3 comments about The Immortal Bobby: Bobby Jones and the Golden Age of Golf.

1. I have read a few books on Bobby Jones including his book Down the Fairway and this is definitely one of the better books about Jones. Well written with a different and interesting look at the life of Jones on and off the course. If you are an admirer of Bobby Jones this book is a must read and will make you admire and respect Jones more than ever before.



2. 
   Having heard about Bobby Jones since I started playing golf at age thirteen, and having attended many Masters tournaments, I was drawn quite naturally to this book.
   
   Rapoport serves as a keen biographer. While he praises Jones as the most gifted golfer of his era, he doesn't avoid including passages that show Bobby's warts. The book details Bobby's early temper tantrums, his longstanding feud with another leading amateur golfer, and how he missed opportunities to use his fame and good name to pave the way for racial transition in golf and in the Atlanta area.
   
   Even so, Jones comes across very positively in the way he handled his crippling illness that drove him from the game so early. In my judgment, his most heroic deeds happened when he clutched a wheelchair instead of a golf club.
   
   From the sporting angle, golfers will welcome the shot-by-shot replay of Bobby's most heralded victories. Also, the behind the scenes story of the Bobby Jones/Clifford Roberts relationship uncovers events known to only a few at the time.
   
   If you've never encountered Bobby Jones in print, this is a great place to start.
   
   The Complete Communicator: Change Your Communication-change Your Life!



3. Ron Rapoport is a gifted and entertaining writer. His thorough research and effort to provide a detailed background in each chapter adds depth and interest that would be missing from a more straightforward sports story--without diminishing the excitement of the sports story itself. You will learn much about not only Bobby Jones and his life but also other golfers, Atlanta and other cities, England and Scotland, and American history as well. I thought this was a wonderful book and recommend it highly.

1 comments about Kathy Whitworth's Little Book of Golf Wisdom: A Lifetime of Lessons from Golf's Winningest Pro.

1. This is a really good golf book which has a number of useful tips (many from Harvey Penick who was her long time coach). However, even more valuable are her thoughts on managing your yourself, your game and the course. None of this nonsense of pretending you are simply having "fun", when competing. I have read a number of golf books on the psychology of golf and none were nearly as helpful as her common sense thoughts on managing your game. In my first round with two of my friends after reading her book I won all 18 skins!

5 comments about Fairway to Hell: Around the World in 18 Holes.

1. Lidz is a true satirist with an eye for the ridiculous, the bogus and the vain. He is deeply skeptical about many things and his humor can be savagely cutting, but I do not think it is ever cruel. He is hard but fair. It is encouraging to find that he has lost none of the wickedly sharp powers of observation that have distinguished his work in the New York Times.



2. There's a moment in every golfer's life that we remember forever. It belongs to that period after a perfect swing, when the sweet spot of the driver has met the ball with a thick, solid click. The ball screams off the tee on a low, rising climb, and just in the last quarter of its flight when you think it might start falling, the spin you've put on it bites into the air and the ball lifts, climbing more steeply and slowly in a last flare of energy. And then you get the moment, when the flight of the ball connects with the feeling of the strike and the two have travelled up the club, through your arms and shoulders and into your heart. I got much the same feeling after finishing this funny, funny book.



3. This book contains a very nice balance of the real spirit of golf and the fun side of golf. Some of the chapters are questionable but others are touching and funny at the same time. The author has found the right people to show how deep this game can go into the human condition. But unlike other books that try to do the same, this one avoids taking itself too seriously. Most books of this type just plain fail. This one does not and deserves attention. Seriously, a mini-golf marathon in Myrtle Beach, sign me up.



4. Mr. Lidz is as superbly nonsensical as ever. He will continue to release future generations from captivity that may be more annoying than our own. He has made a world for us to live in and delight in.



5. There is really nothing I can say about Fairway To Hell that hasn't already been said. The constant stream of startlingly original and side-splittingly funny similes and metaphors and sarcasms, the dizzying complexity of the chapters, the characters that you'd swear have been stolen from your own circle of acquaintances... three perfectly formed pearls of masterful comic writing. Aaaaaahhhhh.....

1 comments about Tiger Woods: A Biography for Kids.

