Non-Instructional Golf Books

[JorgeGomez]

Hello Golfers, I love Golf for Enlightment, by Deepak Chopra. Seven Days in Utopia, great book! But the movie has nothing to do with the book. Much better the book! I also write a book about Parenting Young Golf Champion, named Loving the Champion. It has been a success in the junior area, specially for the parents. I dont know if it's aloud to put the link in here, so I preffered not to do it. If anyone is interested just contact me. Have an amazing Golf weekend. Sincerely, Jorge Gomez

[zipazoid]

Just a semi-selfish chime in on my novel.

I finished writing it a couple of months back & am presently re-writing, tweaking, re-writing and so on. The title will be Off The Fairway . I am presently research publishing options, looking for a release in the spring.

It is a story about a fictitious golf pro with a number of serious issues. Chemical dependency, suspensions from the tour, multiple failed marriages. No - it's not the John Daly story. The main character is a real a-hole but he turns his life around through intense counseling sessions, emotional trauma and, most importantly, a breakthrough relationship by way of his caddy. In many ways, the caddy becomes the story. But in the end, it is a love story.

I almost hate to label it a 'golf story,' as golf is more the vehicle, the stage if you will, to tell a story of the overcoming of obstacles. But I took great pains to portray as accurately is I could, what it is like to play on the tour. Following is an excerpt:

“What we got, Shakes?” said Billy.

“We got 187 to the front, pin only six on, so 193 to the pin, dead cross wind from the left. Trouble right – can’t miss it there, rolls right down to the hazard.”

Billy sopped up that information from Shakes and plugged it into his brain, adding in the effect of the elements since it was raining. “Is the grip dry on my six-iron?” said Billy.

Shakes took the six-iron from the bag and gave it a thorough wipe-down with one of the three towels he had hanging from the tines of the umbrella. “Drier than the Sahara, Pro,” and handed the club to Billy. Shakes stayed next to Billy, keeping both him and himself under the umbrella while Billy stood behind the ball, creating the mental cocoon. “Gotta start this ten feet right of the pin and draw it into the wind, let the wind hold it on the line. That work for you, Shakes?”

“You got that shot in your sleep, Pro,” said Shakes in his ever-positive mien, as he stepped away from Billy, exposing him to the rain, but he did not even feel it, as he was going through his mental checklist – Close the face a touch, choke down an inch, ten feet right of the pin. Commit. Billy then addressed the ball, turned the toe of the six-iron in to slightly close the face, and swung. As usual, the ball started exactly where Billy aimed it – ten feet right of the hole. Halfway to the hole, the ball started to gently curve to the left, where it met the counterbalancing force of the left-to-right wind. The intersection of these forces – a hooking ball with a slicing wind – resulted in holding the shot dead straight.

“That’s going to be close,” said Billy.

The ball landed three feet to the right of the hole, took one hop forward, and then spun back as if a string was pulling it.

“GO IN!” yelled Billy.

The ball listened, as it completed its 193-yard trip at the bottom of the cup.

Whenever a professional golfer makes a hole in one there is layered reaction. The immediate one is from the gallery, which happened in this instance, exulting with approval the unmistakable sound of an amazing shot. This was not a birdie roar. Not even an eagle roar – this was a hole in one roar. The next reaction is usually from the fellow competitors and caddies. The last one to realize it is the player, since their initial reaction to a ball going into the hole is one of expectation. That was where they aimed, after all.

Billy was frozen in his follow-through, his eyes fixated on the now-vanished ball. It went…in! That’s…in the hole! I just made an ace! Shakes came over and grabbed Billy by the shoulders, “HOLE IN ONE, PRO! HOW ABOUT THAT!”

Billy just looked at Shakes while his expression went from concentration to elation. “Yeah. YEAH! YEEEEAHHHH!” screamed Billy, finally joining in the celebration. Billy hugged Shakes, gave high fives to his playing partners, then turned to the gallery and gave a bow worthy of an experienced Thespian. The gallery roared its approval, and Billy ate it up.

And on this rainy Saturday afternoon in Milwaukee, that ace moved Billy from three under to five under par for his round, eleven under for the tournament, and into the lead.

