Caddie Magazine – Volume Eight

Introducing Caddie Magazine Volume Eight

In Volume Eight, Caddie emerges from the undergrowth with another edition crammed full of original golf & travel stories from around the world.

With cover artwork from photographer Nicole Reed, Volume Eight’s camouflaged golfer is a nod to the desperation many of us felt to get back on the golf course during the pandemic lock down. While far from over, most of us have found a way to navigate these strange days – we hope that you have too. Sometimes the best way to help is to just do what you do best – for us that’s bringing you some relief from the news cycle with Caddie Magazine, Volume Eight. So, what’s inside?

Reigning US Mid-Am champ Lukas Michel takes us on a journey to the iconic Sand Hills in rural Nebraska with a deep dive into where the minimalist golf revolution began. The impact that this singular project has had on the golf world is hard to overstate – would we have seen the likes of Bandon Dunes, and all the brilliant remote golf destinations that followed and that are so coveted by travelling golfers (and indeed by this magazine), without Sand Hills? It’s unlikely. Which is enough for us to want to know how it all happened, and what’s it’s like to play there today. In case you weren’t already jealous of Lukas booking his ticket to Augusta through his win in the US Mid-Am, he is also a handy photographer and talented scribe – we’re proud to publish his first piece in print.

Not all golf destinations are solely about the golf – sometimes the destination itself can take your breath away as much as the golf course itself. As was the case for Caddie Editor-in-chief William Watt as he travelled (pre-lockdown) to the tropical island of Langkawi at the northern tip of Malaysia to play The Els Club Teluk Datai. The ancient rain forest, pristine waters and deeply embedded resort he found there is one of those rare, dreamlike settings that seem impossibly idyllic. Will’s wife, Rosie Giles was so taken by the architecture of The Datai Langkawi resort that she penned her own take on it, including an interview with fellow architect Didier Lefort who helped design the original buildings in the early 90’s, as well as the extensive 2019 refurbishment.

Further north on mainland China, golf course architect and builder Ashley Mead of OCM Golf takes us on site at the impressive Yangtze Dunes. Paired with stunning imagery from Airswing Media, Ashley recalls the experience of building this riverside links with local workers and provides insight into some of the key elements that go into a modern destination course. Keeping with the river vibes, Nicklaus Mills puts forward a proposal for the The Yodogowa Youth Club on the flood banks of the Yodo River in Osaka – an ingenious way to utilise precious open space and encourage a new wave of golfers in one of Japan’s largest and most dense cities.

Our feature profile is on the influential Pete Dye. The revered course architect died in January at the age of 94, but he left behind a portfolio of almost 150 original layouts. He also created a legacy of building golf courses his way. Shaun Tolson traipses Dye’s footsteps, reflecting on the man, the myth and his many golfing legacies. With unseen archival photographs from Pete’s life and interview contributions from Tom Doak, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Davis Love III, Bill Coore and many more, this is a heartfelt tribute not to be missed.

Paul Verhoven returns to Caddie’s pages with the sort of piece that could only be conceived in the depths of a pandemic lock down with Golf in the Galactic – would golf be better in Star Trek or Star Wars? We also meet illustrator and designer Christopher Cavanaugh who introduces us to CAVY and answers our questions on golf, ice hockey, design and the cultural importance of sports. Adem Wahbi is rocking the latest styles from Manors Golf as we learn about his love of the game and the challenges he has overcome to reach 5th in the World Ranking for Golfers with a Disability. And budding course architect (and reigning Renaissance Cup holder) Clyde Johnson takes us back to the Herbrides of Scotland for some raw, adventurous golf with Inherent Isolation.

Volume Eight brings 134 pages of full-colour, spacious, luscious, crafted, golf. It lifts any room you place it in and is the ideal travelling companion. Give your eyes a rest from endless screen time and indulge in the beauty of the printed page; hear the snap of the cover; smell the ink as you thumb through the luscious paper pages – if you can’t tell, we’re pretty passionate about print; it’s the only way to read.

Caddie Magazine Volume Eight will sit proudly on your coffee table or bookshelf for years to come. We’ve assembled Caddie with this in mind – there’s no clutter, no ads, no newsy articles. Just the best stories from golf and travel that we could find, distilled onto the best paper we could find, and filled with the best photos, artwork and words we could create. Enjoy the read.