1. Tiger Woods first came to fame in 1997 when he won a spectacular victory at the Master Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. He went on to be one of the most successful professional golfers the game has ever known and won the admiration of a whole new generation of young men and women for the game. Indeed, because of Tiger Woods, the game of golf has a degree of popularity within minority communities that it has never before held in its entire history. Libby Hughes' Tiger Woods is a splendidly written biography of their remarkable young man's career from when he hit his first golf ball at the age of 9 months, through his days as a junior champion in grad school and high school, on to his years at Stanford University (when Tiger turned pro in his second year of college) and down to the present with a representative sampling drawn from his spectacular pro tournament victories. Tiger Woods is a great biography for young readers and will serve to inspire children with one of the most genuinely praiseworthy young men in professional sports today!

5 comments about Discovering Donald Ross: The Architect and his Golf Courses.

1. In "Discovering Donald Ross," Bradley S. Klein has written a book which can be thumbed through and enjoyed as visual entertainment by the casual golfer/reader or closely studied by the ardent student of the old game. Left on the coffee table or the night stand to be used to fill precious spare minutes with golf-related dreaming, the photos and captions alone will captivate and enlighten the reader. Dr. Klein has revealed himself as a talented photo-journalist, equally comfortable telling the story of Donald Ross with pictures or with words. Be prepared to be educated while being entertained. Using wise delineation of chapter headings, Klein walks us through Ross' childhood, family life, and career to the ultimate reason for the book: the author's knowledge of and desire for preservation of classical, especially Donald Ross, golf courses. Anyone who has the blessing of playing one of Klein's cited courses will understand his devotion. Lovers of biography will be fascinated by Klein's stories of Ross' background and personality. History buffs will learn through clearly written text and old black-and-white photos the problems encountered in golf course constuction as well as the societal and economic limitations that Ross faced. Those who get caught up in beautifully photographed golf landscapes will be captivated by the visual journey from windswept Scottish links where Ross was weaned to America's varying terrain where Ross was to be so successful. Klein's book, like a Ross course, represents a value and pleasure for the user, whether casually approached or closely scrutinized.



2. There is little doubt of the time and effort it took to reasearch this phenominal book on one of Golf's Great Heroes.

   Author Brad Klein gives the reader a inside view of not only who Donald Ross was, what he represents to the game of Golf today, as well as a revealing throwback to an age gone by.

   Aerial photos, course diagrams, and other pertinent data show the reader just how much the game's playing grounds have changed, and the effort to hold on to their design critieria as was intended by this soft spoken man from the North of Scotland.

   I would highly suggest this book to all who love the game of Golf itself, as well as the courses of Donald Ross; and for those who love golf courses, in general.




3. Brad Klein has done a superb job in this lavishly illustrarted story of Donald Ross,long recognized as one the original "founding fathers" of the golden era of golf architecture. While it shows dozens of courses in detail,it is much more than a picture book, since it tells the story of Ross right from his earliest days in Scotland. Klein weaves a very readable and interesting picture of the life and accomplishments of Donald Ross.

   The book is well named since it a wonderful journey of discovery. There are all kinds of new insights for even the Ross fans who thought they read everything about DJR. But it will hold the interest of any reader who loves to read about a rich, full life told well. About a man who left Scotland for America without enough money to buy his second meal but who worked so hard he became one of the best paid individuals in all of sports.

   And it is about a man who never forgot the meaning of family and his employees.

   Brad Klein's book is throughly researched, well written and shows a genuine love for golf and for one of the men who made it great. Mr Klein is on his way to join that list.

   John Purcell




4. Whereas Bahto in the Evangelist of Golf is focused on the National more and how it came to define C.B. MacDonald, Brad Klein produces a broad overview of Donald Ross and is less focused on any one aspect of his life and career as a golf designer.
   
   Donald Ross was the Henry Ford of golf design. Some 400 courses confirmed to his credit with, of course, Pinehurst being his crown achievement.
   
