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Brandon Tucker
Former Sr. Managing Editor
Brandon Tucker was the Sr. Managing Editor for GolfPass from 2019-2021 and was the founding editor of Golf Advisor in 2014, which he ran until 2020 when Golf Advisor's editorial staff and community golf course reviews became part of GolfPass. Tucker helped drive community engagement to the site in the form of course reviews by everyday golfers and was the creator of Golf Advisor's annual Best-Of lists, later called Golfers' Choice. Prior to Golf Advisor, he was the travel editor for Golf Channel Travel and oversaw the WorldGolf network of golf travel websites. From the time he was part of WorldGolf.com in 2006 until departing GolfPass in 2021, he played golf in over two dozen countries and at over 600 courses around the world. As a youth, Tucker spent his summer on the municipal courses of Ann Arbor Michigan and was a co-captain of the state finalist high school golf team. He may have played everywhere from Pebble Beach to St. Andrews, but Tucker's favorite way to play the game will always be on a fun and welcoming public course in under three hours, and ideally somewhere in his home state of Michigan. Brandon can be found on Twitter at @BrandonTucker and on Instagram at btuck34.
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Popular articles
The experience at the newest golf course in Michigan is unlike anything you'll play in the Jack Nicklaus portfolio.
It doesn't matter if you've been playing for a lifetime or you're brand new: every golfer needs more golf buddies.
Strokes Gained insights have never been more accessible to golfers of any ability. Here's what you need to know about the revolutionary statistic and how it can help you lose shots.
It's 2020 and data-driven golf apps are here to assist with every shot you take in a round of golf. The relationship can get weird.
Brandon Tucker shares his ten best value golf destinations, where you can find great golf on a budget, from Myrtle Beach to San Diego.
From GPS and shot tracking to strokes gained data, app makers are stepping up their game for the world's most popular wearable.
Articles by Brandon Tucker
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August 26, 2009
Already the top pure links retreat in America in just over 10 years of operation, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort attracts golfers with a special affinity for the game's history, especially the sod. Since Bandon Dunes can't turn the clock back 100 years, they've done the next best thing: building a course inspired by Charles Blair Macdonald, considered by many to be the "Father of American Golf Architecture.
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August 18, 2009
Canada's most prolific Golden Era architect, Stanley Thompson, also known as the "Toronto Terror" for his larger-than-life persona, designed one of his best at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf Course in Alberta. The course is cut out of the Canadian Rockies' largest national park, full of mountain scenery, pine forests and an abundance of elk, bears and coyotes.
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August 10, 2009
Lionhead Golf and Country Club in Brampton, Ontario isn't shy about boasting its Legends Course as Canada's most difficult course. Golfers here are strongly encouraged to play the golds or blues, both still a formidable test. Architect Ted Baker simply says he intended to design the course where "par is elusive.
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August 7, 2009
While the masses come to Banff Springs from all over the world, Kananaskis is lesser known. But it's closer to Calgary, and peak-season green fees for Kananaskis Country Golf Course are a bit cheaper than Banff Springs, Stewart Creek and Silvertip as well (and there's no charge for grizzly bear sightings).
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July 23, 2009
From Fairmont Banff Springs to Silvertip Golf Resort and more, the best holes of Alberta's Canadian Rockies can be intimidating, but exhilarating to boot, bringing their mountain backdrops to life. Brandon Tucker offers a sample of some of the best.
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July 17, 2009
If you've got Craigielaw Golf Club on your Scotland golf itinerary -- or you're looking to add a golf course between North Berwick, Muirfield or one of the region's 20-plus other courses -- don't get scared off by its tough reputation at home. That's just the local Scots giving the new kid on the block a hard time. Claims that it's unfair are false.
Nestled in the heart of the Colorado Rockies, Red Sky Golf Club’s Tom Fazio and Greg Norman courses are consistently ranked at the top of their class. Both courses feature dramatic mountain views from greens surrounded by aspen forests, wildflower meadows and sage covered hills. Guests at Beaver Creek and Vail Resort’s lodging properties enjoy coveted access to the courses of Red Sky Golf Club.
