Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die: Golf Experts Share the World's Greatest Destinations [Hardcover]

Chris Santella (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2005

There's an incredible similarity between the mechanics of a fly cast and the swing of a golf club. Perhaps that's why Chris Santella, author of Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die, can be found on the links when he's not on the stream. With Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die, Santella gives voice to his other sporting passion, interviewing 50 people intimately connected to the sport about some of their favorite courses around the world.

For both passionate golfers and armchair travelers, this gorgeous full-color book presents the world's greatest golf venues, the personal favorites of renowned players, course architects, and other experts in the sport. From Ballyliffin, Ireland's northernmost course, whose rumpled fairways wander along the North Sea in the shadows of Glashedy Rock, to New Zealand's Cape Kidnappers, perched atop dramatic cliffs some 500 feet above the ocean, the book's beautiful photographs capture the architecture, noteworthy holes, location, and ambiance that make these courses standouts for ardent golfers. A brief history of each course, an experiential account-filled with local color-from the person recommending the venue, and trip-planning advice provide adventurous readers with all the information they need to chip and putt their way around the globe.

A close-up look at golf's top courses around the world, recommended by such experts as Nick Faldo and Christie Kerr (pro golfers), Pete Dye and Tom Doak (course architects), Brian McCallen (editor and author), and Donald Trump
With breathtaking color photographs of each site, this is a great gift for avid golfers and armchair travelers alike

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Chris Santella, author of STC's Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die, is a freelance writer and marketing consultant based in Portland, Oregon. His work has appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, and Travel & Leisure, among other publications.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Stewart, Tabori and Chang (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584794747
• ISBN-13: 978-1584794745
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,887 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Guidebooks
  • #59 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Golf

More About the Author

Chris Santella is a freelance writer and marketing consultant whose work has appeared in the New York Times among other publications. He is also the author of Stewart, Tabori and ChangÂ’s Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die, Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die, Fifty Places to Sail Before You Die, and Fifty Favorite Fly-Fishing Tales. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good gift item for the golfer on your list., November 18, 2005

By 

Bart King (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die: Golf Experts Share the World's Greatest Destinations (Hardcover)

This really is an attractive volume, and it constitutes a sort of fantasy list of unique golf courses. The author has gone out of his way to avoid many of the "obvious" big name courses that golfers know from televised tournaments. This gives the book an added interest factor, as one can read about exotic courses in such out-of-the-way locales as Morocco and Oregon.

Full Disclosure: I know Chris. He is a genial companion and a talented, assured writer.

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars O.K. Little Book, May 16, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die: Golf Experts Share the World's Greatest Destinations (Hardcover)

Notice that the title is not "The Fifty Greatest Golf Courses." My title would be, "Fifty Interesting Places to Play Golf." Whether it's my title or the real title, the emphasis is on "places to play," or "destinations," not golf courses per se. More than fifty golf courses are covered. Which is not to say that the book does not include a lot of great golf courses. The format is mini-coffee table, with several pages of text for each destination and one small picture for most of the destinations. The quality of the printing, photo reproduction and binding in my copy is excellent. The text for each destination has been volunteered by a different prominent golf person. For example, Nick Faldo writes about the Royal Melborne Golf Club (West Course) in the Australian state of Victoria. Alice Dye about the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course (see a connection there?). On the plus side are the quality of the color photos and the introduction (to me) of golf courses in some far away places (e.g., Bhutan, Morocco, India, places, however, I'll never get to). On the minus side, I don't have a prayer of playing some of the U.S. courses, even after I die (e.g., Pine Valley, Sand Hills, National Golf Links of America), which, honestly, the author points out. Finally, why not at least one photo for each destination? From the two page description of the Pacific Grove muni: "[T]he back nine . . . takes you right out to the water and combines incredible views of the Pacific and Monterey Bay with windswept bluffs reminiscent of some of the great courses of Scotland and Ireland." Why no photo of this course? From the two page description of the Torekov Golf Club in Sweden (my ancestral home): ". . .a links-oriented course. . . You can view the sea from all eighteen holes. In the summer, wildflowers are blooming everywhere . . . ." I want a photo, darn it!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Pictures, really nice gift., February 2, 2006

By 

Allen Williams (Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die: Golf Experts Share the World's Greatest Destinations (Hardcover)

Being a golfer, I got this as a gift from one of my relatives. I must say the pictures are outstanding. This book makes me want to travel more to other countries to experience the pleasure of these courses. This book will always have a permanent place in my library. For excellent golf instruction that helped me to drastically reduce my handicap, I recommend,
The Ultimate Golf Instruction Guide: Key Techniques for Becoming a Zero Handicap Golfer or Better, isbn 1933023090

and

for more great pictures of specific golf holes, I recommend,
Golf Digest 365 Golf Holes Calender 2006, isbn 0761137343.
This maintains a permanent place on my office desk.