   I think this is a solid overview of Donald Ross in general, but I was hoping to really appreciate "why" his courses were so special. We get to understand that for Donald Ross, his routings and greens were some of his strong points. However, the Ross hole and green diagrams along with the course plans only convey so much about this. Yes, they're great but the text I feel isn't in depth enough to really bring out what's buried in the diagrams, plans and pics. Instead, we are exposed to tid bits of some of the more popular courses he's produced. There's an attempt to explain Ross strategies and golf design philosophy in chapter 7, but it's high level and general. I also don't quite grasp why chapter 7 wasn't placed sooner in this book. Maybe I was expecting too much on this. Indeed, this is not a "Confidential Guide" of Ross courses as John Conley states in his earlier review.
   
   At any rate, I think the strengths of this book lie within the quality production, tremendously thorough research (especially when it comes to how Ross did things), very good photographs (especially when it comes to before and after course pictures), and the historical perspective.
   
   The Pinehurst section is very interesting from a background and historical perspective, but you won't learn much about why the course is great.
   
   The renovation / restoration segment is also very informative. Some great pictures illustrate what can happen when proper care is given to a renovation / restoration effort.
   
   There's a nice comprehensive compilation list of Ross's courses, but unfortunately it won't help you figure out which one's you can play. Maybe in the next revision, Klein can indicate which courses are public vs. private. Even tracking back some of the courses within the book won't help either, as you're never too sure which one's are public or private.
   
   Overall, I'd recommend this volume in a heartbeat. Just don't have grand expectations about understanding what makes such and such a Ross course so great. Rather, view this work as a very good and thorough review of what was involved in being Ross the person, family man, hard working course designer, and creator of many great golf courses.



5. I live in North Carolina, where Ross made his home--at least in the fall, winter, and spring. There's almost a holy reverence for the man around here but there's a lot of bluster and phoney-ness too. For example, there are plenty of clubs that say they have a Ross course when they have anything but. I remember a guy at a country club here telling me how fortunate they were to have an original Ross course. At the time, I didn't know any better and so I believed the dafty. I soon discovered that little of the original routing remained. Why? Because Trent Jones came in at some stage and pretty much blew the place to smithereens plus the large oak trees of which members are so fond had changed the original routing beyond recognition. And if you cut down those trees at that club, you're dead. Dead. The original course had a handful of trees.
   
   The beauty of Brad Klein's book is that it demystifies Ross while providing those with Ross courses a blueprint for renovation or restoration. It's a coffee table tome but it's much more than pretty pictures on coated paper. It's a thoroughly-researched thesis from someone with an advanced degree. It's also very well written and even passionate. Klein also resists the temptation to go PC, sensibly preferring to place Ross within the context of his time and place. Ross wasn't the greatest golf course architect (that's HS Colt) but Ross was a brilliant router; he understood the value of a golf course that everyone from the weekend hacker to the scratch man or woman could enjoy. Modern golf course architects need to make their courses easier, not harder. Take a look at one of the few remaining relatively untouched Ross courses. Which living golf course architect could make it better, or, more importantly, more enjoyable? On the 'real' Ross courses I've played, apart from Pinehurst #2, you have to work very hard to bag a lot of big numbers.
   
   Klein's book features details about the man and also discusses several of his courses. There's also a useful directory in the back. The book is also the story of one man's version of The American Dream. Ross arrived here pretty much penniless but managed to build a useful empire through hard work and some smart thinking. The book shows that Ross was a "Canny Scot" who knew how to promote himself and satisfy his clients. Nothing wrong with that. It's a happy story.
   
   It might have been tempting for Klein to get all cuddly with the group that calls itself The Donald Ross Society. I've met some members of said conglomerate, including one of its officers, and they are all a bit full of themselves. Klein mentions the society but it's very much his book, his thoughts, and his ideas. I like books with opinions and character. The book is respectful without being gushy and authoritative without being pompous.
   
   I hope that my buddy at the Donald Ross/Robert Trent Jones golf course that's currently under renovation reads Klein's book. He needs to. So too should anyone who is interested in golf course architecture and wants to know what a real Ross golf course looks like. Hint: it's rarely like Pinehurst #2.

5 comments about Out Of The Rough An Intimate Portrait Of Laura Baugh And Her Sobering Journey.

1. Laura Baugh's openness and candor makes her story a must-read for anyone in recovery, or anyone who knows someone in recovery.