Once the elation subsided, Billy was back to business.

“Now all I need is for it to count,” said Billy, as a puzzled Shakes looked at him. “The rain, Shakes. They could cancel the round if we don’t get this in.”

Sometimes Shakes thought Billy too morose with his thinking, but mostly he saw Billy as a gateway into a dimension he never experienced. This was one of those times. Here was a tour pro who just put the ball into the hole from 193 yards away, but Billy still was all business, calculating the impact of the ace as a method to move up the leaderboard, and whether Mother Nature would even let the score count. It was this type of mindset that Shakes could not comprehend; he wanted to celebrate. Billy, knowing that there were still five more holes to play, was far more pragmatic because he had to be. Getting too excited on the course was just as bad as getting too disgusted. All emotions had to be leveled out. So Billy celebrated – for thirty seconds. Then he was back to the business at hand.

“That’s number twelve,” said Billy, as he and Shakes walked towards the green.

“Twelve what?” asked Shakes.

“Twelve aces I’ve made.”

Shakes was dumbfounded. “You’ve made twelve holes in ones, B.E.?”

“Yeah, but only four in competition,” Billy wryly replied.

Shakes was now a star-struck groupie. “Twelve holes in one. Gawwwd-damn.”

“Hey, this is what I do, Shakes. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Jeez, Pro. Settle down. You’re gonna blow a gasket,” mocked Shakes.

“I’ll celebrate after we’re done with the round, Shakes. Right now I’m thinking about my drive on fourteen.”

Shakes liked what he was hearing from him man. Billy was more focused, less reactive to outside influences. Earlier in the round some idiot yelled “Cokehead!” at Billy and he did not even acknowledge it. This was in a stark contrast to five months earlier when Billy wanted to go into the gallery after the guy threw a crack pipe at him in Phoenix.

[Clambake]

"The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses" by Tom Doak

My wife gave me a copy of this increasingly rare book for Christmas.    For those who aren't familiar with it, Doak first published this book in the early 1990's, when he was a budding golf course architect and he was brutally honest in his opinions of golf courses throughout the world.    Unlike those magazine or newspaper reviews where the writers are typically comp'ed and rarely write a critical review, Doak approached his book from his somewhat brash approach as a golf architect.    The book is divided into his "Gourmet's Choice" of 31 courses that he rates very highly, a regional guide to hundreds of courses across the US and internationally, and his "Doak Gazetteer" where he provides his thoughts on best clubhouse, best lunch, best resort accommodations, best bunker names, worst holes, etc.

I'm very much enjoying this book.   In his book "Anatomy of a Golf Course", Doak described the philosophies of great course architecture, and having previously read that helps understand where he's coming from.    In the Confidential Guide, Doak doesn't pull many punches.    Some examples:

Karsten GC at ASU in Tempe, AZ  (Pete Dye)

These holes are packed together like sardines, but the steep mounds between holes prevent you from seeing the balls coming at you from adjacent tees and fairways.   It's also one of the most visually unappealing sites I've ever seen.......     It's only merit is that it's right smack at the edge of campus.......   Overall this course is a horrific waste of money and effort.

Bear Creek , Temecula, CA   (Jack Nicklaus)

At Muirfield Village, Shoal Creek, and Glen Abbey, regardless of whether I like them or not, I'm convinced that Jack was still designing courses to his own perception of the "best" possible design, but at Bear Creek his architecture suddenly takes a turn toward the marketable, including features that would sound good in brochures or take a good picture whether or not they suited good golf.     .....I still think Bear Creek is where he sold out.   The bottom line on Bear Creek is that if you hang on Jack's every word, you'll love the course; if you're suspicious of him, you'll hate it.

Olympic Club , Lakeside Course, San Francisco (site of 2012 US Open)

I consider Lakeside to be one of the most difficult courses in the world, but not a personal favorite.     ....there's little strategy involved in the design, just the relentless pressure to drive the ball fairly long and archer-straight.    ....there are too many nondescript (though testing) two shotters in the middle of the course for it to rank highly on my scale.

