The Anatomy of a Golf Course: The Art of Golf Architecture [Hardcover]

Tom Doak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 29, 1997

A core book for any golfer--how to read a golf course, through the eyes of a course architect.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"It is up to the golf architect," writes Ben Crenshaw in his foreword to Tom Doak's fascinating discussion of course design, "to present us with a thinking contest as well as a physical one." Like a puppeteer willing to raise the curtain on the strings he pulls, Doak reveals reveals the secrets of how. The how, as it turns out, is the easy part. It's the demonic thinking behind the whys that makes this so engaging--and useful. Doak's explanation of the ways a good designer has to muck with golfers' minds is truly absorbing, and is the kind of information that better players can embrace and make work for them.

Review

"Tom Doak is a brilliant and innovative course architect who has created courses which excite the imagination and reveal his mastery of the art. Every golfer, from scratch to 36, will benefit from reading this book." - Joseph S.F. Murdoch, President, Golf Collector's Society --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Burford Books; Later prt. edition (December 29, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558211462
• ISBN-13: 978-1558211469
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,807,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have, Must Read, December 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Anatomy of a Golf Course: The Art of Golf Architecture (Hardcover)

Of all of the books that attempt to teach the lay person about golf course Architecture, this one is the most useful. Thomas, Mackenzie and Hunter are all classics, but this one is updated to modern times and is a must read for anyone who thinks he or she loves the game of golf.

Also check out Tom's other book The Confidential Guide To Golf Courses.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Anatomy of a Golf Course: This book will help your game, December 27, 2006

By 

G. Schram (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Anatomy of a Golf Course: The Art of Golf Architecture (Hardcover)

I recently purchased this book, and since doing so, I have seen my scores go down. As a recent college grad, I had a lot of time to play golf this summer, and this book, with Doak's insights into how courses are not only set up to penalize the player, but to help them, can assist you into understanding certain aspects of the wonderful game that we refer to as golf. The diagrams and drawings make it easy to understand what is being described in the pages, and he also does a good job by making the book readable for those with little to/no knowledge of the game of golf. If you enjoy golf, and you want to both understand the courses you play on and lower your scores, than this is the book for you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent primer, January 31, 2005

By 

Carl E. Johnson Jr. "cejjpj" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Anatomy of a Golf Course: The Art of Golf Architecture (Hardcover)

Architect Tom Doak expertly lays out the fundamentals of golf architecture for the layman. Any serious golfer should try to develop an understanding of the science and art of course design and construction. This book is not a substitute for reading the classics, but it is a great place to start -- a good first book. Doak, like all great architects, has his own opinions and is not afraid to share them, but at the same time does not unfairly denigrate the work of others with whom he might disagree. Many of Doak's important points are illustrated in clear, excellent drawings.