Golf Books

Truly an inspiring and awesome read. I highly recommend this book. For a first work of a writer, it can be beat!!

Kathi McGraw is a native of New Hampshire who has put immaculate research into resort life in 19th and early 20th century New Hampshire, coupled with the sudden advent and acceptance there of the game of golf. But more than just a history of the era, it is a charming, often humorous and erudite collection of anecdotes, newspaper stories, poems and photographs that reflect the mores and attitudes of Victorian times in general, and in the grandeur of New Hampshire's White Mountains in particular.

More than mere history, "Replace The Turf From Whence It Was Hacked" is a showcase for McGraw's subtle wit and literary skill. They shine through to make the book a charmed if not mystical recounting of how Victorian society lived and took its leisure at White Mountain resorts, some of which still exist. It is a story of one of the quainter parts of New England where teas, dance cards and formal calls were the order of the day and are meticulously recorded by McGraw from long departed journals such as "Among The Clouds" or "The White Mountain Echo."

Golf appears to have taken hold in that part of New Hampshire in the late 1890's. The rules and social customs of the game seemed well adapted to Victorian recreation, and McGraw's recounting of the early golf rules and Victorian ladies' affinity for the game is hilarious while nonetheless touching (including an explanation of such Scottish golf terms as "cleek" and "foozle") . Her storytelling ability provides golfers and non-golfers alike an intimate view of another side of the charm of the Victorian era and not simply a tale of how golf came to New Hampshire.

You don't have to be a New Englander nor a golfer to enjoy "Replace The Turf." It is much more than just a local history. It is a tribute to McGraw's prodigious skills as a writer who truly loves her New England roots and can skillfully relate its rich history with humor and charm.

The characters in this collection are a wide variety, men and women. The only constant character is Ernie Evans, the long-time golf pro, and sage, of the Riverdale Golf and Country Club. Having spent a deal of time on a golf course while growing up, I can vouch that these characters really do exist.

The hardest part about reviewing this book is trying to choose a favorite story. This is nigh impossible to do. Instead, I will share with you one of my favorites:

_A Gentleman's Game_. The rules of golf are quite concise and painstakingly drawn out. My grandmother, also a golfer, was a stickler for the rules. She taught my father these rules and made others play by them. So when I read this story about a secretary forced to keep score for her boss of 22 years during a tournament, I had to chuckle. Throughout the round of golf, the secretary and her boss are at odds. Her boss keeps bullying her into complying with the "score" he recites to her, even as he breaks the rules. He wants to win so much that he'll cheat to do it. Eventually, she does give up trying to make him adhere to the rules, and he's happy that he's "won". But how does it end? Buy the book! (smile)

Do you have to know golf to enjoy these stories? No. These stories are truly more about humans and our desires than golf. Yes, they are set on a golf course with golf as their backdrop, but anyone can read them and relate to the situations, through either experience or observation or both, and laugh.

If you are looking for a book that will keep you chuckling, The Riverdale Chronicles is a must to have in your library.

Outstanding narrative about the Irish people and their great golf courses. John Degarmo describes in detail his experiences traveling and playing the southwest golf courses of Ireland. Anyone who has played Ballybunnion, Tralee, Killarney or Waterville this book is a must!

It isn't a short story.

It is a retrospective of the golden age of 1920's and 1930's golf, as seen through the career and life of Roland R. MacKenzie, hailed as a "golf prodigy," a teammate of Bobby Jones and the youngest member of the Walker Cup team of 1926. Written by sportswriter John W. Stewart, it combines text with a lot of primary source materials. Containing clippings saved by MacKenzie's mother, the contents of this book are unique. Photos, statistics, news articles, feature articles, and cartoons. George Von Elm, Grantland Rice, Watts Gunn, Jess Sweetster, Steve Husted, Walker Cup history, Chick Evans, Don Moe, Babe Didrikson, Congressional Country Club, Ponte Vedra, and Pinehurst all make appearances. Bobby Jones gets particular focus.

This book deserves to have been re-born, as it is a lovely, wistful glimpse into the soul of Britain's classic courses, such as Hoylake and Westward Ho! If ever a book personified a golf course, enticed you to explore the quiet beauties that get to the heart of the game, this is the one. Grasses whisper in the oceanic breeze, a brass bell sounds the all-clear in a vale at the trough of a blind fairway, sheep munch grass on the hillocks just shy of a dappled green. . . and every moment is rendered so vividly that you can wrap your fantasies around the experience. Surely one of the best golf books ever written, by a very fine British poet. If you have a romantic attachment to the game of golf, especially golf as it was meant to be played, here's the book for you.

A easier to read version of the Rules of Golf Book for 2002

A couple great things you learn in this book: 1) If all golf were played at match play, there wouldn't be a need for all the rules we have today; 2) The rulebook as it stands today is as efficient and concisely written as possible, culled from centuries of input. Read this book and you will enjoy the game more than you do already.

On the subject of guidebooks, here's one that's tough to beat. Bob Newman has divided North America's Southeast Coast into a series of discrete areas, like images on a strip of film, and then tells what you need to know to fish each area. Excellent maps will help you find your way. If it's true that a picture is worth a thousand words, then these maps must be worth 10,000 words each. Newman also provides lists of accommodations, restaurants, fly and tackle shops, marinas, guides and other services. After dissecting North Carolina, he does the same for South Carolina and Georgia, describing the fishing in similar detail for each state. Then comes Offshore Action, a chapter on "green-water" and "blue-water" species, including tackle requirements and tactics, and another chapter on trip planning, with tips on how to arrange hotel, air or rental car reservations and how to choose a guide. Newman writes in a straightforward, breezy style and tosses in just enough anecdotes to keep things lively. As the subtitle indicates, this guide covers "light-tackle" as well as fly fishing, but the emphasis seems more on the latter. A good index helps make the book user-friendly. Kudos to Newman for a thoroughly written and professional job. With this book in hand you'll run like a train, jump like a tarpon, charge for your boat, swear to catch fish, and pull out your fly rod-Yowza! Steve Raymond

A surprise package that tells you what you're are supposed to be doing with the golf club. ie; what forces are applied to the club by the hands during the downswing. The author came to his conclusions by studying Bobby Jones's swing. The book is easy to understand and confirms Earnest Jones's theory on what the hands are supposed do to the club.