I could go on and on with many examples, but you get the idea.     One can see why Doak wasn't popular with his fellow architects when this book first came out.    I didn't include examples of great courses here, but Doak is just as lavish with his praise as he is free with his criticism.

"The Confidential Guide" is tough to find, and Doak has indicated he will never re-release the book.    Copies can be found at rare book stores, and abebooks.com has listings from many of their member booksellers.    If you happen to see one at a garage sale or in a book store that doesn't know what they've got, snatch it up quick!

[Bucki1968]

Not sure if these titles have been mentioned but anyone who is a golf fan will love the book "The Match". It describes a match before the old Clambake between Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson against Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward. It's a great read. I also liked a couple of James Dodson books: Ben Hogan: An American Life and A Son of the Game: A Story of Golf, Going Home, and Sharing Life's Lessons . Curt Samson wrote a book about the Masters that is also very good.

[CraiginKSA]

These two books by Rick Reilly are really funny.

• Missing Links – (Doubleday) – A novel about an eccentric group of golfers who are regulars at the worst public golf course in America.
• Shanks for Nothing – (Doubleday) – This sequel to Missing Links cracked the New York Times bestseller list. Like Missing Links, it revolves around the antics and camaraderie of the regulars of the Ponkaquogue Municipal Golf Links and Deli.

They run the gamut poking fun at country clubs, hustlers, hackers, Open qualifying, betting, Munis...

Really good books, I thought.

[Spitfisher]

I really enjoyed "inside the ropes of Bethpage black " by Feinstein,  the reason being it really  brings in the whole tournament logistics as well as finding an old course with character and dressing her up years later in a world class event. Also within the book you really see how David Fay ticks and the back ground of Mike Davis- who now runs the show at the PGA. Its easy to read and I will guarantee you will want to  play the course once you finished- which I did, from the tips and shot 87 with 2 birdies #1 and #18.  Pick it for a great read!

[Spitfisher]

Originally Posted by CraiginKSA

These two books by Rick Reilly are really funny.

Missing Links – (Doubleday) – A novel about an eccentric group of golfers who are regulars at the worst public golf course in America.

Shanks for Nothing – (Doubleday) – This sequel to Missing Links cracked the New York Times bestseller list. Like Missing Links, it revolves around the antics and camaraderie of the regulars of the Ponkaquogue Municipal Golf Links and Deli.

They run the gamut poking fun at country clubs, hustlers, hackers, Open qualifying, betting, Munis...

Really good books, I thought.

Could not agree more, my early years of golf was at Ponkapoag GC

[posey55]

"2013 Fantasy Golf Guide: FedEx Cup Preview" by Josh Culp.

Want to give you guys a heads up that my book is available for free for the next two days.  It is a book that previews the FedEx Cup. It includes analysis and projections on all four playoff tournaments.  It is designed to help with fantasy golf leagues but can be read as a preview of the FedEx Cup, as well.  Check it out at the Amazon Kindle Store while it is still free.

[joekelly]

Interested in Tiger Woods, his personal and golf history, his black/white sexual affairs, his fall from grace and ultimate redemption?  You may like this book. And you can read my review here , too.

http://thesandtrap.com/products/the-passion-of-tiger-woods-an-anthropologist-reports-on-golf-race-and-celebrity-scandal-by-orin-starn

[boogielicious]

Thanks for the review @joekelly.

BTW, the teacher who taught my class Driver Ed was also named Joe Kelly, a High School Math Teacher.  He would be about 103 now.

[MS256]

Just finished it. I always like how Mark Frost gives a little more history than one would expect.

[chris3putt]

I'll second "The Green", by Troon McAllister. Hilarious in places, and even has the odd good swing thought embedded in there.

[MS256]

Is that anything like his book Downhill Lie? They seem to be on the same topic. Good book too.

The Match is great, along with Frost's other books, The Grand Slam: Bobby Jones, America, and the Story of Golf and The Greatest Game Ever Played, which yes, was made into a Disney movie with (my most hated actor) Shia LaBeouf. The book is much better than the movie. Frost seems to be creating a golf history series, starting with Vardon and Ouimet of the early 1900's, then Bobby Jones on the 30's, and Hogan, Nelson, and the various amateurs of the 40's and 50's.

