This Week at TravelGolf.com: April 21, 2004

According to a recent poll by BadGolfer.com, more than 70 percent of golfers cheat at the game. Of the 10,000 readers surveyed, 7,120 confessed to cheating.

Surprised by the results? Frankly, I was surprised so many people admitted to cheating. Granted, for most of us cheating consists of a minor infraction, but it's still cheating. A little cheating among friends is relatively harmless, but the repeat offender can ruin a morning round in no time. As revealing as this current poll is, I'd be curious to see if the rate of cheating has increased over the years. My guess is the game was a little more honorable back in the day.

While our own rules committee reviews Stewart Cink's victory last week at the MCI Heritage, be sure to check out our usual full roster of reviews and travel features, plus Kiel Christianson's look back at one of the most memorable Masters in history. As always, your comments are welcome on any topic. Have a great week.

Poppy Hills gets no respect

The pros say Poppy Hills has too many doglegs, the greens are too tricky with many swales and contours, and there are 'goofy' holes. They badmouth it because it's too difficult. They have to work too hard to score well and they would prefer an easier five hours. But David Holland is here to say, 'I like a good challenge,' and that puts Poppy Hills in his wheelhouse.

Full story | California Golf Courses

The Glen Club takes
home Illinois' top honors

In the Land of Lincoln, there's much debate about everything, and golf is not different than the lines drawn between Cubs' fans and Sox fans. Dave Berner tries to sort it all out, and he weighs in with his opinion on everything from the best resort in the state to the best hotdog. Feel free to disagree if you must, but there's no debate about this: no ketchup on the dogs.

Full story | Illinois Golf Courses

Courses should adapt
when it comes to design

Most players cannot hit 300-yard drives, so why do most architects continue to design courses that would tame Tiger? Derek Duncan says classic courses should adapt where they can to stay current, but they should also start designing natural, intelligent, and challenging golf courses for the masses.

Full story | Architect profiles