Non-Instructional Golf Books

[Chuck Porter]

"How To Quit Golf A 12 Step Program" by Craig Brass. I picked this up in Myrtle one summer and couldn't stop laughing. I couldn't convince myself to complete all 12 steps/chapters, however!

[Diceman]

The Back Nine- it is awsome

[Clambake]

The Back Nine- it is awsome

Thanks for adding another good book to the thread of recommendations. Not trying to pick on you Diceman, but while I'm glad you think "it is awsome", it doesn't help anyone know if this is a book they should try. I have a suggestion to all who are recommending books on this thread - please give a little description of the book and what it is about, and why you're recommending it. Basically just add some "color" to the recommendations to help give all of us a feeling of whether this is a book we'd personally enjoy or not. Thanks!!!

[Diceman]

Its kinda like the movie The Hustler which is my favorite. If you read it, it would probably make a great movie but its hard to do golf movies. It inspired me to appriciat the game and to want to work at it more.

[Fatphil]

Dan Jenkins "Dead Solid Perfect"....comedy, sarcastic, same like he writes in the golf magazines. Make's Tiger's behavior seem tame.

[Uber$winG]

Afternoons with Mr. Hogan by Jody Vasquez

This is a non-fiction, first person collection of stories from the seventeen year old kid who used to shag balls for Ben fifteen years after the Greyhound bus accident.

It’s a good read if you are, as I am, a fan of Mr. Hogan.

[cignatz21]

I just read A Downhill Lie, A Hackers Return to the Game (non-fiction) by Carl Hiaasen and I loved it. I am not found of reading, but I was really intrigued by this book. It is both funny and intelligent. Good book and has comical stories that I'm sure many golfers can relate to. The title speaks for itself, but all the stories and events within the plot make it very interesting and fun.

[RIduffer]

"To the Linksland", Michael Bamberger. Great read.

[Ben]

I enjoy reading Biographies and Autobiographies of the big-timers. Its nice to hear their personal accounts of making it. I've read Ben Hogan by James Dodson, Nelson by Byron Nelson, Seve by Seve, and A Golfer's Life by Arnold so far. I still have Walter Hagen's, Gene Sarazen's, Jack Nicklaus', Payne Stewart and Tony Jacklin's to read. I'm not really much for fiction.

[daneos]

Another great book is, golf is not a game of perfect. Thats a must read

[VOX]

I finally got around to reading ON GOLF by Bernard Darwin. It is a classic and worth the read just for his writing ability. He is the giant against whom all other golf writers are measured (along with H.W. Wind).

[Rusty Shackleford]

The Greatest Game Ever Played - Mark Frost

The Grand Slam - Mark Frost

The Second Sunday in April: The Masters

The Greatest Game Ever Played is one of the best books I've ever read, this is regarding all catagories.

[sonnydamico pdx]

....... three worth re-reading.......

John Paul Newport...The Fine Green Line
McCord....Just a Range Ball
Plimpton....Bogey Man

[goob3r]

Just picked up "Golf Anecdotes" by Robert Sommers for something to read at work. I'm only 50 pages in but so far it's great. Surprisingly educational, there's alot in there about the history and evolution of golf. I'd recommend it to anyone looking to learn a little more about how golf became what it is today. Can't wait to finish it up.

[Clambake]

"Chasing the Dream" by Harry Hurt

Having enjoyed "Paper Tiger", I picked this book up for more of that Walter Mitty-esgue fantasy that we all have. But I frankly didn't really care for "Chasing the Dream" much. I didn't find Hurt's writing style to be engaging. He sort of hunts back and forth between different perspectives of competitive golf, other personalities chasing the dream, and his own efforts to improve, but it rambles in the process. John Feinstein writes in a similar form and he crisply bounces around with a unifying theme, but Hurt doesn't seem to have that gift. In Tom Coyne's "Paper Tiger" he does a good job of describing the personal angst and inner demons that get in the way, but Hurt again misses in putting the reader into his cleats and give a feel for the pyschological challenges. I'm normally a pretty fast reader (I'll finish a typical novel in a few hours), but it took me weeks to read "Chasing the Dream" as I just couldn't get into it and read more than a half chapter at a time.

Despite the above, it is worth reading for those who can't get enough golf, as there is enough substance and tips to make it worth the slog. Just don't expect to put it on the shelf of your favorites.

[DarkPrince]

I don't know if anyone else enjoys books that are mainly just photographs, but Planet Golf and Planet Golf USA have got to be some of the best I've seen for just photographs of courses. Planet Golf focuses on courses outside of the USA, whereas PG:USA is of course just about courses in the US. After reading through each of them I start to look at courses in a different way, and I've even taken up bringing a camera along if I'm going to be out around sunset just to even try and get pictures as good as the ones in these books.

This is probably the closest I'll come to getting shots as remotely good looking as some in these books. David Scaletti is the photographer for both books, but as a sample (which he has numerous of at his website ): Pacific Dunes #11 and also Royal Aberdeen #4 Green.

[snowsurfer]

I've recently read The Match by Mark Frost, which I really enjoyed. Also "Ben Hogan: An American Life" GREAT BOOK!!!
Another that I found inspiring was " Dream Golf: The Making of Bandon Dunes"

[TheBlake]

The Greatest Game Ever Played

Just picked up the two Mark Frost books. I loved the Greatest Game Ever Played movie, so wanted to give the book a read. I'm reading Grand Slam first though, as I always find everything surrounding Bobby Jones to be very intriguing.