I read The Greatest Game Ever Played quite a while ago and read The Match a few weeks ago. I had bought The Grand Slam: Bobby Jones, America, and the Story of Golf a long time ago but had never read it. Turned out my wife had put it away and I had forgotten about it. Just finished it and thought it was great.

I would almost consider all three books required reading for anybody interested in golf history.

[EndeavourPress]

Those are great - Paper Tiger also highly recommended, and there's a great one (if you get it today on Kindle, it's free) which goes over the 1957 Ryder Cup upset/victory, depending who's side you're on! It's "The Ryder Lions". Really enjoyable.

[Valleygolfer]

I thought a would throw in a book written by an acquaintance of mine. It is called " 18 in America: A Young Golfer's Epic Journey to Find the Essence of the Game" by Dylan Dethier

http://www.amazon.com/dp/145169363X/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

It has a lot very good reviews.

[Will82]

I'll second "The Green", by Troon McAllister. Hilarious in places, and even has the odd good swing thought embedded in there.

It has been about 9 years since I read them, but I loved The Green, The Foursome, and Scratch (all by Troon McAllister).  I need to dig them out and read them again.

The Greatest Player Who Never Lived and The Greatest Course That Never Was, both by J Michael Veron, were also very good.

After reading all the suggestions here I'm going to check out Paper Tiger.

[stogiesnbogies]

I just finished reading "Tee Ceremony; A Cosmic Duffer's Companion to The Ancient Game of Golf "  and loved it!   Golf can definitely use more humor, IMO. This one was a birthday gift from my daughter.

Here's my review of it.

Golf Book Review by stogiesnbogies

Tee Ceremony : A Cosmic Duffer’s Companion to The Ancient Game of Golf
Sacred Ruminations and Profane Observations about Golf and Life
By Dan Camilli

Available at Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com

http://www.amazon.com/Tee-Ceremony-Duffers-Companion-Ancient/dp/1512242659/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid;=1432770124&sr;=8-1&keywords;=camilli

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tee-ceremony-dan-camilli/1122002028?ean=9781512242652

This is DEFINITELY not an instructional book and the author says so in his introduction.
It is a humorous yet informative journey into the philosophical and mystical aspects of golf.

Camilli , a long time philosophy instructor with a Harvard background, calls himself a “Cosmic Duffer” and explains that he views golf as a kind of moving meditation – “a form of Tai Chi with clubs” and he seeks to use golf as a tool for personal growth and development.

He says that “The Cosmic Duffer knows that golf offers a transformative experience. It’s an exquisitely simple yet complex game- an 18 hole drama- complete with plot and subplots. Yet the hero and the villain are always the same person- YOU. “

The book is set up like a round of golf with 18 Holes (chapters) as well as a 19th hole stop with some “Final Swing Thoughts”. It is modeled after the Tao Te Ching’s 81 Chapters designed to provoke thought and reflection in the reader.

The chapters are short and free ranging; addressing “Sacred and Profane” topics such as golf partners, cigars (He's Pro cigars and Pipes!) , driving distance liars and putting to name but a few. He does this with a sense of humor ( i.e. - “Driving distance is golf’s version of penis size as virtually everybody lies about how long they are.” )

The book also includes a series of golf cartoons and quotes by philosophers and writers at the start of each chapter that help to further lighten up the more profound topics such as Aristotle’s “Three Types of Friendship” which will have you examining your playing partners anew.

If you’ve ever wondered what Plato, Aristotle, Buddha and the Bhagavad Gita have to do with golf – or even if you haven’t- you might want to check this one out.

stogiesnbogies

[stogiesnbogies]

Good News!

Amazon.com has recently added a "Look Inside" feature to Camilli's Tee Ceremony book so you can read a sample of it and check out some of his cartoons in the book as well.

Alas, I fear that my review has not done the book justice but now you can check it out for yourself.

Simply go to:

http://www.amazon.com/Tee-Ceremony-Duffers-Companion-Ancient/dp/1512242659/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid;=1432930780&sr;=8-1&keywords;=camilli

and click on the "Look Inside" icon located above the book picture.