People think that a course with risk reward makes a great match play course and their head always goes to the 300 yard par 4. A great match play course has to also have nearly as many 375 yard holes where the advantage actually can turn closer in the direction of the shorter, more precise player. At 300 yards it’s hard to make the hole truly rewards accuracy without making it always best to just blast driver.

What are the odds haha. Love it!

Different Ben Cowan! This one without the "Dewar."

Thanks for this, Garrett. Will be interesting to see how the US Team decides to set up the course to their advantage during the Ryder Cup. Had a question for you as it relates to the July 31 episode of Designing Golf (which was excellent by the way). Mike mentioned a Ben Cowan on-board with Proving Ground, and I was wondering, is this the same Ben Cowan of Cabot fame? Thanks!

I can't bring myself to order it because it's a bit pricey and I'm not from NYC or Long Island, but my god... it's dope as hell. Genuinely going to sell out in a week.

I find a lot of interesting match play courses feature "half-par" holes. I remember a back-and-forth with JLM during the Solheim Cup in Spain, where his primary criticism of the course was a lack of shot value. I eventually warmed up to his assessment because, while I enjoyed watching the golf being played, I found the matches mundane, as there were no opportunities for players to gain an advantage by playing a hole more aggressively or by throttling back to a calculated layup. The more varied potential outcomes are from hole to hole, the more the match might swing back and forth.

Very high on the "courses I could play every day" list. Biggest regret was not spending more time in the clubhouse

A steal :)

The bad uniforms are the ones you remember. The picture frame shirt from Brookline, lavender sweaters and nameplate rain gear from Celtic Manor, AK’s belt buckles from Valhalla, etc. These stink, and I am here for it.

The Bomber jacket is only $598 on the RL website! Just ordered 2.