AP PHOTOS: Memorial Day in the US
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Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Ten of the very best golf courses in the US
How do you pick your favourite course in a country where there are more than 16,000 to choose from? A good way to start is to find those that have held one of golf's four annual championships (which most of these have) or leading amateur events. Oakmont, for instance, was the venue for this year's US Open, held in June, and Augusta National is the site of Masters Championship each April. That testifies to the quality of the courses. Then you look at the architects and find examples of their very best work — Donald Ross at Seminole and Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore at Sand Hills, for example. Because of their exclusivity, few have a website, so I have given telephone numbers, ideally of the pro's shop. All are, without question, worthy of the considerable effort needed to play them by finding a member or booking through a golf travel agent. My idea of a perfect golf club, set amid miles and miles of sand hills in a remote part of Nebraska where you go solely to play golf. You will probably pass through several time zones to get there. As you look out at one magnificent golf hole after another carved out of the sand hills by Crenshaw and Coore, it is easy to imagine the early settlers rattling across the plains in their Conestoga wagons. Accommodation is in cabins, breakfast and dinner are served in a clubhouse that is modest by US standards and lunch is at a halfway hut where a cowboy in a Stetson and jeans serves enormous burgers. If you know a member don't ask them to take you — plead with them. I doubt you will be disappointed. It is regularly and deservedly ranked in the top 20 in the world. (+1 308 546 2237) Near Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill golf courses (among others) in the Del Monte Forest, this is located on a spectacular 17-mile drive along Monterey Peninsula. Often described as the greatest meeting of land and sea, it overwhelmed Robert Louis Stevenson on his first visit there. Its 18 holes, dotted within huge expanses of sand, are near the Pacific Ocean. The 16th, a short hole of 230 yards from the back tee across the sea, is spectacular — and difficult. The 9th, a drivable dogleg par 4 that is not much longer at between 245 and 289 yards, requires brain not brawn and is one of my favourite holes in the world. Bob Hope often joked 'They had a membership drive at Cypress Point — and got rid of 40 members'. Clint Eastwood was once mayor of the nearby chocolate box town of Carmel in the 1980s. (+1 831 624 2223) The Stadium course in Sawgrass benefits from annually staging a championship, The Players Championship, which is one of the most competitive events of the year. The late Pete Dye designed the course more than 40 years ago at the behest of Deane Beman, then commissioner of the PGA Tour. Not for nothing is Dye known as Pete Dye-abolical. The most famous green is that of the short 17th, almost completely surrounded by water and every year during the Players it attracts dozens of water balls. Many of the other 17 greens are no picnic either. Play where the stars play might be is the course's motto. When you do, be grateful for the experience however hard you find the course — and it is hard. (+1 904 273 3430) Located in East Hampton, on the southern shore of Long Island where New York City's wealthier families retreat in summer, the club refers to itself as 'a family-orientated country club'. It hosts a private beach, heated swimming pool, 23 grass, Har-Tru and all-weather tennis courts and croquet lawns, and, of course, a sturdy-looking club house. What makes it stand out, though, is the cracking 18-hole golf course originally designed by Willie Park Jr and updated by Crenshaw and Coore in 2012. Its logo is a whale, appropriately, because the club could scarcely be nearer the Atlantic Ocean than it is. Though only 6,500 yards, the course defends itself with an almost ever-present wind off the sea — and tricky, fast greens. All in all, it's a delight, as is its longtime head pro professional Eden Foster. (+1 631 324 5530) Another gem of a links on the east of Long Island, 85 miles from New York City, was one of the five founding members of the United States Golf Association. It is as perfect a pairing of clubhouse and golf course as it is possible to be. Bow down in awe in front of the Stanford White-designed clubhouse sitting on a knoll and then turn round and bow down at the majesty of the difficult, long, treeless, fast-running course that girdles the clubhouse. Shinnecock Hills has hosted the US Open on five occasions, the most recent being in 2018. It is, as most golfers who have trod its greens agree, magnificent. (+1 631 283 3525) Known as a steely golf club — because of its location in a suburb of America's steel city — this is world-class because it is so difficult, one of the most difficult anywhere. For the recent US Open, it had rough grown to five inches and greens that were 14.5 speed, sometimes even higher, on the Stimpmeter, faster than any greens on this side of the Atlantic. It is anything but fancy, with good memorabilia in its entry hall and the aptly-named History Hall relating the history of the nine previous US Opens held there and, soon, after this summer's, its 10th. Nothing demonstrates the spirit of Oakmont more than the men's locker rooms. They have no air-conditioning and the wooden benches were installed in 1903 and bear the spikemarks of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Rory McIlroy among others. A proper golf club and course. (+1 412 828 8000) This golf course in Juno Beach on the Atlantic coastline is considered one of architect Donald Ross's best. It has a deserved reputation for being the sort of club many people would like to join but can't. 