2. Isn't that the question since we were chldren? Who's in control here? Some figure it out quicker than others and learn the lesson better. For others, like Laura, it takes time and pain. But in the end, gain.

   Her pain and gain, here exposed for all the world to see, is for the comfort and strength she gives through this book to those who find themselves or loved ones in -- out of control.

   Frightening and shocking is the realization that such substances take over and dominate such intelligent, talented people. The fight will always be there. Close by though, more powerful than those unrelenting enemies are Laura's strengths she's learned to rely upon and live for, God and children. May both bless her.

   She's a winner in more important events than just LPGA championships.




3. THIS IS THE STORY OF LAURA BAUGH, RECOVERING ALCOHOLIC, PRO GOLFER, AND MOTHER. SHE DOES A GREAT JOB DESCRIBING HER LIFE AND CAREER. HER STRUGGLE WITH INNER DEMONS, BROKEN MARRIAGES, AND PRESSURES IS VERY INTERESTING. HER STORY IS A MIRACLE. AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF THE 12 STEP PROGRAM OF AA AT WORK. LAURA HAS BEEN BLESSED BY GOD AND THIS IS A GREAT READ FOR ALL RECOVERING AND PRACTICING ADDICTED PEOPLE. I REMEMBER WHEN LAURA FIRST CAME ON THE PRO TOUR IN THE EARLY 70'S, SHE WAS THE HOTTEST HOTTIE IN SPORTS. GLAD TO SEE SHE HAS CONFRONTED HER ADDICTION AND DEALS WITH IT ONE DAY A TIME. SHE IS STILL HOT AND CERTAINLY PROVEN TO BE A BABY MACHINE. MUST READ.



4. I find it very, very hard to believe that anyone, especially a small woman, could drink to the degree that Laura Baugh did and not sustain liver damage. She also says she abstained during her pregnancies...did she know the instant she was pregnant? I think not. I guess writing is an easier way to make a buck than playing golf.



5. Only someone who does not suffer from alcoholism would question the ability of a small woman to drink insane amounts of alcohol. I have no doubt that Laura Baugh drank every drink she says she did - I have been there. I, too, abstained during my pregnancies, it was the one time when I didn't struggle with myself over drinking or not drinking. This is a great story and I admire Laura for pulling herself out of the despair she felt - I know, I have felt it also.

5 comments about The Majors-In Pursuit of Golf's Holy Grail.

1. Is a book a book because an author says it is? Or is it a book because it is about something?

   John Feinstein seems to take the former "I write therefore it is" approach. As a result, I never quite got what "The Majors" was about. My fault? I don't think so. I not only "got" the point of Feinstein's previous golf book, "A Good Walk Spoiled," but enjoyed it. That book belongs on any sports lover's shelf, and is worth any novice's time as well.

   "A Good Walk Spoiled" is about the lives and trials of the pro golfer. "The Majors," despite the title, is about much the same thing, not so much the four events that make up the biggest trophies in pro golf but the elite PGA Tour pros who compete for these titles.

   Frankly, if you aren't hot for golf, you aren't going to relate to these millionaires and their quest to buck the dread acronym BPNTHWAM (best player never to have won a major) the way you will to the fringe folk and dewsweepers that made up the cast of "A Good Walk Spoiled," for whom making the cut was the difference between survival and doom.

   There are some decent profiles here, like that of Mark O'Meara, who won two of the four majors in 1998, the year of Feinstein's narrative. O'Meara seems affable, but I got no sense of hunger from the guy. Brad Faxon offers some revealing insights, but since he didn't contend for any majors, he seemed a waste of time in the ultimate scheme of the book. A lot of golfers Feinstein profiles are like that. Meanwhile, players who did contend in 1998 majors are skimmed over, like PGA Championship winner Vijay Singh, British Open runner-up Brian Watts, and most crucially, Tiger Woods. Feinstein probably couldn't get the same level of access to these guys he could to those he dotes on, but that shouldn't be the reader's problem, should it?

   Unlike "A Good Walk Spoiled," the writing feels tired. The humor is forced. He throws in some clunky metaphors. A caddy "studies the wind the way a political pollster studies trends." Tiger Woods' security entourage are "like the guys chasing Butch and Sundance: You could see them coming from miles away." This makes the rote approach to the subject all the more apparent, and enervating.

