Being a golf nut it was natural for me to collect a number of books on golf. In fact I have thirty three. This collection is eclectic in the sense that it covers about every aspect of the game that has been written about. Some of these books were given to me, but most were purchased over my years of chasing this crazy game. (Or is it the game makes you crazy?)
For the interest of other golf nuts looking for a good golf book to read, I have categorized my collection by subject. Admittedly, you can argue about my categorization, but it should provide some help to anyone looking for a particular golf subject. Below my collection divided into the following categories.
• Historical (Old writings on golf)
• Collections of Commentaries and Quotes by Writers and Players
• Golf Instruction
• The Mental Side of the Game
• Golf Course Architecture
• Golf Humor
Historical: Included are three of the oldest known books on golf. These were reprints by the U.S. Golf Association.
Rules of the Thistle Golf Club by John Cundell, 1824. This is a copy of the first book on golf, which contains an attempt to set down a history of the game, as well as the rules in force at the time the book was written.
A Few Rambling Remarks on Golf by Robert Chambers, 1862. This book is the third book on golf ever published and gives Mr. Chambers thoughts on instruction as well as the playing rules.
Tee Shots and Others by Bernard Darwin, 1911. A collection of Bernard Darwin’s essays on golf. Darwin was a first rate player who never lost his passion for golf. He was known for never quoting a golfer. Once when asked if he was going to attend an interview of a new British Open Champion,he huffed, “My readers want to know why I think he won, not why that fool thinks he won.”
The next category is a collection of golf writings, commentaries and anecdotes by and about golfers of all kinds and shapes.
A Passion For Golf, edited by Schuyler Bishops, 1998. A collection of pieces written by the best golf writers of the last fifty years revealing the inseparable relationship between golf and life.
Great Golf Stories, edited by Robert Trent Jones, 1982. A comprehensive collection of writing about golf. It offers the best that has been written with a running commentary from one of the golf’s greatest architects.
“And Then Jack Said to Arnie”, edited by DonWade, 1991. Don Wade has been covering professional golf and collecting true stories about the players and the game since 1970. This is a collection of his stories.
The Quotable Golfer, edited by Gary McCord, 2000. This book is a rich compendium of golf quotes that reflect the history, tradition, agony and thrills of the game from Will Rogers to Tiger Woods.
Golf Instruction. No collection of golf books would be complete without books on golf instruction. I never kept all of the books on instruction that I bought, but these few that I have left include a couple of really good ones.
Tiger Woods – How I Play Golf by Tiger Woods, 2001. Tiger Woods how to play golf book. Need I say more?
Classic Golf Instruction by Christopher Obetz, 2005. Lessons by Jack Nicklaus and others featuring the amazing drawings by Anthony Ravielli. Ravielli’s drawing reward the reader with incredible vision of the golfing body at work.
Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book by Harvey Penick, 1992. Harvey Penick’s notebook from his years of teaching golf. It gives his practical wisdom cutting away the technicalities and helps golfers play their best.
Fit For Golf by Gary Player, 1995. One hundred exercises that will improve your golf game.
The Elements of Scoring by Raymond Floyd, 1998. Raymond Floyd’s lessons on how to get the golf ball into the cup with the fewest strokes.
See It and Sink It by Dr.Craig Farnsworth, 1997. An instructional book on how to improve your putting by teaching you how to see the line better and stroke the ball into the hole.
The Impact Zone by Bobby Clampett, 2007. This book is a unique guide to teach a golfer to understand how to improve his swing to achieve better impact of his club to his ball.
Think Like Tiger by John Andrisani, 2002. An analysis of Tiger Woods mental game based on John Andrisani’s experience as Tiger’s teacher from age 10 to 18 and his interaction with Tiger’s family and acquaintances during those years.
Golf Course Architecture is its own particular kind of design. Here are some books on it written by some of the great masters of the art as well as one from the younger generation.
Golf By Design by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. 1993. Jones leads golfers from tee to green detailing how golf course architects set up challenges on a golf course and offers the player strategies to meet these challenges.
Golf, As It Was Meant to be Played by Michael Fay, 2000. Scottish born Donald Ross designed more that 400 courses in the U.S. and Canada. In this book Michael Fay takes the reader on a walk through 18 of Ross’s masterly designed holes chosen from courses in the U.S.
Golf Never Failed Me by Donald J. Ross, 1996. The lost commentaries of Donald Ross on golf architecture, course maintenance and everything else. These commentaries were written before 1914, meant to be published then but for some reason were never published. They came to light after Ross’s death in 1948.
Sandy Lyle Takes You Around the Championship Courses of Scotland by Sandy Lyle with Bob Ferrier, 1982. Sandy Lyle takes the reader along the fairways and greens outlining the challenges of six of the greatest golf courses in Scotland. Several photographs and a schematic are shown for each hole described .
The Anatomy of a Golf Course by Tom Doaks, 1992. Tom Doaks discusses his craft and and explains the strategies behind a golf architects decisions in laying out a course and how he plans for the course to b e played.
The Mental Side of the Game. Golf being the game it is does sometimes make players go nuts. It’s been said that golf reflects all the positive and negative aspects of life. It’s no wonder that this has been written about. Here are several books that cover the mental side of golf.
Golf and the Spirit by M. Scott Peck, 1999. In this book M. Scott Peck writes a book for beginners and masters alike. It goes beyond mechanics to explore the deeper issues, ways of managing the emotional psychological and spiritual aspects of the wonderful, maddening, deflating and inspiring game of golf.
The Golfer’s Guide to the Meaning of Life by Gary Player, 2001. Gary Player’s fifteen lessons from “Why Play Golf” through “Sportsmanship” and “Motivation” ending with “The Game Eternal”.
Golf Dreams by John Updike, 1996. John Updike reflects on the game of golf and its mental challenges.
A Good Walk Spoiled by John Feinstein, 1995. John Feinstein has written an account of a professional golfer’s life on the PGA tour.
Links by Lorne Rubenstein, 1991. Links is about the essence and the mystique of golf, the magic that draws people from around the world to this intriguing game.
Finally, golf humor. If you play golf regularly, you need to have a sense of humor about the game and particularly about your game. Here are some of the most humorous books on golf ever written.
Divots, Shanks, Gimmes, Mulligans and Chili Dips by Glen Waggoner, 1993. The first half of this book is about Waggoner’s life on the pro tour as a writer and observer. The second half covers the life of a hacker, club throwing and every thing else.
Golfmanship by Stephen Potter, 1968. Humorous lessons on gambits and ploys a golfer can use to win at golf.
The Down Hill Lie by Carl Hiassen, 2008. Carl Hiassen’s chronicle of his shaky return to golf after a 30 year absence and the ensuing demolition of his self-esteem will leave you rolling in laughter. A book for all hackers.
Golf a la Carte by Peter Dobereiner, 1991. A collection of some of the best works of Peter Dobereiner, dean of golf writers and surely one of the funniest men ever to stroke both a pen and a golf club.
The Art of Coarse Golf by Michael Green, 1967. Humorous anecdotes about a golf hacker’s experiences on the golf course.
And probably the prize of my collection of golf humor:
The Golf Omnibus by PG. Wodehouse, 1914. Thirty one humorous tales from the fairway to the putting green from club house to sand trap by the master of comic fiction.
I hope you find my list of golf books useful. It should keep you reading about golf for some time.
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