'You've played Seminole?' they say to me. 'You lucky man.' Coastal breezes, sometimes stronger, caress a course that is built over several sand dune ridges, one as high as 40ft (which is high in Florida), has fast and tricky greens, some that are elevated and some that are not, as well as two nines that start at the clubhouse. The men's locker room is exceptional with a bar in one corner, ceiling fans to cool you and steamer chairs to relax in while you look at the honours boards on the walls around you and note names such Hogan, Demaret, Snead. If I expired in the locker room, I wouldn't mind — particularly if I had played well. (+1 561 626 0280) Alongside the Augusta National Golf Club, this is regularly put forward for the top spot in the world rankings. For my sins I have been invited to play PV by a journalist friend and have yet to take up his offer. Am I mad? Am I looking a gift horse in the mouth? Probably. But I played it once years ago and even stayed there when there were only two of us in the clubhouse overnight. Before going to bed, I practised my putting down a corridor outside my bedroom. The next morning I teed off under the eyes of numerous members who had gathered under the misapprehension that because I wrote for The Sunday Times, I could also play golf. That did not end well. If a member invites you to play there, drop everything and go. (+1 856 783 3000) A few years ago I met fellow members of the Erratics Golf Society, a South Wales-based society, at Kittansett for a tour of the east coast. My taxi driver from Boston airport was unsure as to where Kittansett was. After 45 minutes of steady driving, we eventually pulled up outside a low-slung building with the tang of the sea in the air. In the morning I awoke to appreciate the beauty of the club and its breathtaking position at the end of Butler Point, a peninsula that juts out into Buzzards Bay. Its name comes from two native American words meaning 'near the sea'. It's more British than many British seaside golf courses and the sea is visible from many holes. In the 1953 Walker Cup match against the US, the Great Britain and Ireland captain sportingly declined to implement a rule of golf that would have favoured his team. The local paper greeted that decision the next morning with a headline that read 'Great Britain waives the rules'. (+1 508 748 0192) You thought I had forgotten the world's second most famous golf club after St Andrews? How could I? I covered my 43rd Masters there last April and am still overawed by the place — by the tree that spreads outside the clubhouse, by the rise and fall in elevation (the 10th tee is nearly 150ft above the lowest point of the course), the naming of holes after a flower or shrub, the attention to detail. When a tree fell near the 16th green during a Masters a few years ago, all signs of it were gone the next morning. You will need to befriend a member to play there and to be on your best behaviour if and when you do. But do try. You will not be disappointed, particularly if you can play the Par-3 course as well. It's a life-enhancing experience. (+1 706 667 6000) • Marty Carr of Carr Golf, +44 1753754350• 08000436644
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Can't ad lib? Pia Whitesell needs to recite her lines before VERY awkward breakfast show interview in Australia
Australian actress Pia Whitesell was spotted going over her lines for a six minute breakfast TV interview on Wednesday. The mother-of-two, 41, who lives in a $57 million LA home with her wealthy husband Patrick, had to recite lines for her brief appearance on The Morning Show. She shared a photo to Instagram which saw her going over her notes for the very brief Seven gig while getting her hair and makeup done. In the picture, Pia could be seen sitting in a chair as she studied two A4 pieces of paper filled with lines from her upcoming interview. 'Getting ready for @morningshowon7 live cross from LA talking all things life and @olayau,' she wrote, referencing her recent partnership with the skincare company. However, it would seem all the pre-written lines couldn't help Pia prepare for the questions hosts Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies sent her way during the live cross. The interview kicked off to an awkward start when the anchors asked the brunette beauty about her recent luxury holiday to Greece with her Hollywood agent husband. 'First, you just returned from a holiday in Greece. It looked so glamorous. I be you it was,' Kylie, 58, said. Pia appeared embarrassed to be talking about the ritzy getaway, which saw her languishing in the sun on her multi-millionaire husband's superyacht. She stumbled over her answer as glamorous images of her holiday flashed onto the screen. 