Adventures In Golf

A French golf course with an elusive architect kicks off Season 4 of Adventures In Golf. Erik Anders Lang visits Golf de Dunkerque Grand Littoral in Téteghem-Coudekerque-Village, about 3 hours north of Paris. Inspired by the military-like architecture of France’s celebrated military engineer Sebastien Vauban, Dunkerque’s vibe harks back to the early 1600s. Sharp, raised edges around the greens, imposing cement walls line the fairways and tall tee boxes occupy this unique military-inspired layout in the heart of Europe. Erik wants to learn more about this architectural achievement from the course’s designer, but luck doesn’t seem to be on his side. He tries to find the mastermind on this episode of Aventures dans le Golf (thank you Google Translate).

The Big Apple. The Empire State. The city that never sleeps. Erik finds himself in New York for this Adventures in Golf to play the oldest public golf course in the United States. Golfers first teed it up at Van Cortlandt Park in The Bronx back in 1895. The park charged nothing to play (unless you hired a caddie, which would set you back a whopping 15 cents). Because of this, and its proximity to New York’s 1-train station, the course was constantly packed. Demand to play was so massive in the 1920s that the course had to do something. The answer, a reservation system. In other words, Van Cortlandt became the birthplace to tee times in America.

Gazelles and Giraffes and Warthogs, oh my! Africa is the next stop on this animal-filled Adventures In Golf. Erik travels to Hans Merensky Hotel and Spa in Phalaborwa, South Africa bordering Kruger National Park, to play a golf course that lets the wildlife roam free. The main rule of safari golf is you shouldn’t be on the course at dusk. Guess where Erik finds himself at dusk… Thankfully, no Eriks were harmed in the making of this episode, and the payoff is pretty sweet.

All the way up… literally. Erik Anders Lang goes to the top of the world to play the world’s northernmost links course on Adventures In Golf, presented by United. It was totally worth the three separate plane rides and 125-mile road trip for Erik to play this Norwegian masterpiece. Lofoten Links, located in Norway’s village of Hov, is equal parts beautiful and fascinating. It’s location yields a possibility to play it up AM or PM thanks to the Midnight Sun. And the layout is stunning. As Erik describes, “Usually, there’s at least one hole that feels like a puzzle piece jammed into the wrong spot. Not here.”

Same 18 holes, same 18 greens, two completely different golf courses. Michigan is home to America’s only truly reversible course, and Erik’s mind gets partially blown playing it on this Adventures In Golf. Here’s a brief rundown on how The Loop works: There are two routes, Red and Black. On days ending in even numbers, golfers play the Black routing. Odd days = Red routing. Let’s say you tee off from on No. 1 on a Black day. That same spot is where you’d finish your round on No. 18 just 24 hours later on the Red. Another example, being on the 6th tee on a Black day also means being on the 13th fairway on Red. It’s all kinda bananas. Even if you’re terrible at math (like us), you can still appreciate how pure either layout is without getting bogged down with the numbers. Erik also sat down with famed course designer and architect Tom Doak to understand his inspiration for this truly unique experience.

Imagine there’s only one golf course where you live. Right now, that’s the reality in Tel Aviv. Erik Anders Lang plays Israel’s best (AKA only) track on Adventures In Golf. With more than 700 (!!!) members, Caesarea Golf Club is certainly loved by the locals. However, they wouldn’t mind having another place to play every once in a while. Erik learns why it’s so difficult for Israel to expand its golfing footprint, as well as about the interesting origins of Israeli golfers.

This golf course was built for a King and is worthy of the crown, as we discover in Morocco on this Adventures In Golf. Erik Anders Lang didn’t know what to expect when he came to Rabat for the first time, but what he found will keep him coming back for a lifetime. Royal Golf Dar Es Salam is a world-class facility, and it’s Red Course - designed by famed architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. - is the real deal. Lush fairways lined with cork, oak and eucalyptus trees, followed by some of the sweetest (AKA quickest) greens Erik’s ever putt on make for an experience that completely exceeded expectations. The course currently hosts the European Tour’s Trophée Hassan II event and has seen some esteemed winners over the years including Ernie Els, Colin Montgomerie, Nick Price, Padraig Harrington, and Payne Stewart, who won in ’92, ’93.

“I created 11 holes and God created seven.” - Pete Dye on his absolute dream of a golf course in the Dominican Republic. Erik Anders Lang heads to play the Dye-designed masterpiece Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo Resort on this Adventures In Golf. Erik plays the course with local caddie J.J., who’s seen his fair share of good and bad golf over the years. We loved his story about calling out U.S. President Bill Clinton about his putting stroke. But what stuck with us was J.J.’s story at the end of the episode about how golf changed his life forever. Overall, this resort is seriously paradise and the cameras probably did no justice, which is saying something because some of the shots in this episode look ridiculous.

Playing golf while overlooking of one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World was the goal of this Adventures In Golf. While Erik Anders Lang wasn’t able to play Mena House, Cairo’s most famous course with the Giza pyramids in sight, he was able to check out two other sweet tracks during his trip - Egypt’s oldest and newest courses. Gezira Sporting Club has been a mainstay in Egypt for more than a century. Followed up with Newgiza, which opened in 2018 and you can see the pyramids while you play - most notably on a truly gnarly par-3 with a 80-foot drop to the green.

Diving into golf’s complex history, beautiful present and bright future in Cape Town on this Adventures In Golf. During this Adventure, we learn about the apartheid’s effect on golf, and play two incredible courses; one of which is the first club to open its fairways to all people regardless of race, gender or religion. In the end, we were stoked to discover a healthy appetite for the game in players young and old. When the course layouts are this pure, it’s easy to understand why.

Meet Faith, David and Kyle. They’re Special Olympics athletes with good swings and hearts of gold. Erik Anders Lang meets up with the trio for an overwhelming experience unlike any Adventures In Golf yet.