   Feinstein seemed to be trading in on the good will he engendered on the pro circuit with "A Good Walk Spoiled." That's great, if he gives the reader something for his new access. But whereas "Good Walk" was a candid and often blunt description of what went on inside the ropes, "The Majors" seems more an exercise in puffery and back-patting, never more egregious than with Fred Couples, a decent golfer and a good guy who Feinstein blows totally out of proportion in his narrative. Couples doesn't contend except at the Masters, but Feinstein can't let go of him for more than a chapter at a time.

   The biggest problem about this book is it isn't about the title subject. He doesn't give equal time to the four majors, doesn't really relate any of the day-to-day drama, and offers little insight as to the courses or the final-day fields. He reports the winners, and some key shots, but that's it. If you want majors excitement, read Herbert Warren Wind or "Massacre At Winged Foot."

   "The Majors" won't interest people who don't care much about golf, and though it has some interesting insights that made it more than a one-star read for me, it's not something that knowledgeable golf readers are going to find that illuminating.




2. John Feinstein reports the stories of the 1998 major golf championships through the lives of several players who were contending for one or more of them that year. The Majors are, of course, The Masters, The US Open, The Open Championship (British Open), and the PGA Championship. Saying that Mark O'Meara won The Masters and the British Open, Lee Janzen the US Open, and Vijay Singh the PGA Championship says almost nothing about the character, history, and the dynamic nature of life and competition on the PGA tour.

   Mr. Feinstein helps us get to know some of these players as people. We learn some things about their health, how the got to the PGA tour, how qualifying for the various majors is done (and other tournaments, for that matter). Of course, the author reports actual competitions and how the leaders changed position and finally emerged victorious.

   All of this is told in a rather meandering and leisurely style. If you want crisp, concise, and beginning to end reporting this book really isn't for you. However, if love golfing anecdotes and enjoy reading about golfing events, I think you will enjoy this book as much as I did. I learned about players I didn't know and learned more about some that I did know. Certainly, I learned more about these events we call the Majors and my enjoyment of them has been enhanced because I have read this book. Thanks to Mr. Feinstein for that favor.




3. The year was 1998 and the winners were Mark O'Meara (The Masters at Augusta National and The British Open at Royal Birkdale), Lee Janzen (The U.S. Open at the Olympic Club), and Vijay Singh (The P.G.A. Championship at Sahalee Country Club). Although all four Majors are conducted under the collaborative supervision of the U.S.G.A. and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club organizations, each has its own terms and conditions for participation as well as stages of qualification to compete with those who, for various reasons, are automatically eligible. For me, one of this book's most fascinating subjects is the qualifying process to which many are called but few are eventually chosen. Perhaps only the annual process to earn a P.G.A card creates greater tension and frustration for those involved.

   To the extent that space allows, Feinstein examines wannabes as well as perennial and promising contenders for each of the championships in 1998. He includes hundreds of vignettes and anecdotes about them, thus giving human significance to the names on the scoreboard. I also appreciate having historical information which creates a context for each Major, three of which have a different course location each year. Only the Masters has a permanent site.

   P.G.A. golf competition is unique among professional sports in that players are essentially self-regulated, personally assume all costs of participation (travel, accommodations, caddy, etc.), and earn nothing if they fail to make the 36-hole cut. It is not uncommon for one player to prevent another from inadvertently breaking a rule as Tom Kite once did near the end of the final round when he was in contention. Later, Kite was astonished that anyone was surprised by his initiative which probably denied him victory in that tournament. (The player he assisted won it.) Feinstein skillfully captures the flavor and nuances of what can be ferocious competition but also the fact that it is (with rare exceptions) conducted with dignity, style, and grace as well as with exceptional skill.

