Discovering Donald Ross: The Architect and his Golf Courses [Hardcover]

Bradley S. Klein (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1886947554 | ISBN-13: 978-1886947559 | Publication Date: August 29, 2001 | Edition: 1

Discovering the life and work of a true artist: Donald Ross

I grew up playing a Donald Ross golf course, Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, so my standards of what a good golf course should be were based on a Ross design. I think being exposed early to a Donald Ross course provided me balance, as both a player and future golf course designer, because of the variety of shots found throughout each of his design. Ross was without a doubt a great influence on my design career, and he remains a personal favorite. I am happy to see Brad Klein devote a book to the work of Donald Ross. Brad is passionate about golf course design and that translates in his writing.
--Jack Nicklaus

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...the most thoroughly researched book ever produced on the life and work of a golf course architect." -- Brian McCallen, Golf Magazine

From the Inside Flap

Over a career that lasted from the early 1900s to the late 1940s, no other golf course architect is credited with more fine layouts—or is more revered—than Donald J. Ross.

Born the son of a carpenter in Dornoch, Scotland in 1872, Ross became a fine golfer as a young man and eventually learned greenkeeping and clubmaking from legendary Old Tom Morris in St. Andrews. In 1899, after a stint as professional at Dornoch Golf Club, Ross headed for Boston to teach golf to the thousands of Americans eager to take up the “new” sport. His success as an instructor during summers in New England resulted in a chance to do the same thing during the winter at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. That stroke of luck quick led to an opportunity for the young Scotsman to design golf courses…and it was the beginning of a long and illustrious career—a model for many architects to come.

Brad Klein's Discovering Donald Ross: The Architect and his Golf Courses is a monumental work on this monumental figure in golf. The text is rich in detail, and the book is filled with old drawings, maps, and photographs of many of Donald Ross's most famous courses—several of which have been the site of numerous major championships over the years. From Oakland Hills in Michigan, to Oak Hill in New York. From Seminole in Florida, to French Lick in Indiana. From Interlachen in Minnesota, to Inverness in Ohio. And from Aronimink in Pennsylvania, to Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. And the list…goes on and on.

A lot of people who play golf today know the name of Donald Ross, but not enough of them are aware of the effect this modest and unassuming man had—and continues to have—on the game. Discovering Donald Ross: The Architect and his Golf Courses is a wonderful way to discover for themselves the life and work of a true artist.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 415 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 29, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886947554
• ISBN-13: 978-1886947559
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 10.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,188,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must reading for anyone who has played a Ross masterpiece, August 16, 2001

By 

Paul Chiampa (Winter Park, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Discovering Donald Ross: The Architect and his Golf Courses (Hardcover)

I am not aware of any other golf course architect who has a society named after him, but this book is required reading of Ross groupies and non-groupies alike. As a member of Longmeadow Country Club in Massachusetts (which is given ample coverage by the author), I learned to appreciate the subtlety and genius of Donald Ross. It was further driven home after spending 4 days following the best seniors in the world at the US Senior Open at Salem CC, and watching them struggle with a realtively short golf course by today's standards. Par was the winning score. Brad Klein illuminates for the reader how Ross did it. Reading the book is like getting the secret code that unlocks the mysteries of his design philosophy. The only danger in reading the book is that you just might get annoyed with modern golf course design. However, you may learn to appreciate great golf architecture whatever the vintage.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Painstaking Much Awaited Masterpiece, October 12, 2001

By 

Tom (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Discovering Donald Ross: The Architect and his Golf Courses (Hardcover)

There is little doubt of the time and effort it took to reasearch this phenominal book on one of Golf's Great Heroes.

Author Brad Klein gives the reader a inside view of not only who Donald Ross was, what he represents to the game of Golf today, as well as a revealing throwback to an age gone by.

Aerial photos, course diagrams, and other pertinent data show the reader just how much the game's playing grounds have changed, and the effort to hold on to their design critieria as was intended by this soft spoken man from the North of Scotland.

I would highly suggest this book to all who love the game of Golf itself, as well as the courses of Donald Ross; and for those who love golf courses, in general.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Discovering Bradley Klein's Ross, September 3, 2001

By 

Kathy Coogan (Cincinnati, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Discovering Donald Ross: The Architect and his Golf Courses (Hardcover)

In "Discovering Donald Ross," Bradley S. Klein has written a book which can be thumbed through and enjoyed as visual entertainment by the casual golfer/reader or closely studied by the ardent student of the old game. Left on the coffee table or the night stand to be used to fill precious spare minutes with golf-related dreaming, the photos and captions alone will captivate and enlighten the reader. Dr. Klein has revealed himself as a talented photo-journalist, equally comfortable telling the story of Donald Ross with pictures or with words. Be prepared to be educated while being entertained. Using wise delineation of chapter headings, Klein walks us through Ross' childhood, family life, and career to the ultimate reason for the book: the author's knowledge of and desire for preservation of classical, especially Donald Ross, golf courses. Anyone who has the blessing of playing one of Klein's cited courses will understand his devotion. Lovers of biography will be fascinated by Klein's stories of Ross' background and personality. History buffs will learn through clearly written text and old black-and-white photos the problems encountered in golf course constuction as well as the societal and economic limitations that Ross faced. Those who get caught up in beautifully photographed golf landscapes will be captivated by the visual journey from windswept Scottish links where Ross was weaned to America's varying terrain where Ross was to be so successful. Klein's book, like a Ross course, represents a value and pleasure for the user, whether casually approached or closely scrutinized.