The Golden Age of Golf Design [Hardcover]

Geoff Shackelford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999

The years between 1910 and 1937 will always be known as the “golden age of golf design.” The reason is because many of the greatest course architects in the history of the game were all at work during this era, and a number of America’s most famous layouts were created. Geoff Shackelford’s The Golden Age of Golf Designis an insightful analysis of those revered courses and the talented men that designed them. The list of architects working during the Golden Age is a “Who’s Who” of golf — including Ross, MacKenzie, Tillinghast, Crump, Raynor and Wilson. Incredibly, the layouts they built back then — often with only bare hands and horses to do the work — annually make up the majority of today’s Top 100 Courses in America.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

One of the great mysteries of the royal and ancient game is how good golf courses leave players convinced they've just spent four hours either floating in heaven or stuck in the bedlam of a Hieronymous Bosch painting. A golf course is not a random creation; the best are truly works of art, and it's remarkable how many of the best were coaxed from the landscape between 1911 and 1937. This was, as the title of this lovely celebration proclaims, The Golden Age of Golf Design, a time when the giants of the craft--A.W. Tillinghast, Marion Hollins, and Alistair McKenzie, to name a few--were in full flourish. Their courses--Riviera, Seminole, and Augusta National among them--dominate any list of the best in the world.

Through deft use of archival photographs, sketches, written citations by the architects themselves, and a series of evocative watercolors by golf pro Mike Miller, Geoff Shackelford aims for why these courses continue to beckon, challenge, impress, and endure. His shot is right on target. He breaks down the designers into their various schools of thought, tracing their import, evolution, and influence. Next he introduces the individual architects themselves through short career summaries accompanied by details about their writings, golfing skills, design theories, characteristics, and, of course, a list of their legacies. Best of all are the wonderful old photos of great holes, many accompanied by snippets of design philosophy from the creating wizard. It adds up to a book golfers should savor--and study. Knowledge is power on the course, and understanding the hows and whys of the demonic challenges that designers subtly and not-so-subtly integrate into their layouts can mean the difference between a scratch handicap and scratching your head in bewilderment. --Jeff Silverman

From the Inside Flap

In Golfweek's recently unveiled ranking of the Top 100 American courses "opened before 1960," a staggering total of 84 were constructed between 1910 and 1937. There was never a more creative, daring, or fruitful period in the history of golf course architecture, and in The Golden Age of Golf Design the classic courses are revisited and celebrated. Using never before seen old photographs and little known anecdotes, Geoff Shackelford shows us how some of America's most famous courses looked in their early years.

The finest architects the world has ever known were practicing during this era and each is well-represented in this landmark book. C.B. Macdonald, Alister MacKenzie, Donald Ross, A.W. Tillinghast, George Thomas, William Flynn, and so many others are honored in these pages. Every important early American course built or redesigned during the "Golden Age" is included: Oakmont, the National Golf Links, Pine Valley, Merion, Baltusrol, Winged Foot, Riviera, Shinnecock Hills, Pinehurst, Oakland Hills, Cypress Point, Augusta National, Pebble Beach, Prairie Dunes, the Country Club and more.

In the Golden Age of Golf Design, the original work of these "master" architects is remembered and their work analyzed. And even though the emphasis is on the newly uncovered photographs of these famous courses as their architects left them, biographical profiles and timeless quotes are included from the famous architects and their prominent counterparts to remind us of the true genius of these artists. On top of the remarkable old photography, original golf landscape paintings by Mike Miller introduce each chapter and serve as a colorful reminder of how stunning many of these classic layouts must have looked. The Golden Age of Golf Design brings to life many forgotten holes courses and great architects and is sure to become a classic in golf literature circles.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886947317
• ISBN-13: 978-1886947313
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #126,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Overview, December 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Golden Age of Golf Design (Hardcover)

This book is just a perfect overview of the old architects and their design work. I disagree with the reviewer who said certain sections were mailed in. At least to me, each architect was well covered and it did not seem anyone received special attention unless they deserved it, and the Donald Ross chapter was one of my favorites. It includes an incredible picture of the great Seminole course. There is not a single picture in the book I did not want to study closely, and it seemed that every architect included was there for a reason -- their work was sensational golf course architecture that we just don't see these days.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Book, October 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Golden Age of Golf Design (Hardcover)

The price scared me a bit but when I saw the book I realized it was well worth it. Gorgeous in every sense of the word. The ten or so paintings add so much to the book, but not enough to take away from the real heart of the book, the photos of the classic courses. The text is just long enough to give you information without being boring. I can't even think of a famous course that is missing, maybe Olympic Club? But there probably isn't much to see of it anyway.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Golden Age of Golf, December 25, 1999

By 

Kenneth Bakst (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Golden Age of Golf Design (Hardcover)

A must have for anybody interested in golf course architecture. As great as Pebble Beach is today, you'll wonder why it was ever changed after seeing the old photos of it following Chandler Egan's work in 1929! Buy this beautiful book and you won't be disappointed.