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Jonathan Cummings

The Rating Game Hardcover – June 2, 2020

by Jonathan Cummings (Author), Tom Doak (Foreword)

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Ever curious on how the golf magazines come up with those Top 100 lists? The Rating Game exposes the A to Z of everything ratings and rankings.

“Jonathan Cummings has for years been an inspirational mentor to the golf rating community. With The Rating Game, he has now established himself as the authority as well. An excellent, and much-needed, book.”—Josh Lesnik, President, KemperSports, and magazine panelist

“Cummings provides a sound and insightful look inside the arcane world of golf course rating. Golfers love to argue over which is the best and why and The Rating Game will be a welcome addition to many over-heated debates.”—Gary Lisbon, President, GolfSelect; golf course photographer and magazine panelist

“Jonathan Cummings is the Nate Silver of golf course ratings. The Rating Game will open up a lot of eyes about hidden mathematical distortion in the golf course ratings system.”—Bradley S. Klein, Golf Channel/GolfAdvisor.com

“I’ve known and read Jonathan Cummings for over forty years. He always provides fair and distinctive insight into a course’s design and character (including some of my own). I applaud him for advancing the discussion in The Rating Game.”—Tom Clark, Golf course architect and Past President of the American Society of Golf Course Architects

“If there ever was a golfer/writer cut out to analyze the course rating process, it’s Jonathan Cummings. I met him twenty-five years ago, after he sent me a fifty-page missive detailing every technical aspect of every course he had played in the last year. I immediately read The Rating Game, and his thorough, analytical style lays out everything you need to know about the subject.”—Jeff Thoreson, Editor, GolfStyles Media Group

Print length

160 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Post Hill Press
Publication date

June 2, 2020
Dimensions

6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1642936022
ISBN-13

978-1642936025
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Stephen Goodwin
383
Hardcover
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Christopher Clouser
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Alister Mackenzie
99
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Charles Blair (C.B.) Macdonald
61
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jonathan Cummings spent thirty-seven years as a research test & measurements mechanical engineer and currently is an anti-submarine warfare consultant for DARPA. Cummings has long been active in golf as a travel consultant, journalist, editor, and speaker. For over thirty years he served as volunteer and/or committee chairman for the Kemper, Booz Allen, Quicken Loans, Constellation Energy, and Tiger Woods Foundation PGA tournaments. He has also served as executive board member for JPC International Golf Academy. Cummings spent nineteen years as a Mid-Atlantic course/slope rater and is a USGA rules and rater graduate. He is an original Golfweek panelist (1996) and past panelist for LINKS and GolfStyles. He has played golf in all fifty states and in thirty-five countries logging rounds at more than 1600 courses. A member of the USGA, Golf Writers Assn of Am, Donald Ross Society, Seth Raynor Society (board member), TPC Potomac and Belleair CC, Cummings lives in Belleair, FL and can be reached at golfguydz@aol.com.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Post Hill Press (June 2, 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1642936022
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1642936025
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,741,526 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,018 in Golf (Books)

Customer Reviews:
44 ratings

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Jonathan Cummings

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Jonathan Cummings spent 37 years as a research test & measurements mechanical engineer and currently is an anti-submarine warfare consultant for DARPA. Cummings has long been active in golf as a travel consultant, journalist, editor and speaker. For over 30 years he served as volunteer and/or committee chairman for the Kemper, Booz Allen, Quicken Loans, Constellation Energy and Tiger Woods Foundation PGA tournaments. He has also served as executive board member for JPC International Golf Academy. Cummings spent 19 years as a Mid-Atlantic course/slope rater and is a USGA rules and rater graduate. He is an original Golfweek panelist (1996) and past panelist for LINKS and GolfStyles. He has played golf in all 50 states and in 35 countries logging rounds at more than 1600 courses. A member of the USGA, Golf Writers Assn of Am, Donald Ross Society, Seth Raynor Society (board member), TPC Potomac and Belleair CC, Cummings lives in Belleair, FL and can be reached at golfguydz@aol.com.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

44 global ratings

5 star		61%
4 star		19%
3 star		11%
2 star		4%
1 star		6%

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Amazon Customer

comprehensive primer

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 24, 2020

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J.C. breaks down and analyses the major golf magazine course rating systems and their strengths and weaknesses. Then he takes the reader by the hand and describes and demonstrates every significant aspect of what a golf course rater should be looking for and where and how to find it. I had played golf competitively at a high level as an amateur and keenly observed professional golfers at the highest level throughout the nation, and I believed that I had developed a keen eye for the blatant and nuanced character of a wide variety of courses. J.C. showed me that I still had much to learn. His offering gave me a fresh perspective on architecture and what gives a golf course character (whatever that is!) and memorability.

J.C. makes the reader work to get better at being a rater, and he makes the journey fulfilling. And fun!

Congratulations on a job well done, J.C.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Interesting read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 26, 2020

Verified Purchase

I was fortunate enough to meet Jonathan Cummings through a mutual friend and play a round with him at my club this summer. At the 19th hole, we started to discuss what he liked about my club. This of course led to conversations about other courses that we had played, or would like to play, over the years. When I found out he wrote this book, I knew I had to read it. As an average golfer that has been fortunate enough to play many courses over the years, it was insightful to read how the raters decide the various rankings of some of the courses I have played. Jonathan's straightforward explanations in the book will help anyone who appreciates golf understand these rankings even better. It was an enjoyable read.

One person found this helpful

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P. Flanagan

Kind of interesting

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 8, 2020

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I thought the book was interesting.

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David Chen

Very interesting and informative read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 23, 2020

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As an addicted golfer and someone who loves statistics and math, this was right up my alley and probably one of the only books that checks both boxes! But also fascinating insight into how golf ratings are (and should be) derived, including a very interesting historical perspective of golf ratings. Highly recommended for anyone who has ever looked at a golf course ranking list to see how the sausage is really made!

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James S. Gold

There's So Much More to Know

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 8, 2020

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As a long-time golf course rater for one of the major publications, I thought that I know all there was to know about rating golf courses. Cummings' work proved me wrong. He successfully demonstrates how much broader the subject, and everything that goes into it is, and how much I've been missing. For anyone interested in knowing how golf courses are rated, this is your book.

One person found this helpful

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Barry Kang

Essential for Any Rater

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 10, 2020

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A very easy read, this book covers the history of the rating system, including various pitfalls and potential bias, but also components of each of the Big 3 ratings and their list formulations. Very insightful and an absolute must read for any panelist! Great cover photo by Gary Lisbon too of Belleair.

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randy

A plus book for all golfers

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 18, 2020

Verified Purchase

A terrific book for every avid golfer not just those lucky enough to be on one of the magazine's rating panels. All will now have a better understanding of what makes a Top 100 course thanks to Jonathan's vast experience in the Rating Game.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 13, 2020

Verified Purchase

This book is a great resource for anyone interested in golf course architecture and/or the way courses actually get their rankings amongst peers. Very well put together information and a super easy read. Highly recommended!

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The Rating Game Hardcover – June 2, 2020

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