To the Linksland: A Golfing Adventure [Paperback]

Michael Bamberger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1993

In a sober, elegant voice, sportswriter Bamberger offers a passionate tribute to the allure of golf--its humor and history, its individualism and obsessiveness--as he tells of his introspective, inspiring pilgrimage to the Mecca of the game: "the linksland, " the legendary round of Scottish courses.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Many have written lyrically about the wonders of golf in Scotland and its inherent magic, which is the focus of the second half of Michael Bamberger's lovely ode to the game. But it's the book's first half that makes it as essential as a putter for anyone willing to go deeper into golf's heart. Here, Bamberger explores the eternal mystery of golf: "More than any other athlete, the professional golfer looks normal; his physical ordinariness is a ubiquitous reminder of our limitations. So what makes him so special?" He searches for his answers the hard way: he lugs a golf bag around for a season as a caddie on the European tour. Even if the golfing grail he sought remains elusive, his narrative drives straight into the game's psyche through a colorful, witty, and poignant portrait of his months on the fairways with Peter Teravainen, the practicing Buddhist, Yale-graduate journeyman grinder whose bag he toted.

From Publishers Weekly

This will appeal only to a special sort of golfer, one who shares the author's near-mystical view of the sport. A sportswriter for the Philadelphia Inquirer , Bamberger took a leave of absence in 1991 to caddy on the European tour and to seek the roots of golf. He caddied for the first portion of the year with fellow American Peter Teravainen, who was having his best season ever. Abandoning his caddying efforts Bamberger, with his wife, then went to Scotland, where he learned that linksland is the word for "the earth at the edge of the sea--tumbling, duney, sandy, covered by beach grasses"--and fell in love with the concept. In his play on the very challenging courses there, he came to terms with his golf game, which improved markedly, and, in a sense, with himself. The book has a certain bizarre interest.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (June 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014015941X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140159417
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,071,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant surprise..., November 27, 2001

By 

Fitzwilliam - See all my reviews

This review is from: To the Linksland: A Golfing Adventure (Paperback)

This is a very well written book that is as much about people who love the game as it is about the links courses referred to in the title. The author takes us on a pleasant 7 month journey that includes his experiences as a caddy on the European professional tour, and subsequently an extended vacation in Scotland where he plays numerous linksland courses.

We are introduced to numerous acquaintances, most of whom claim golf as an important part of their lives and heritage. As a result we learn a good deal about the early history of the game, the modern game (as of 1991), the differences in the casual golfer's approach to its play in Scotland/Europe and the U.S., and personal glimpses of some of the players who have had an impact during the past 150 yrs.

We are also introduced to a number of golf courses in a way that includes not only the usual topical descriptions (length, greens, hazards, flora etc.) but also Bamberger's emotional response and evaluation after having played them.

I don't usually enjoy this type of odyssey but the author's relaxed style, the people he meets, and his experiences at play in golf's homeland made this a thorougly enjoyable read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading for Golf Enthusiasts, June 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: To the Linksland: A Golfing Adventure (Paperback)

To the Linksland has something for everyone: a look inside a pro tour, an intimate view of Scottish golf, and, most of all, an accurate depiction of the never-ending quest for improvement and the associated cycles of hope and despair that all golfers experience. Bamberger manages to evoke these weighty themes without crossing over the line into contrived mysticism or gross sentimentality. I re-read it every spring, when it's still too cold to play but I need a golf fix. My favorite golf book, it captures the true spirit of the game!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Half of GOod LiFe is golf, September 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: To the Linksland: A Golfing Adventure (Paperback)

This is a sheer joy to read. It makes you want to hit the road, to hit the ball, and very far. This book convinces you that golf is the game born between the land and the sea. The linksland. It links us back to the elements. Do you remember a memorable passages on mental golf in Knowlson's superbe biography of Samuel Beckett? Bamberger's book is the best companion for mental golfing on a sleepless night, too. I enjoyed every line of it. It also contains a miracle. The books anti-hero, Peter Teravainen, won the Japan Open! I translated this book into Japanese. It was the high moment of my life.