'It was amazing, I mean, oh god, Europe, just being in, yes, exactly, those photos do, I mean, gosh, I want to go back. I could live there,' she said with an awkward chuckle. Despite seeming reluctant to talk about the holiday, Pia wasn't shy about showing off the trip on her Instagram last week. The former Home and Away star flaunted her bikini body as she posed on a luxury yacht while sailing around the Greek islands earlier this month. She showed off her toned physique in a patterned two-piece and left her long brunette locks out as she smiled for the camera. In another photo, Pia relaxed on the lounge and threw her arm behind her head as she looked out into the distance. She also posed in a $2,945 Miu Miu cotton and suede bandana top in brown, paired with a matching $5,000 miniskirt from the Italian fashion house. 'Oh Greece. I love you,' she captioned the images. Pia has been enjoying a luxury lifestyle since marrying her multi-millionaire Hollywood husband, Patrick, 60, who is the executive chairman of Endeavor. Earlier this month, the actress gave fans a glimpse of her privileged life by showing off her astounding collection of designer goods inside her gigantic walk-in closet. Featured in the photo was Pia's impressive collection of shoes, which filled six built-in shelves in her closet. Measuring several metres wide, the unit boasted three shelves of high heels in a dazzling array of styles for all occasions. Also spied inside Pia's walk-in was the dark-haired beauty's mammoth collection of designer handbags. Stored in ten separate cubicles inside a dedicated vertical built-in unit occupying an entire corner of the closet, Pia's collection included multiple Chanel handbags. Keen-eyed fashion lovers could also spy an Hermès box and what looked like a Birkin.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
New credit card frontrunner emerges as Amex-Chase battle heats up
American Express and Chase have long battled for the crown of America's favorite credit card. Now, new contenders are shaking up the leaderboard. Bank of America climbed to second place from fifth. Capital One stays in third place in JD Power's latest customer satisfaction rankings. Chase fell to fourth, while Amex held onto the top spot. The annual survey scores issuers across seven factors, including rewards, customer service, account management, and fees. In addition to naming an overall winner across all card types — from airline-branded to no-fee and premium rewards cards — the study also highlights leaders in each category. Capital One's Savor card was ranked best among no-annual-fee rewards cards, a category especially popular with younger, budget-conscious users. Among premium cards — with annual fees ranging from $95 to $795 — Amex's Platinum returned to first place after dropping last year. Chase's Sapphire Reserve fell to fourth. The survey comes as consumers juggle tighter finances: 53 percent of cardholders now carry a balance month to month, and 56 percent are classified as 'financially unhealthy.' Average monthly credit card spending also dipped to $1,058, down from $1,126 a year earlier. Still, satisfaction climbed among cardholders who pay their balances in full, said J.D. Power's John Cabell. Rewards credit cards with fee American Express's Platinum Card is the overall pick for rewards cards that come with an annual fee this year, leaping up from fourth place last year. Chase's Sapphire Reserve fell from third place last year, to fourth place this year as competition for travel rewards heats up. Rewards credit cards with no-annual fee Capital One's Savor Rewards card held on to the top spot for the second year in a row. Chase's Freedom Flex fell from second to fifth. American Express landed the top spot. It is known for its lavish perks and use of celebrities to promote its cards. Australian model Elle MacPherson is seen here promoting the Amex Red card Airline co-brand credit cards Most popular airlines issue their own credit cards in partnership with a bank. Last year Southwest's Rapid Rewards Premier Card, in partnership with Chase, was ranked the best. Frequent fliers appear to have turned on the card, which has tumbled to ninth. American Airlines' AAdvantage Executive World Elite card issued with Citi soared to first place Credit cards have perks for frequent flyers, including cashback for hotels Other co-brand credit cards Hilton Honors American Express was the highest-ranked co-branded card overall, knocking Apple's Goldman Sachs-issued card off its perch. Costco's Citi Visa also outranked Apple. Apple's future in the credit card business remains uncertain as Goldman retreats from consumer banking. Meanwhile, a recent report showed how the value of credit card reward points has been gradually falling - as inflation has taken hold. A reward point has long been worth around one cent when used to cover other purchases. But one cent has lost around 20 percent of its purchasing power since 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This means a point has also fallen in value by about the same amount. If you built up 50,000 points with a major credit card issuer in 2020 and still have not spent them, they are now worth about 41,300. Inflation starts to bite into the value of points if users redeem them directly through a bank's portal or online app Card issuers are also adjusting their offerings. Venture X cardholders will soon lose the ability to extend Capital One airport lounge access for guests and additional cardholders from February. The move is to tackle overcrowding. Amex has rolled out digital waitlists at its lounges to tackle long lines. Citibank is entering the premium travel card market with its upcoming Strata Elite, designed to appeal to affluent travelers. The 'Strata Elite', due later this year, will be a direct rival to Chase's Sapphire Reserve card and American Express's travel-focused Platinum card.
