Old Course at St. Andrews - hole 18
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Old Course at St. Andrews - hole 18
The Old Course at St. Andrews hosted the 2015 Open Championship, won by Zach Johnson. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Leopard Creek Country Club - hippos
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Leopard Creek Country Club - hippos
Two hippos graze in the distance at Leopard Creek Country Club in South Africa. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Pebble Beach Golf Links - hole 18
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Pebble Beach Golf Links - hole 18
The par-5 18th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links is one of golf's greatest finishing holes. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Spyglass Hill Golf Course - hole 2
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Spyglass Hill Golf Course - hole 2
The elevated second green reveals the beauty of Spyglass Hill, one of three AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am host courses. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Kingsbarns Golf Links
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Kingsbarns Golf Links
There are gorgeous views almost everywhere at Kingsbarns Golf Links in Scotland. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Carne Golf Links
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Carne Golf Links
Carne Golf Links in County Mayo is one of Ireland's most remote links. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Legend Golf & Safari Resort - wildlife
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Legend Golf & Safari Resort - wildlife
One of the joys of playing a golf course in the bush in South Africa, like the Legend Golf & Safari Resort, is stumbling across wild animals. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Links golf course - Wild Dunes Resort - 18th hole
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Links golf course - Wild Dunes Resort - 18th hole
The par-3 18th hole serves as the climax on the Links golf course at Wild Dunes Resort in Isle of Palms, S.C. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Rosapenna - Old Tom Morris Links - dunes
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Rosapenna - Old Tom Morris Links - dunes
When the sun shines, the dunes bordering the Old Tom Morris Links at Rosapenna Hotel & Golf Resort come to life. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Royal Dornoch Golf Club - Championship Course - 8th
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Royal Dornoch Golf Club - Championship Course - 8th
The view from the ridge above the eighth green on the Championship Course at Royal Dornoch Golf Club reveals the beach along the Dornoch Firth. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Ocean Course - 17th
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Kiawah Island Golf Resort - Ocean Course - 17th
Long is better than short on the watery par-3 17th hole on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Sea Island Resort - Seaside golf course - 13th
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Sea Island Resort - Seaside golf course - 13th
The par 4 at no. 13 delivers the signature moment on the Seaside Course at Sea Island resort. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Club - hole 13
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Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Club - hole 13
The 13th hole at Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Club is a short but sweet par 3 of 122 yards. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Red Sky Golf Club - Norman Course
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Red Sky Golf Club - Norman Course
A look back from the sixth tee to the par-3 fifth green reveals a great view from the Norman Course at Red Sky G.C. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
The Abaco Club golf course - hole 17
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The Abaco Club golf course - hole 17
Waves off the Atlantic crash on the shore, spraying the par-3 17th green of The Abaco Club golf course in the Bahamas. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Castle Stuart Golf Links - hole 8
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Castle Stuart Golf Links - hole 8
The par-3 eighth hole at Castle Stuart Golf Links in Scotland accepts running shots to a massive green. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg - hole 6
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Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg - hole 6
The sixth hole of Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg roams the beach of Doughmore Bay. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
El Cardonal Course - Diamante Cabo San Lucas - 17th hole
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El Cardonal Course - Diamante Cabo San Lucas - 17th hole
The par-4 17th hole might be the most scenic on the El Cardonal Course at Diamante Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Quivira Golf Club - new hole 7
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Quivira Golf Club - new hole 7
The par-3 seventh hole at Mexico's Quivira Golf Club plays to an oceanfront green cut from a mountainside. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Golf Club at Redlands Mesa
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Golf Club at Redlands Mesa
The setting at the Golf Club at Redlands Mesa rocks, literally. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Half Moon Bay Golf Links - Old Course - no. 18
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Half Moon Bay Golf Links - Old Course - no. 18
The par-4 18th hole is why everybody plays the Old Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Lydia Ko
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Lydia Ko
Lydia Ko has a special connection with Lake Merced Golf Club. The 2014 Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic was her first victory on the LPGA Tour as a pro. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Legend Golf & Safari Resort - Extreme 19th hole
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Legend Golf & Safari Resort - Extreme 19th hole
Playing the Extreme 19th hole at the Legend Golf & Safari Resort in South Africa is one of golf's most thrilling experiences. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Pilgrims Run Golf Club - hole 18
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Pilgrims Run Golf Club - hole 18
Pilgrims Run Golf Club is a great reason for Canadians to choose a stay-and-play in Grand Rapids, Mich. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Brora Golf Club - hole 18
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Brora Golf Club - hole 18
The view from the clubhouse overlooks the 18th green at Brora Golf Club in the Highlands of Scotland. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Manistee National - Canthooke Valley golf course - 18th
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Manistee National - Canthooke Valley golf course - 18th
The finishing hole on the Canthooke Valley Course at Manistee National Golf & Resort in Michigan is a fun risk-reward short par 4. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Portmarnock - Championship golf course - 9th
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Portmarnock - Championship golf course - 9th
The par-5 ninth hole of the Championship Course at Portmarnock Golf Club has some interesting humps near the green. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Monarch Beach Golf Links - hole 3
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Monarch Beach Golf Links - hole 3
The third green at Monarch Beach Golf Links overlooks the crashing surf in southern California. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Newburgh-On-Ythan Golf Club - 16th
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Newburgh-On-Ythan Golf Club - 16th
The par-3 16th hole at Newburgh-On-Ythan Golf Club in Scotland sits in a scenic spot along the water. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Olympic Club - Lake golf course - 18th hole
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Olympic Club - Lake golf course - 18th hole
The 18th hole on The Olympic Club's Lake Course remains one of the great short par 4s in the game. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Thoroughbred Golf Club at Double JJ Resort - hole 2
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Thoroughbred Golf Club at Double JJ Resort - hole 2
The second hole is the most dangerous par 4 on the Thoroughbred Golf Club at Double JJ Resort in Rothbury, Mich. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Yocha Dehe Golf Club at Cache Creek
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Yocha Dehe Golf Club at Cache Creek
The view is one reason to dine at the clubhouse of Yocha Dehe Golf Club in northern California. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Quail Lodge & Golf Club - 16th hole
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Quail Lodge & Golf Club - 16th hole
The Quail Lodge & Golf Club unfurls in a beautiful setting in the Carmel Valley. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
Glen Ivy golf course - hole 18
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Glen Ivy golf course - hole 18
Watching the ball drop off the dramatic 18th tee is the signature moment at Glen Ivy Golf Club in Corona, Calif. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Rams Hill golf course - 18th hole
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Rams Hill golf course - 18th hole
A parade of Tom Fazio bunkers march up the finishing par 5 at Rams Hill Golf Club in San Diego County. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
San Juan Oaks Golf Club - hole 16
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San Juan Oaks Golf Club - hole 16
San Juan Oaks Golf Club in Hollister, Calif., is closed until 2023 for an expansive renovation. Jason Scott Deegan/GolfPass
TPC Harding Park golf course - hole 18
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TPC Harding Park golf course - hole 18
The flag on the 18th green can be seen through the trees at TPC Harding Park. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Rio Secco Golf Club - hole 11
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Rio Secco Golf Club - hole 11
The fantastic 11th hole at Rio Secco Golf Club overlooks the Las Vegas Strip. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Enniscrone Golf Club - Dunes Course - hole 16
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Enniscrone Golf Club - Dunes Course - hole 16
The par-5 16th hole at Enniscrone Golf Club follows the ocean to a plateau green. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Ocean Course - Cabo del Sol - 5th
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Ocean Course - Cabo del Sol - 5th
The par-4 fifth hole of the Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol drops to a gorgeous setting in Mexico's Baja Peninsula. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
40 Images