   For those who love the game of golf and especially for golfers who are eager to know what it is like to compete in the Majors, this is the book to read. It reads more like a novel than an almanac. It reveals "the joy of victory" for some and the "agony of defeat for others" while celebrating certain values which seem to have become less common each day...except on a golf course. For whatever it may be worth, over the years I have played probably 500 rounds of golf on several dozen different golf courses (both public and private) and do not remember a single "ugly" encounter with another player. Having said that, I feel obliged to point out that "golf" is "flog" spelled backwards. On numerous occasions, it really has been for me "a good walk spoiled" but my passion for the game and my respect for those who play it so well remain undiminished.

   Beginning in 1960, Theodore H. White wrote several "The Making of the President" accounts. I was reminded of that as I read this book, wishing that Feinstein or another author of comparable talent would write an annual volume in (let's call it) "The Making of Majors' Champions" series. This would enable avid golfers such as I to return in time to memorable moments during past Majors competition. End-of-year DVDs featuring such moments plus commentaries among special features would also be much appreciated. Meanwhile, we have Feinstein's lively as well as informative book which recreates (to the extent a text can) stirring triumphs by O'Meara, Janzen, and Singh as well as dozens of other human subplots associated with those victories eight years ago.




4. Feinstein's book chronicles the 1998 PGA Tour Season highlighting the Majors which are the Masters, the US Open, the British Open and the PGA.
   
   This book avoids becoming the run-of-the-mill 1998 PGA Tour Season review by providing us with information on the Major tournaments we cannot get in magazines [tidbits on the US Open "unfair" hole locations, champions' locker rooms(Masters), payment for trophy replicas etc...]
   
   Interesting backgrounders on major protagonists such as Mark O'Meara, Fred Couples, Vijay Singh, Tom Watson etc are provided as well as stories of golfers at the lower rung of the pecking order whose names we may never see again in the entry list.
   
   In short, this book tells us of life in the PGA Tour in the context of the 1998 season. I'm reading this in 2004 and still found it to be quite a good read.
   
   And oh, Colin Montgomerie does have a sense of humor.



5. Good read, especially good at giving an inside view of the golfers themselves, who they are, what they value, how they interact with each other and how they, individually and as a group, view the Majors. Very good read, especially about the golfers, how they they encourage and compete with one another--Lee Janzen's exchange with Scott Stricker is particularly memorable--and about how they approach and play the Majors. Readers may have a concern about this book being dated, and from a historical standpoint, it may be---But it is also like the old television series from long ago--"You Are There"--which effectively recreated great moments in history as if we, the viewers, were in deed there when it was happening. So it is with this book. Yes, we know who won the tournament, but when the final putts fall on these pages, there is still a sense of wonder, pride and accomplishment for the golfer. Feinstein has done his job well. Reading this book makes us feel like we are there when it happened, even though it happened several years ago. The "you are there" part is what makes this book a must read for golfers, for would-be golfers and for those who love and appreciate the game and those who play or try to play it.
   
   One thought: You might want to consider reading this book in parts, reading about the Masters before and during Masters Week, the U.S. Open before and during Open Week, and the same for "The" Open and for the PGA. That was my plan and it was a good play, but the book was so engrossing, I read is straight through...either way it is a book to be enjoyed and a book golfers should read. Don't hesitate. Go for it!

5 comments about Down the Fairway.

1. If you not only enjoy playing golf but also cherish the game's traditions and values, and if you could purchase only one book about golf, this is it. Whether or not Jones is the greatest golfer ever is a judgment I eagerly entrust to those foolish enough to debate it. Suffice to say that he was among the greatest players and among the finest gentlemen ever associated with golf. Published in 1927 when Jones was just 25, three years before he won what has since been designated "The Grand Slam", this is a book in which Jones (in collaboration with Keeler) invites his reader to accompany him "down the fairway" of a life as well as a game. The first eleven chapters review the competitive process until what he characterizes as his "Biggest Year." In the final chapter of Part One, Jones observes that, "I started the year 1926 with one glorious licking and closed it with another. And it was the biggest golf-year I'll ever have." Or so he then thought. In that year, we're told, "Walter Hagen gave me the first drubbing, and of all the workmanlike washings-up I have experienced, this was far and away the most complete" and later, "George [von Elm] was too much for me....He simply outplayed me. It was coming to him....It was George's turn. So the biggest Year ended, as it began, with a beating. Still, I'll always feel kindly toward 1926."

