Customer Reviews

A Golfer's Dream

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a truly amazing journey this book chronicles. This book is so easy and fun to read that you simply can't put it down. The author gives a peek at what its like inside the gates of some of the country's most exclusive courses. These are places that 99.9% of golfers will never get the chance to see. Pine Valley, Augusta, Cypress Point, Shinnecock Hills . . . theres a story about all of them. A great read for any fan of golf and the 'club' tradition of golf.

What an amazing tale, and a great gift for any golfer. Each chapter made me want to get to the next, and I could actually see the fairways and manicured greens as Berle walks me thru the best holes in golf. An extraordinary adventure!

Mark Twain may have called these 100 good walks spoiled, but I call them 100 good walks turned great. I found this book fascinating and a wonderful, fun read!! The author tells stories of how he got on these exclusive courses and the people he met and the experiences he had. I have often dreamt of playing the Top 100 golf courses in America. This guy actually did it and takes me through it as though I lived it.

The story of how he got on Augusta is captivating. I can't believe he even met a member, let alone talked his way into an invitation to play what may be the most hallowed ground in all of Golf. Having just watched the U.S. Open at Oakmont on TV, Berle give me a fresh insight into how hard this place really is for us average golfers. I don't know if Berle is a sports writer or not. If he's not. He should be!! I would recommend this to all my friends both golfers and non golfers!!!

The book is very well written...a real page turner! The author did a great job of mixing the course description, course history, and personal experiences of the top courses in the country. I completely disagree with those who posted reviews that were disappointed with the lack of pictures. All these courses have been extensively photographed and can be seen within seconds of a Google image search - the author's descriptions created vivid imagery which enhanced the experience of this book.

The only part I find amusing is that the author refers to himself as a "regular guy." Sure, maybe he doesn't own the Minnesota Vikings but he isn't just another partner at CPA firm either... :)

If you are looking for a bit of background on the top 100 courses mixed with some extraordinary stories then this is the book for you. Highly recommend!

It's tough to read a book about this topic without pictures. Which there are none.

I still found it interesting and read through it fairly quickly. He could have been a little more descriptive about the course architecture, club ambiance, etc. That is what I expect out of a book like this. I'm not a fan of hearing about some of the shots he hit. Or birdies he made. Or bogeys he made. Again, pictures would probably help with this.

Also, I didn't realize this was about playing the top 100 in America. The World is a whole nother ball game.

But regardless, I'd recommend it.

This is a fast page turner that has some interesting anecdotes, especially when it comes how the author managed to wheel and deal in getting invites to & playing the most elite courses. Few of us will get the opportunity to play courses like Augusta and Mr Berle's personal style of writing gives one a vicarious thrill as he plays the hallowed grounds. With a 100 courses though, it gets somewhat repetitious and the stream of good old boy networking that it took accomplish the goal becomes a bit banal at times. Also, while it didn't appear to be the author's intent, the hoops that he had to jump through to get on the country club courses reflects the continuing anachronistic lack of egalitarianism that still tarnishes the image of golf. For example, it's breezily mentioned that the Los Angeles Country Club has no Jewish members and can imagine that Mr Berle would not have achieved his quest if he was female or black unless he happened to be Tiger Woods. On the practical side, it would have been nice if there was a table of contents (or index) and a photograph with summary information for each course. Overall though, I think most avid Golf fans will find it to be an enjoyable read.

I've golfed for a really long time, and I have wanted to play at all these places. I think its pretty cool that an average guy could do that. Augusta here i come!

"a golfer's dream" was as fun book to read. As a golfer who plays regularly, I knew the reputation of most of the courses in the book. I liked the insight on the membership of each course. (Size, characterstics, etc.) The chapters were short and to the point. What the author liked about each course and didn't like. I could picture each course and how Larry played them. I read the book in two days. (Could not put it down for long.) I was suprised to see the Author's top ten. Some unknown courses and Augusta National was not there. I Really liked the Chapter on Merion.

This book truly chronicles a "Mission Accomplished."

The author does a superb job of sharing his quest to play America's greatest golf courses. Larry Berle mixes in wonderful stories of 1)procuring teetimes at the most exclusive clubs, 2)a concise history of the courses and 3)humorous quotes.

Berle deftly reviews the talents and work of the golf architects -the individuals responsible for creating these masterpieces. Also, the author does not bore the reader with play-by-play of his own rounds, but explains the importance of 'being a good guest' and enjoying the company of the people with whom he played. Good lessons for us all.

This book should be on the shelf of any serious golfer. Buy two, and give one to your best golf buddy. He or she will thank you.


William Godfrey, Author
Papago Park -The Golf Course and its History

If you have an appreciation for golf's cathedrals, and know how hard it is to get on many of them, then you will enjoy "a golfer's dream". Larry Berle walked many of the same fairways as Hogan, Nicklaus and Palmer and gave a wonderful description of the experience along the way. To play the Top 100 is truly amazing! I found myself pulling for his him throughout the book, and if not for book cover (that indicates he did it), I was wondering if he would actually pull it off!

The book also has many great quotes such as "Golf is a metaphor for life. The things we live out on the golf course are a microcosm of the things we live out in life" and "Bad shots should be looked at as 'opportunity shots.' They create an opportunity to make a spectacular recovery. If you aren't in trouble in the first place, you don't have that opportunity." If you love golf, you will love this book.