Camera happy: Tour the 2015 golf photos of the year by Jason Scott Deegan

My camera deserves a vacation. My Canon traveled the world in 2015, going snap happy in six different countries: America, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa, Mexico and the Bahamas.

It captured captivating course photos from Top 100 courses like the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina, Royal Dornoch in Scotland, the Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol in Mexico and Portmarnock in Ireland to obscure beauties such as Brora Golf Club in Scotland and the Golf Club at Redlands Mesa in Colorado.

My first full year living in California paid off, allowing me to experience my first AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, and media-day fun at The Olympic Club and Lake Merced Golf Club. I racked up rounds at plenty of other cool California golf courses -- TPC Harding Park, Yocha Dehe Golf Club at Cache Creek, the Old Course and Ocean Course at Half Moon Bay Golf Links, Quail Lodge & Golf Club, the Links at Spanish Bay, Monarch Beach Golf Links and Rams Hill Golf Club.

A 10-day trip to Michigan brought me to tracks I'd never seen before, including a new favorite, Pilgrim's Run Golf Club in Pierson, Mich.

Links golf is my favorite game, and I got my fill with a rare double-dip of Scotland and Ireland. The Irish adventure was particularly moving. I traveled with 20 disabled America war veterans on a trip dubbed "Heroes to Ireland." sharing putts and pints at Enniscrone Golf Club, Carne Golf Links and Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg and other Irish beauties.

The exclamation point came in South Africa, where I met all sorts of beasts: Cobras, monkeys, zebras and hippos. I really wanted to include more photos of safaris and Grand Canyon helicopter tours, but I'm pretty sure these 40 images will keep your attention.

Jason Scott Deegan has reviewed and photographed more than 1,100 courses and written about golf destinations in 25 countries for some of the industry's biggest publications. His work has been honored by the Golf Writer's Association of America and the Michigan Press Association. Follow him on Instagram at @jasondeegangolfpass and Twitter at @WorldGolfer.
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Camera happy: Tour the 2015 golf photos of the year by Jason Scott Deegan