Our January 08 magazine is special issue of LINKS. There are so many firsts in it that I am not sure where to start. Not only is it the first
edition featuring new columnist Ernie Els, but it also has our first
hole-design contest. Another first: Arthur Hills will actually build the
hole.Our historical first: Annika
Sorenstam is the first woman to be featured on the cover of LINKS. It’s long
overdue, and I can’t think of a better way to kick off the magazine’s 20th
anniversary in 2008. Throughout the year, we will be celebrating two decades of
the best of golf, highlighted by July/August’s “20th Anniversary” issue.
One
of the biggest developments of the past 20 years has been the growth of the
women’s game, and Annika has played a large role in that progress. As her career
winds down, she’s poised to become the first big female name in course design, a
field that men have long ruled. Senior editor Tom Cunneff profiles
Sorenstam the architect and also examines why there are so few designers from
society’s better half. (Only three of the 180 members of the American Society of
Golf Course Architects are female.)
I’m also thrilled to welcome our new columnist, Ernie. While you’re no doubt familiar with his buttery swing and illustrious
playing career, which includes three majors among his 62 international
victories, you might not know as much about his high-flying life off the course,
the focus of his columns.
Like his fellow South African Gary Player, Ernie is
a world traveler who logs tens of thousands of miles a year playing tournaments
and overseeing his design business. Ernie’s first column is about the growth of
the game worldwide, especially Dubai, where he is crafting a natural-looking
layout out of the desert.
What happened to beloved Ben Wright? He has
been moved to the front of the book, where he will be our 20th anniversary
columnist. All year he will ponder the events, people and trends that have had
the most impact on the game over the last two decades. Who better to write about
how golf has evolved than Ben, who, in addition to his many years in the tower
for CBS, was present for LINKS’ birth? He wrote a column in our inaugural issue
in 1988.
In addition to looking to the past, we will be looking forward in
this landmark year. Despite our devotion to the art of golf course architecture
and great layouts since the magazine’s inception, we’ve never had a design
contest. But this isn’t the same amateur contest other publications have been
running for years, thanks to renowned architect Arthur Hills and Westhaven, a
golf community in Franklin, Tennessee, just south of Nashville.
What makes
our contest different from the others is that in addition to being featured in
the July/August issue, the winner will get to work with Hills and see his or her
idea come to life as the 13th hole at Westhaven Golf Club. So sharpen your
pencils and your design skills, because this is a rare chance for you armchair
architects to become a real one.
I hope these firsts show that
we are constantly striving to improve the magazine and make it more enjoyable
and informative. To us, readers always come first.
