Golf and the American Country Club (Sport and Society) [Paperback]

Richard J. Moss (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sport and Society | Publication Date: December 7, 2007

In this entertaining cultural history, Moss explores the circumstances that led to the establishment of the country club as an American social institution and its inextricable connection to the ancient, imported game of golf. Moss traces the evolution of country clubs from informal groups
of golf-playing friends to “country estates” in the suburbs and eventually into public and private daily-fee courses, corporate country clubs, and gated golfing communities. The book shows how these developments reflect shifts in American values and attitudes toward health and sport, as well as changing social dynamics.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Golf and The American Country Club tells us how elite, white Victorian America nurtured a game that made Tiger Woods a household name. In doing so, it provocatively offers the country club 'as part of the social capital that makes democracy possible,' despite its reputed history as a privileged, exclusive place for fat-cat Protestant white American men."
-- Peter Levine, author of Ellis Island to Ebbets Field: Sport and the American Jewish Experience

"Golf and the American Country Club is an immensely interesting history concerning a subject intrinsic to the art form of designing golf courses. The business world of golf yearns for history related to its industry, and this volume provides historic information that business people seek."
-- Geoffrey S. Cornish, past president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects

Book Description

In this entertaining cultural history, Moss explores the circumstances that led to the establishment of the country club as an American social institution and its inextricable connection to the ancient, imported game of golf. Moss traces the evolution of country clubs from informal groups
of golf-playing friends to “country estates” in the suburbs and eventually into public and private daily-fee courses, corporate country clubs, and gated golfing communities. The book shows how these developments reflect shifts in American values and attitudes toward health and sport, as well as changing social dynamics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press; annotated edition edition (December 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252074130
• ISBN-13: 978-0252074134
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #974,464 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for the serious golf lover, November 5, 2001

By 

Louis S. Maisel (Rome, ME USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Golf and the American Country Club (Sport and Society) (Hardcover)

This is not a book with lots of pictures; it is not a book with the stories of great golf matches. This book is an excellent study of American country clubs and golf in this country--about how they began and how they have evolved. It is perfect for serious golfers, for those who really want to understand what country clubs are and have been about and how they relate to the game they love.