Golfing News & Blog Articles

When discussing the greatness of The Masters, people never fail to speak of the diaphanous beauty of the Augusta National course, and there is no doubt many supposedly sophisticated golfers go there year after year principally to look at the flowers. It was Mr. Roberts who planted them, arranged them, and, in a standard joke among the press, commanded them to bloom every year the week of The Masters. Bob Jones, by contrast, had no more interest in horticulture than he did in, say, needlepoint. CHARLES PRICE

Coming In June And Available For Pre-Order via Amazon: Golf Architecture For Normal People

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One can readily imagine what would be the ultimate result of a course laid out by an average committee composed of scratch, three, four and eight handicap men. They are most of them, probably subconsciously, prejudiced against a hazard being constructed into which they are likely to get themselves. But they are all unanimous in thinking that the poor devil with a twenty-four handicap should be left out of consideration altogether. The end result is neither fish, flesh, fowl nor even good red herring. ALISTER MACKENZIE

Coming In June And Available For Pre-Order via Amazon: Golf Architecture For Normal People

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Instead of the golf architect taking links land as the example to copy, he is now forced to consider the idiosyncrasies of the modern ball. Instead of nature dominating golf, it is now dominated by the mechanical devices of man. This is the unhealthy state to which golf has arrived, and the psychological tendency is to make further inroads upon nature's side of the balance, for once the human mind succeeds in overcoming natural hazards in life it never remains satisfied until it has devised means to do away with them altogether. MAX BEHR

Coming In June And Available For Pre-Order via Amazon: Golf Architecture For Normal People

Bookshop.org Pre-Order option to support local independent bookstores.

Instead of the golf architect taking links land as the example to copy, he is now forced to consider the idiosyncrasies of the modern ball. Instead of nature dominating golf, it is now dominated by the mechanical devices of man. This is the unhealthy state to which golf has arrived, and the psychological tendency is to make further inroads upon nature's side of the balance, for once the human mind succeeds in overcoming natural hazards in life it never remains satisfied until it has devised means to do away with them altogether. MAX BEHR

Coming In June And Available For Pre-Order via Amazon: Golf Architecture For Normal People

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While I have never met Pete Dye, I know him well. He is 500 years old and has absorbed the wisdom of the ages. He has a pointed hat and a flowing robe embroidered with occult symbols. When he speaks, he becomes extremely animated, and gesticulates a lot with flashes of blue static crackling from his long fingernails. PETER DOBEREINER

Coming In June And Available For Pre-Order via Amazon: Golf Architecture For Normal People

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The ability to create is to consider all the problems of a golf course. The architect must visualize the effect his work will produce from all angles of the game. GEORGE THOMAS

Coming In June And Available For Pre-Order via Amazon: Golf Architecture For Normal People

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Water hazards are among the best and most thrilling of natural strategy, and sometimes artificial water hazards are well conceived. Like everything else, such trouble should not be overdone. As noted before, diversity, and yet again, variety, is the spice of a golf course. GEORGE THOMAS

Coming In June And Available For Pre-Order via Amazon: Golf Architecture For Normal People

Bookshop.org Pre-Order option to support local independent bookstores.

Water hazards are among the best and most thrilling of natural strategy, and sometimes artificial water hazards are well conceived. Like everything else, such trouble should not be overdone. As noted before, diversity, and yet again, variety, is the spice of a golf course. GEORGE THOMAS

Coming In June And Available For Pre-Order via Amazon: Golf Architecture For Normal People

Bookshop.org Pre-Order option to support local independent bookstores.