Synopses & Reviews
Ever since the Dark Ages, when a few Scots ambled over the dunes with their het kolvin sticks, slapping a ball around in something akin to golf, no sport has more universally or irreversibly awed its players and fans. The Ultimate Golf Book captures the worlds ultimate sporting passion as it has never been captured before, with a lively, authoritative history, stunning illustrations, and perhaps the finest collection of original writing on the sport ever assembled between two covers. Putting a fresh, contemporary spin on the centuries-old story of golf, Sports Illustrateds colorful senior writer John Garrity has written a delightful, loose-limbed riff of a history that travels the globe and the links, covering the key personalities, events, advances in technique and technology, proliferation of interest, and curious mystery of this international obsession. Complementing the history are twenty personal essays from a diverse group of literary low-handicappers, musing on everything from the Age of Tiger, to the woes of the lowly club pro, to the charm of playing golf in the dead of winter, to giving up the game altogether. All of this plays out against the dramatic backdrop of more than 300 photographs and illustrations, many rare and historic, many commissioned especially for this volume, which is truly one of a kind. From the tee to the green, the clubhouse to the nuthouse, The Ultimate Golf Book is a must-have for any serious student of the game.
Review
This finely edited anthology of top-shelf writers has more than enough game to stand up to the title.
Golf for Women
Synopsis
In this golfer's ultimate delight, Charles McGrath and David McCormick have compiled a unique combination of golf history and original essays by some of golf's greatest (and best-selling) writers and enthusiasts. Anchoring the book is a colorful, loose-limbed history of the sport by the Sports Illustrated senior writer John Garrity. He travels the globe and the links, covering the key personalities and golfing events, advances in technique and technology, the expanding interest in the sport, and the curious mysteries of this international obsession. Complementing the narrative are wonderfully diverse and entertaining essays on everything from the Age of Tiger to the woes of the lowly club pro, the charms of playing in the dead of winter, and even giving up the game altogether.
With its mix of unsurpassed literary writing and superb history, this armchair companion is a must-have for any serious student of the game--truly The Ultimate Golf Book.
About the Author
Charles McGrath is the editor of the New York Times Book Review. Formerly a writer and editor for The New Yorker, McGrath edited Books of the Century: A Hundred Years of Authors, Ideas, and Literature and frequently contributes to the New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, and other publications.David McCormick is a literary agent and former editor at The New Yorker and Texas Monthly.
Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction . . . . . Charles McGrath and#149; 1
Lucky Us . . . . . Rick Reilly and#149; 6
1 Scotland and#149; 11 The Voice of Golf . . . . . Verlyn Klinkenborg and#149; 26 Playing with Better Players . . . . . John Updike and#149; 30
2 America and#149; 33 Winter Rules . . . . . Ward Just and#149; 48 I Prefer Merionand#8217;s Towels to Augustaand#8217;s, Donand#8217;t You? . . . . David Owen and#149; 51
3 Equipment and#149; 57 The Joys of Risk . . . . . John Paul Newport and#149; 70 Starkisms . . . . . Charles McGrath and#149; 73
4 The Early Tour Years and#149; 79 Single File . . . . . Michael DiLeo and#149; 97 Hogan Lore Escapes Again . . . . . Dan Jenkins and#149; 100
5 International Golf and#149; 105 The Caddiemaster . . . . . Michael Bamberger and#149; 125 Woe, Woe, the Golf Pro . . . . . Curt Sampson and#149; 128
6 Television and#149; 131 The Tour According to Tiger . . . . . John Feinstein and#149; 152 Waiting Game . . . . . Chang-Rae Lee and#149; 155
7 The Course and#149; 159 Supreme Architect . . . . . Bradley S. Klein and#149; 180 The Ideal Golf Hole . . . . . Jerry Tarde and#149; 186
8 The Outsiders and#149; 189 Play Like a Man . . . . . Holly Brubach and#149; 211 The Jew Club . . . . . Mark Singer and#149; 214
9 The Swing and#149; 219 Scoring . . . . .Tad Friend and#149; 239 Course Management . . . . . Jack Welch and#149; 242
Golf Takes a Holiday . . . . . Lee Eisenberg and#149; 246 Biographical Notes and#149; 249 Acknowledgments and#149; 251 Illustration Credits and#149; 252 Index and#149; 253