The Good Doctor Returns: A Novel (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "I could feel the gray-walled cubicle closing in after another long day in the high-rise offices of Mario International Golf Course Design..." (more)
Key Phrases: golf architecture, golf course design, green committees, Pendleton Beach, Colonel Murdoch, Bill Mario (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

John Grant, the Howard Roark of golf course design, has been commissioned to draw the high-profile Pendleton Beach Golf Links. It's a career maker, but the idealistic young architect must somehow overcome the profit-minded tactics of his employer, Mario International Golf Course Design, which, like most corporate golf course design firms, is only interested in making money. When Grant submits a "carefully sketched dogleg left par-4," they strip it of "any semblance of architectural integrity." Originality is scrapped for reproductions of proven golf courses, threatening the purity of the game that Grant holds dear.

Enter Dr. Alister MacKenzie, the famous Scottish golf course architect who has returned from hibernation to design one last great course. After convincing Grant (and to a lesser extent, us readers) that his death in 1934 was staged, the 128-year-old doctor and his wide-eyed disciple set out to build a masterpiece and save golf's revered values and traditions. What ensues is a witty and often insightful look at the state of golf today (and to an equal extent, the esoteric methods of an architect). Author Geoff Shackelford's agenda is obvious but noble; links purists and literary landscapers alike will embrace The Good Doctor. --Rob McDonald

Product Details

• Hardcover: 162 pages
• Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press (May 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886947430
• ISBN-13: 978-1886947436
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #809,182 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dr MacKenzie I presume...I'm honored to meet you!, June 15, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Denton, TX) - See all my reviews

Geoff Schackelford has done a wonderful job of bringing Dr Alister Mackenzie and his work back to life. I could feel the presence of the Good Doctor as if he were sitting and talking with me. I enjoyed walking Pendleton Golf Links as much as Doc's biting humor. Ever read anything and felt like you knew the person? Take a walk or find a good chair and enjoy yourself and learn about golf course architecture from a master architect and master writer!

Craig Lock

1.0 out of 5 stars Awful, April 24, 2005

By	Rater Host "Rater Host" (world) - See all my reviews

I enjoy the game of golf as much as anyone. I enjoy great golf architecture, and I enjoy well written novels. Mr. Shackelford may enjoy golf, and may appreciate good golf arcitecture, but he should leave novel writing to creative writers. He is not a bad writer, but fiction is not his fortay. Don't waste your time reading this one.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun read, a must if you like Mackenzie, April 2, 1999

By A Customer

This is a lot of fun to read and an interesting story. The ending is a suprise, but I'm not sure if I liked it, but it did not spoil the rest of the book and the creative way Mackenzie is brought back to life. Bringing the Doctor back to Augusta was great fun, and it makes you think about how much he might not like it, especially with all the changes made to the course this year.