18: Building Our Perfect Golf Experience

It's the little things that really make a great golf club stand out as an unforgettable experience. Thinking beyond the course and its architecture, and really taking in the details around you, is key to truly appreciating what makes a place so special. Today, Jake Stoutland and Simon Holt reveal their five little things at golf clubs around the world that stand out to them the most.

Great modern golf clubs are curating perfect practice experiences like never before. Darren May is the man behind two of the best at Grove XXIII and Atlantic Golf Club. Jake Stoutland sits down with the designer and golf coach to learn what goes into creating these great facilities. But before then, Jake and Simon reveal their favorite practice areas in golf. Whether its the view, the amenities, or the variety, each of these brings something special to the table.

We all love our golf on both sides of the Atlantic, but there are some norms, terms, and cultural differences between the home of golf and its American expansion. On this episode of Playing Privileges, Simon Holt and Jake Stoutland dive into the details comparing and contrasting golf on both sides of the pond.

If you want to be a good guest at a prestigious club, courtesy is the name of the game. While each place might have their own sets of rules, being a great playing partner always matters most.In this episode of Playing Privileges, Simon Holt and Jake Stoutland debate the dos and don'ts of how to conduct yourself on the course and in the clubhouse.

What makes one turn stand better than another? It's not just about the food and drink, although those are certainly important.A great golf course halfway house should have character and charm, representing the club it services in its own unique way. It might provide an experience unlike any other in golf, as long as you're willing to take a few extra moments to enjoy it.In this episode, Simon Holt and Jake Stoutland take us from Scotland, to China, to America, detailing their five favorite halfway house experiences.

What's your favorite arrival in golf? Locker room? Practice area? How about the food, drink, and an overnight stay? Imagine taking all those great experiences, and creating one perfect day of golf. Today, Jake Stoutland and Simon Holt make their picks for the best of the best in each of the small experiences that matter most to create one magical day.

Up in the Scottish Highlands, Castle Stuart feels like it's been around for more than a hundred years. But shockingly, this quintessential links golf experience isn't even 20 years old yet, and they've just added even more world class golf and amenities.Old Petty is the newest course here, and it's already receiving critical acclaim. Together with Castle Stuart, Cabot Highlands is quickly becoming one of Scottish golf's most sought after destinations. Yet the feeling you get in the clubhouse is warm and welcoming, making it a truly enjoyable golf getaway. Simon Holt sits down with Jeremy Matte, the director of golf and operations at Cabot Highlands, and Mark Wright, who oversees hospitality at The Cabot Collection, to discuss what makes this such a special property.

Gil Hanse joins Simon Holt at CapRock Ranch, the Nebraska Sandhills course two decades in the making. He and Jim Wagner had years to work out how to use a site where the chop hills of the Sandhills run straight into the Snake River canyon, and the answer was to press greens right up against the bluffs, hang a set of par-3s over the drop, and then let the rest of the routing wander through the dunes with the ground game wide open.

GOLF's Top 100 Resorts in the World list is out. Jake Stoutland and Simon Holt explain how dramatically the global golf landscape is changing. For a world traveler or a bucket-list daydreamer, this episode is full of insider information. You might not play like a pro, but this episode will help you travel like a pro. If you're looking for trip inspiration, start here.

Simon Holt talks with Royal Dornoch General Manager Neil Hampton about how a remote Highland links in Donald Ross's hometown became one of golf's most coveted tee times — and what comes next: a new clubhouse, a King Collins Dormer master plan for a third course, and a 150th anniversary in 2027.