffy Waldorf, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour and GOLF Magazine’s wine connoisseur. It turns out that even majors have their not-so-minor flaws. Playing in the Masters isn’t all it’s cracked up to ...

Is there any greater scourge in golf than slow play? Worse than sandbaggers, worse than snap hooks, worse even than warm beer from the drink cart, slow play affects everyone. It’s almost impossible to avoid, turning an otherwise wonderful day outdoors into golf’s equivalent of the Bataan Death March. With the notoriously slow PGA Championship in our rear-view mirrors and the dog days of summer wrapping languidly around us, the writers at The A Position methodically and ponderously scratched their heads for their favorite slow-play stories. And by “favorite” we mean either the slowest rounds we’ve lived through, the rare moment of humor generated during a slothful slog, or a lesson (life or otherwise) learned during overly purposeful play. Kicking ...