When most people think of the best golf courses in North Carolina, the very first thing that comes to mind is Pinehurst. And for good reason. Pinehurst is not only one of the biggest resorts in the world, it also has some of the best courses in the country, and a ton of history to boot. But once you look beyond Pinehurst? You discover that North Carolina is home to some excellent golf courses. There are a number of top 100 public and private course across the entire state that are worth visiting. In this post we’ll give you all the details…
Author: Sean Ogle
Sean Ogle
As the Founder of Breaking Eighty Sean has spent the last 10+ years reviewing the best golf products and golf courses in the world. He prides himself on only writing about products and courses he's experienced first hand, and helping others find exactly what they need to enhance their enjoyment of the game we all love so much.
When I think of Bushnell, the first thing that comes to mind are their excellent laser rangefinders. This has historically been their bread and butter when it comes to golf. But over the last few years, they’ve been branching out and creating an array of solid products across the golf space. The Bushnell Launch Pro is the most hyped Bushnell release this past year. But they also make a great cart GPS in the Phantom 2, and they’ve had some solid budget golf watches like the ION 2 and ION Edge. And today we’re talking about their latest foray into…
This year I’ve made it to a number of famous golf clubs: Baltusrol, Oak Hill, and Winged Foot – are all extremely special places. But for all the history of those clubs, there’s another 36 hole club that might have even more history than any of those places. What is it? Atlanta Athletic Club, in Atlanta, Georgia. Bold statement, yes. And you know what makes it all the more remarkable? The courses here weren’t built in the 1920s like the aforementioned clubs. The original 27 holes designed by Robert Trent Jones opened in 1964. A 4th 9 designed by Joe Finger opened…
For the average person, Georgia is one of the most famous states in golf for one very obvious reason: The Masters. The Masters is played at Augusta National Golf Club every April, and so for one week a year, the entire country focuses on the tournament. And while ANGC is one of the very best (and most exclusive) courses in the world, there’s a lot more to golf in Georgia than that. We’ve now taken 3 golf trips to Georgia, and played close to a dozen courses there – and it’s easily among the best golf states we’ve seen. The…
There’s no shortage of high-end golf bags on the market these days. Whether it’s Vessel, Stitch, Mackenzie, or a Titleist Linksmaster – there are a number of brands with bags well over $300, if not more. I’ve never thought of Sun Mountain as a “luxury” golf brand, but they’ve always made very high-quality products. From their push carts, rain gear, to their excellent golf bags – you can expect quality. However, with their latest release, the Mid Stripe bag, they’re taking cues from the brand’s heritage and aiming squarely at other high-end bag manufacturers. The second I saw this bag,…
It’s only natural that the more you fall in love with golf, the more you begin to begin to get curious about what it would be like to play at some of the sport’s most iconic venues. Pebble Beach, Winged Foot, TPC Sawgrass – just to name a few of the most visible courses out there. But tucked away in a beautiful little corner of the Pacific Northwest resides a course not known for its PGA Tour pedigree, or for its impenetrability to the average golfer, but rather for one unique trait: the floating green. Even those who aren’t diehard…
November 2022 Update: If you’re interested in the iON 2 watch, check out the Bushnell iON Edge, which is the newest version of this watch. You might also consider the Bushnell iON Elite which is Bushnell’s best GPS watch. These days there are no shortage of ways to measure distance on a golf course. You’ve got traditional rangefinders, smartphone apps, standalone GPS units, course markers – and of course, you’ve got GPS golf watches. It’s tough to say any one is better than any other, because frankly, it all comes down to personal preference and what you want for your…
I thought my golf season was over for the year – or at least the quest for top 100 courses. That is until I got an email inviting me to a business conference in Charlotte, North Carolina in October. It’d prove to be easy to tack onto the end of my trip to New York City, so I figured why not. Of course, that easy two days quickly devolved into a full week after I realized that Pinehurst was a short 2 hour drive from where I’d be staying. Simply put Pinehurst #2 is one of the most famous and…
We all have our list of bucket list courses. For most if not all of us, that includes some very obvious places like Pine Valley, Augusta National, Cypress Point and so on. But once you get out of the top 10 or 20 courses in the world, everyone’s personal golf bucket list tends to diverge a bit. All of a sudden the courses you want to play tend to have less to do with prestige, and more to do with your personal preferences, geographic history, and the style of golf you enjoy most. For instance, I’ve always loved mountain golf…
A few years ago the thought of going to Las Vegas and staying in a hotel without a casino, would seem ridiculous to me. In my 20s and early 30s, the whole reason to go to Vegas is to drink, gamble, and go to clubs that never quite lived up to expectations. So the idea of staying at a place that didn’t have a casino? Honestly, the thought never even crossed my mind. Now, at the ripe old age of 37, I have a greater appreciation for peace and quiet. And, luxury. Gone are the days of finding the $39 dollar-a-night room at Circus,…