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July 9, 2009
Until a few months ago, there was no golf in La Paz, Mexico. But thanks in part to desalinization, a less water-hungry paspalum turf for warm weather courses and some developers' persistence, there is golf in La Paz now, at the Paraiso Del Mar resort, and more on the way, Brandon Tucker writes in his latest "Planet Putter" column.
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July 8, 2009
Wisconsin plumbing king-turned-golf resort magnate Herb Kohler bought the Old Course Hotel in St. Andrews with the intention of making the accommodations as good as the location. With constant upgrades and renovations over the last few years, this is a property that doesn't rely on location alone.
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June 30, 2009
Most golfers will agree the term "links" is thrown around a little too often, but the new Arthur Hills golf course at Paraiso Del Mar in La Paz, Mexico, is about as close to links as you're going to find this far south. Consider it links golf with shades, Bermuda shorts and an ice cold bottle of Pacifico.
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June 25, 2009
Famed golf writer Bernard Darwin once described the view from Gullane No. 1's seventh tee as among the best in golf. It's high enough to see the Bass Rock to the east, Muirfield next door and the city of Edinburgh. That view, of course, varies depending on the weather, but at least one thing is constant about Gullane No. 1: it's East Lothian's top championship test not called "Muirfield.
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June 24, 2009
Myrtle Beach boasts more than 100 golf courses dating as far back as the 1920s and has a design for every taste. Grande Dunes Resort Club, True Blue Plantation and King's North at Myrtle Beach National are among the area's most daring designs, sure to keep you on your toes.
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June 23, 2009
If you're an enthusiast of traditional links golf, North Berwick Golf Club, in Scotland's East Lothian region, is just about as much fun as you could possibly have on the links. North Berwick has it all: history, influence, scenery and a collection of holes as unique as you're going to find amidst the world of traditional links.
Whether you're in the spectator gallery or lining up your ball on the tee, your round of golf, golf vacation or outing at a TPC will be unforgettable...
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June 22, 2009
For golfers traveling to Scotland, "North Berwick" only means one thing: the historic links that are home to the famous "Redan" and close-up views of Fidra and the Bass Rock. Come to the royal burgh itself, and you'll discover it's golf-rich; there's plenty more than just a simple "North Berwick" to play.
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June 15, 2009
Kilspindie House Hotel owner Malcom Duck's vision for the inn is of a cozy, comfortable spot that caters to golfers' tastes. That makes good business sense given the wealth of golf courses close by, including the famed North Berwick, Muirfield and Gullane's three courses.
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June 12, 2009
One of the best things about a metropolitan golf course is that it can offer an escape from the nearby, bustling metropolis. At The Republic Golf Club in San Antonio, it's hard to believe you're just minutes from the heart of one of America's largest cities. That each hole is lined by mature elm, oak and mesquite trees means you're in for a quiet day on the course.
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June 9, 2009
Myrtle Beach is a relatively new golf destination, with many of its courses not coming around until the 1980s and 1990s. That said, there are a handful of historic designs that were built with the game's traditional design traits in mind. Here are Myrtle Beach's top 10 best bets for design traditionalists.
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June 4, 2009
The long history of golf has its grey areas, but stop into the Heritage of Golf Museum after a round at Gullane Golf Club and local legend Archie Baird will serve it up in a single, concise, black-and-white tour. Gullane is mostly known for its three golf courses in East Lothian, including Gullane No. 1, the club's most famous and an Open Qualifying venue. But before or after your round, be sure to see Archie. With a few days notice, Baird will offer free tours of his Heritage of Golf museum right next to Gullane's pro shop.
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May 27, 2009
The game is done right in Scotland for a lot of reasons. The ability to get around the course in an enjoyable and timely fashion may be their greatest lesson to us - but we're not paying attention. This is a big deal, because the No. 1 threat to golf's prosperity is length of play. We're all in one bloody, multi-tasking hurry these days, and people are playing less golf as a result.