   In Part Two, Jones shares just about everything he has learned (to that point) about the mental as well as physical skills needed to play golf well. What struck me, throughout the book, is Jones's candor. For example, "There are times when I feel I know less about what I am doing than anybody else in the world." He discusses putting ("a game within a game"), the pitch shot ("a mystery"), iron play ("I like it"), "the heavy artillery" (woods), miscellaneous shots ("and trouble"), and in the final chapter "Tournament Golf." The reader is provided with a generous selection of photographs, many of which I (at least) had not seen previously. "Early in this little book I made the statement that there were two kinds of golf -- golf, and tournament golf; and that they were not at all the same." When concluding this book, Jones acknowledges that he's been "awfully lucky. Maybe I'll win another championship, some day. I love championship competition, after all -- win or lose." What will it feel like when he days of tournament competition have ended? "It's going to be queer." Then he confides, as his "little book" ends: "But there's always one thing to look forward to -- the round with Dad and [other kindred spirits]; the Sunday morning round at old East Lake, with nothing to worry about, when championships are done." Three years after sharing these thoughts and feelings, Jones won the Grand Slam and then retired from tournament competition. Some people have expressed their preferences for those with whom they would like to share a "fantasy dinner." Were it possible, I would like to share a "fantasy round of golf" with Bob Jones, Walter Hagen, and Harvey Penick. Given the impossibility of that, I must seek their companionship in books such as this.




2. Bobby Jones shares his perspective on winning, losing, and his life-long battle against "Old Man Par". This is a must read for any serious student of golf history and tradition.



3. Great read, one all golfers will want to make, as Nicklaus suggests in the modern edition foreward.

   Why return to an outdated time of wood shafts and limitef flight balls? One finds it in this read, the character and strength of this great amateur.

   What impressed this reviewer was Jones' humbleness, and love for the game. He wasn't really into all the winning, which in fact caused him anxiety. Moreover he was into the challenge against Ole Man Par and himself. He relished the comradre with his fellow competitors and is most quick to give them praise rather than discuss what he didn't have in his game that round.

   Neat to realize that his prized trophy was the first, which he thought was improperly awarded to him, while Alexa Sterling should have won it, no question. This is what golf is about, not slugging it 300+ yds. to screaming fans playing for millions.

   Takes us back to what the game is and should remain. It's become far too commercialized.

   Will take a honored position in my growing golf book collection to be fondly recalled and reread.




4. Terrific insight to Bobby Jones - while O.B. Keeler must have "dressed" up the final product, the sense that so much came directly from a young man barely out of his teens coming to grips with the realization that he was the most famous golfer in the world... Just compelling reading!



5. Purchased after a program on XM radio's golf station mentioned this book. Excellent, easy read on the master of golf. What a guy in a different era. You can visualize the time and some of the matches. Highly recommend.

5 comments about The Seventh at St. Andrews: How Scotsman David McLay Kidd and His Ragtag Band Built the First New Course onGolf's Holy Soil in Nearly a Century.

1. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RKVOPY91Y776E Believe it or not, golf architecture is one of the hottest topics in sports right now. Gummer's book brings this topic alive.



2. As a non golfer who has never even walked a course I enjoyed this book immensely. Mr. Gummer brings the entire process of course building to life and his book is populated with larger than life characters. A great read and a perfect present for any golfer.



3. Hi, I'm David McLay Kidd and I wanted you to know what fun is was working with Scott on this book, he captured both the artistic and social level of what I and my team do and MOST importantly WHY we do it. I have been amazed at the positive comments I have received from those that have read the book, it reallys seems to capture the imagination of golfers. I hope you enjoy it. David...



4. I purchased this book as a favor for my great-aunt who wanted this book as a gift for her son. She was told by a friend this would be a great book for my cousin as he is an avid golfer.



5. the book suits my tastes well. i'm always interested in how passionate people come together to develop ideas, overcome obstacles, and get things done. double-bonus that the theme is golf.
   
   i hope to play "the Seventh" someday and experience, first hand, whether the intense passion and unusual approach of the team and its leaders actually produced a good result.

No comments about Follow the Roar: Tailing Tiger for All 604 Holes of His Most Spectacular Season.