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The Ultimate Golf Book: A History and a Celebration of the World's Greatest Game [Hardcover]

David McCormick (Editor), Charles McGrath (Editor)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)


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Book Description

April 9, 2002
Ever since the Dark Ages, when a few Scots ambled over the dunes with their het kolvin sticks, slapping a ball around in something akin to golf, no sport has more universally or irreversibly awed its players and fans. THE ULTIMATE GOLF BOOK captures the world’s ultimate sporting passion as it has never been captured before, with a lively, authoritative history, stunning illustrations, and perhaps the finest collection of original writing on the sport ever assembled between two covers.
Putting a fresh, contemporary spin on the centuries-old story of golf, Sports Illustrated’s colorful senior writer John Garrity has written a delightful, loose-limbed riff of a history that travels the globe and the links, covering the key personalities, events, advances in technique and technology, proliferation of interest, and curious mystery of this international obsession. Complementing the history are twenty personal essays from a diverse group of literary low-handicappers, musing on everything from the Age of Tiger, to the woes of the lowly club pro, to the charm of playing golf in the dead of winter, to giving up the game altogether. All of this plays out against the dramatic backdrop of more than 300 photographs and illustrations, many rare and historic, many commissioned especially for this volume, which is truly one of a kind.
From the tee to the green, the clubhouse to the nuthouse, THE ULTIMATE GOLF BOOK is a must-have for any serious student of the game.


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The misnomer that this browser is "the ultimate" among countless others like itself is quickly pointed out by McGrath, editor of the New York Times Book Review, who presents this collection of unexpectedly intimate compositions with great relish. Featuring over 300 photographs that range from attractive to dazzling, the 18 essays muse on the history, rules, architecture and pleasures of the game from the likes of John Updike, Rick Reilly and John Feinstein. David Owen confesses his joy of the personal game; Chang-Rae Lee investigates the East Coast behavior of golf fans who beat the crowds by camping out for tee times; and a warm piece on winter play by Ward Just is a remarkable standout. Historian Garrity provides every angle, from the game's assumed birth in Scotland to the early tour years, the advent of television, the importance of the swing and the "equipocentric" nature of the sport. Meanwhile, the transcendent abilities of Tiger Woods prove sufficient for godlike glory. The combined effect of these pieces is rewarding, putting the reader at risk of alienating friends and family with an unabated love of golf.

From Booklist

Every year brings a new round of coffee-table golf books: pretty pictures of Augusta, a cursory text decorated by a John Updike essay, and, of course, a hefty price tag. This one is different; yes, it does have pretty pictures and a hefty price tag, but it also has a substantive, genuinely enlightening text. First, there is a perceptive overview of golf history, from Mary, Queen of Scots, to Tiger Woods, written with considerable flair by John Garrity; then, accompanying each chapter in the history, there are original essays by a host of well-known writers--Updike, naturally, but also Ward Just, Mark Singer, and a who's who of golf journalists. These essays are mainly personal memoirs, and they are uniformly entertaining, from David Owen's tongue-in-cheek reflections on playing the great courses ("I Prefer Merion's Towels to Augusta's, Don't You?") to Singer's memories of growing up on the fairways of Tulsa's only "Jew Club." Read this one, don't just display it. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; First edition. edition (April 9, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 061814546X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0618145461
  • Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 9.2 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,161,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

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4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and a good read, January 18, 2009
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A great book for enthusiasts of golf history. Instead of laying out the story of the game in a linear fashion, the book is a series of essays along themes, among them "Scotland," "America," "Equipment," "The Early Tour Years," and "Television." Sprinkled in among the main chapters are personal essays by great writers of golf -- Rick Reilly, Dan Jenkins, Curt Sampson, Lee Eisenberg -- writing about subjects such as the golf pro, playing with better players, and the ideal golf hole.

The book is breezy, entertaining, and full of great quotes about the simple joys and miseries of this wonderful game: "The hole, in essence, is a seductress that juggles a golfer's heart and sould by trading on greed and fear" and getting in touch with "another, better teacher -- the one inside you, the silent pro, who is just dying to be consulted, if only you would pay attention for a change."
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Can't Play, then can Read, October 23, 2009
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This review is from: The Ultimate Golf Book: A History and a Celebration of the World's Greatest Game (Hardcover)
I have only had time to read a few of the many stories in this book, but the stories I've read have been excellent and I expect to be entertained in the future when for what ever reason I can't get out on the course.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Golf began in the dark-in a hole actually. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
ultimate golf book, black golfers, club makers, golf history, major championships, touring pros, exhibition tour, golf holes
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
British Open, United States, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, New York, Ryder Cup, World War, Augusta National, Tiger Woods, Old Course, African American, Harry Vardon, Sam Snead, Bernard Darwin, Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, Los Angeles, Walker Cup, Arnold Palmer, Long Island, Walter Hagen, Donald Ross, Gene Sarazen, Greg Norman, North Carolina
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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