The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses
Volumes 1-5
The latest incarnation of my infamous Confidential Guide features three co-contributors [Ran Morrissett, Masa Nishijima, and Darius Oliver], five volumes [four of them complete thus far], and a total of more than 2,500 courses reviewed and graded from 0-10 on the infamous Doak Scale. For less than a single green fee, you get our honest opinions of all the best courses in the world, and whether they are worth your time and money to visit — or not! Wherever you are going, we will likely recommend an interesting course you hadn’t heard of, to add to your itinerary.
Volume 1 (2014) covers 300+ courses in Great Britain & Ireland, from Royal Dornoch in the north of Scotland to the Old Head of Kinsale on the tip of a peninsula in the south of Ireland. The best part is that all but a couple of courses in the book welcome visiting golfers from overseas.
Volume 2 (2015) covers 500+ courses in The Americas – Winter Destinations, from the Carolinas and Florida across to California, then on to Hawaii, the Caribbean, and South America. Many of the best in this region are resorts and public courses, except for the top-tier private clubs in south Florida, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and the incomparable Cypress Point.
Volume 3 (2016) covers 675 courses in Canada and the northern U.S.A., including the lion’s share of the top 100 courses in the world. Many of these are private clubs, but some of the smaller ones are open to visitor play, and our reviews will help you prioritize how hard to pursue a contact or a favor from a member.
Volume 4 covering Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, is not complete, and with the current pandemic restricting travel, it may not be finished for some time.
Volume 5 (2018) covers the courses of Asia, Australia and the Pacific, prompting me to make extended tours to Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, The Philippines, Guam, Saipan, and Fiji. With Masa’s knowledge of courses in Japan and Asia, and Darius’s many additions in China and Australia, this is by far the most thorough look at the golf courses of a booming region.
The First Edition
The original incarnation of The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses has long been out of print. The book provided reviews of over 1,200 golf courses and contained 180 color photographs. It was to become a definitive guide for golfers seeking to play anywhere in the world.
