Where Golf is Great: The Finest Courses of Scotland and Ireland (Hardcover)

by James W. Finegan (Author)
Key Phrases: golf world, medal tees, daily markers, Old Course, Cruden Bay, British Isles (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
“Finegan has a gift for describing golf holes that builds them up in the reader’s mind until they feel that they, too, have played the course being discussed . . . It’s a gift that is at times so strong as to be almost unnerving, evoking in me at least clear mental images of courses played years ago whose details I had long forgotten . . .” (Golf Weekly (U.K.) )

“Finegan is a graceful writer clearly in love with his subject; his descriptions of the courses and their signature holes can be enjoyed by golfer and non-golfer alike. Finegan’s prose is better than any photograph.” (Philadelphia Inquirer )

Finegan has a gift for describing golf holes that builds them up in the readers mind until they feel that they, too, have played the course being discussed . . . Its a gift that is at times so strong as to be almost unnerving, evoking in me at least clear mental images of courses played years ago whose details I had long forgotten . . . (Golf Weekly (U.K.) )

Finegan is a graceful writer clearly in love with his subject; his descriptions of the courses and their signature holes can be enjoyed by golfer and non-golfer alike. Finegans prose is better than any photograph. (Philadelphia Inquirer )

Review
“This latest book by noted author Jim Finegan conducts a wonderful guided tour in words and pictures of the most celebrated courses and clubs in Scotland and Ireland for the vast majority of golf enthusiasts who will never have the chance to visit and play them. It will also bring back fond memories for those, like me, who have.”—Arnold Palmer

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 528 pages
• Publisher: Artisan; 1 edition (September 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579652719
• ISBN-13: 978-1579652715
• Product Dimensions: 13.4 x 11 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #193,333 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #29 in	Books > Sports > Golf > Courses
  #43 in	Books > Travel > Europe > Great Britain > Scotland
  #100 in	Books > Travel > Europe > Ireland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, September 12, 2006

By	Carl E. Johnson Jr. "cejjpj" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This isn't the perfect coffee table, travel and reference book for golf in Scotland and Ireland, but then Tiger Woods isn't the perfect golfer either. If you've golfed in Scotland and Ireland, if you're planning to play in Scotland and Ireland, or if you're only dreaming of playing in Scotland and Ireland, this is absolutely one book that you must have. It's a steal at Amazon's $37.80. The book includes text about and photos of a selection to top flight golf courses in Scotland and Ireland. James Finegan is a long-time newspaper golf writer and one-time low handicap golfer. He gives you his perspective on the quality of each of the courses, and describes places to stay, eat and visit in the vicinity of each course. You may recognize some of the text, paraphrased a bit, from Finegan's 1996 "Blasted Heaths and Blessed Greens" [Scotland], and "Emerald Fairways and Foam-Flecked Seas" [Ireland], but this large format book is in no way a duplicate of those little gems. What can I say? Finegan's prose sparkles as ever, a joy to read regardless of whether you agree with him. The "arty" golf course photography by Laurence Lambrecht is spectacular. I say "arty" because the photography is really landscape photography taken on golf courses. It is not intended to show you exactly how the golf holes would look, for example, from straight overhead or to a golfer on the tee. Any negatives? Sometimes, I think, Finegan goes a little over the top in his enthusiasm for some of the courses (e.g., Carnoustie), maybe even a lot over the top. But who cares? Caution: this is not a book you are going to curl up with -- note the size of the book in pages, dimensions and weight.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Pictures, February 18, 2007

By	Richard V. Minck (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mr. Finegan has produced another in his very successful series of books about the pleasures offered by the golf courses in Great Britain and Ireland. The text is of the same high quality as the photographs by Messrs. Lambrecht and Thompson. The result is an elegant book which stimulates happy memories for those that have played the courses and which should whet the appetites of those who have not.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous but a wee bit tame..., January 10, 2008

By	S. scott - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a Scot who has played most of the courses Jim Finegan has reviewed in this and his previous books, there's very little to dispute, and the pictures do convey the wonderful beauty of many of them, especially Machrie, Boat of Garten and others. However he seems to have toned down the criticisms of some courses he made in the prose books, and I find his Damascene conversion to Carnoustie a little strange; it hasn't changed THAT much since he was pretty scathing (unjustly, IMO) about it in the other book. Despite all that, Jim clearly knows what he is talking about, and I loved flicking through this so much I bought a copy for me and my golf-mad uncle.