Spring will be here in no time—and our world-class courses, luxury accommodations and fine dining will be waiting! Will you be ready? Plan your golf outings now!
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May 26, 2009
Golfer or not, you've got to give the developers of the new Quarry Golf Club and residential commercial complex some serious props. Once a working limestone quarry mine just north of downtown San Antonio, Texas, the land for the course has been transformed into a top daily-fee round of golf.
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May 26, 2009
Documents prove golf was played on Musselburgh Links in 1672, though it's believed Mary, Queen of Scots was hitting it around here as early as 1567. Today, the course stands the test of time with a collection of wonderful links holes that play a par-34, 2,874 yards for nine holes. Rent a set of vintage hickory clubs; playing with "titanium cannons," as the club refers to them, hardly feels right on the oldest course in the world.
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May 26, 2009
Yes, it's home to Muirfield. But East Lothian locals adore a more understated, classic links in Aberlady: charming Kilspindie Golf Club. The club stakes its claim as the world's 35th oldest, having been founded in 1867. The opening stretch of holes at Kilspindie is as good as it gets in East Lothian.
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May 19, 2009
At the MacDonald Marine Hotel in North Berwick, the views are not only scenic but highly entertaining. Sea-view guest rooms provide views of not only the Bass Rock, two miles off-shore in the Firth of Forth, but of the short, par-4 16th hole at North Berwick Golf Club, with one of the most unusual and severe greens you'll ever come across.
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May 13, 2009
After buying the Duke's Course in 2005, Herb Kohler ordered an extensive overhaul. The renovation included remodeling every bunker from a links-style sod pot to more rugged shapes. They also added a more exciting closing stretch, redoing holes 15-18. Today, the Duke's is one of the finest golf courses in Scotland.
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May 12, 2009
Approaching the first tee of the Old Course this week, I can barely focus. My mind keeps wandering back to that damn shot: Oct. 28, 2006. In fact, practically every time someone asks me about the Old Course, a nightmarish vision of that ugly, pathetic excuse for a tee shot resurfaces. On that calm, sunny October afternoon, my tee shot off the first flew so far right it went practically onto the West Sands beach. I missed the widest fairway in golf. It wasn't even close.
Renewed Golf Gets Rave Reviews! Come Play at Saddlebrook's two Arnold Palmer signature 18-hole golf courses and enjoy deluxe accommodations, award-winning dining, and much more!
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May 11, 2009
East Lothian, Scotland, just east of Edinburgh, is small but it packs quite a punch with not only golf but plenty of off-course activities as well. Here are a few ideas for a rainy day on your next trip to Scotland, including checking out Bass Rock, touring the Belhaven Brewery, and chatting with local legend Archie Baird at the Heritage of Golf Museum.
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May 5, 2009
From East Lothian's historic coastal towns of Musselburgh to Dunbar, you're never far from a fabulous links golf course, not to mention a complementary 19th hole nearby. Here are some of East Lothian's best 19th holes ...
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April 24, 2009
Once an understated, daily-fee course, Valderrama Golf Club in Spain is now widely considered continental Europe's finest. Navigating subtle doglegs on gently undulating parkland terrain through a cork forest, one wonders why every golf course can't be this good.
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April 20, 2009
In the heart of the Costa Del Sol near Marbella, the new Finca Cortesin golf resort has emerged as one of Spain's most luxurious golf vacation spots. This luxury resort and real estate property is the pinnacle of Costa Del Sol luxury.
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April 20, 2009
To date, I've logged about 50 days of golf travel in the UK and Ireland with about nine more to come starting this week. This time I'll be hanging around St. Andrews. I'd like to think I know how to pack for a links golf trip. To help you plan your next (or first) links vacation overseas, here are the bare essentials I'm bringing along ...
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April 13, 2009
Nearly all of the 100-plus golf courses in Myrtle Beach, S.C. open their tee sheets daily to the public. And while most clubs have at least a small membership, there are a handful of private, members-only clubs where it can be tricky getting a tee time. But even some of them have their own loopholes that can be pursued, Brandon Tucker writes.
