In this entertaining cultural history, Moss explores the circumstances that led to the establishment of the country club as an American social institution and its inextricable connection to the ancient, imported game of golf. Moss traces the evolution of country clubs from informal groups of golf-playing friends to "country estates" in the suburbs and eventually into public and private daily-fee courses, corporate country clubs, and gated golfing communities. The book shows how these developments reflect shifts in American values and attitudes toward health and sport, as well as changing social dynamics.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Globe-trotting golfer Tom Coyne has finally come home. And he’s ready to play all of it. After playing hundreds of courses overseas in the birthplace of golf, Coyne, the bestselling author of A Course Called Ireland and A Course Called Scotland, returns to his own birthplace and delivers a “heartfelt, rollicking ode to golf…[as he] describes playing golf in every state of the union, including Alaska: 295 courses, 5,182 holes, 1.7 million total yards” (The Wall Street Journal). In the span of one unforgettable year, Coyne crisscrosses the country in search of its greatest golf experience, playing every course to ever host a US Open, along with more than two hundred hidden gems and heavyweights, visiting all fifty states to find a better understanding of his home country and countrymen. Coyne’s journey begins where the US Open and US Amateur got their start, historic Newport Country Club in Rhode Island. As he travels from the oldest and most elite of links to the newest and most democratic, Coyne finagles his way onto coveted first tees (Shinnecock, Oakmont, Chicago GC) between rounds at off-the-map revelations, like ranch golf in Eastern Oregon and homemade golf in the Navajo Nation. He marvels at the golf miracle hidden in the sand hills of Nebraska and plays an unforgettable midnight game under bright sunshine on the summer solstice in Fairbanks, Alaska. More than just a tour of the best golf the United States has to offer, Coyne’s quest connects him with hundreds of American golfers, each from a different background but all with one thing in common: pride in welcoming Coyne to their course. Trading stories and swing tips with caddies, pros, and golf buddies for the day, Coyne adopts the wisdom of one of his hosts in Minnesota: the best courses are the ones you play with the best people. But, in the end, only one stop on Coyne’s journey can be ranked the Great American Golf Course. Throughout his travels, he invites golfers to debate and help shape his criteria for judging the quintessential American course. Should it be charmingly traditional or daringly experimental? An architectural showpiece or a natural wonder? Countless conversations and gut instinct lead him to seek out a course that feels bold and idealistic, welcoming yet imperfect, with a little revolutionary spirit and a damn good hot dog at the turn. He discovers his long-awaited answer in the most unlikely of places. Packed with fascinating tales from American golf history, comic road misadventures, illuminating insights into course design, and many a memorable round with local golfers and celebrity guests alike, A Course Called America is “a delightful, entertaining book even nongolfers can enjoy” (Kirkus Reviews).
A part of MT III Golf Media's Black Book series of national and regional course guidebooks, this updated fourth edition of The American Private Golf Club Guide is the only guidebook dedicated solely to the nation's private clubs. This volume profiles 1,000 clubs in 49 states which, given the number of multi-course facilities covered, adds up to nearly 1,100 featured courses - with thumbnail profiles included for nearly 500 more. Continuing the series' tradition of providing accurate, detailed and candid assessments of each layout, its profiles range from 150-600 words and include a unique five-star Collectability Rating - a course rating method entirely exclusive to the Black Book. Each profile also offers a full range of ancillary information, from a layout's architectural genesis and contact information to its rating, slope, practice facilities and position in current national/state rankings. Also something of a reference volume for historians and architectural aficionados, The American Private Golf Club Guide is the centerpiece of MT III Golf Media's series of national and regional course guidebooks, and is an indispensable source of information to golfers nationwide.
With an introduction by Jack Nicklaus 12 Private, Legendary golf clubs in the U.S. Midwest, their golf courses, clubhouses and members are depicted in 4 color photographs with an interesting text supplied by interviews with members and staff. 416 pages. Over 700 Photographs
The hysterical story bestseller about one man's epic Celtic sojourn in search of ancestors, nostalgia, and the world's greatest round of golf By turns hilarious and poetic, A Course Called Ireland is a magnificent tour of a vibrant land and paean to the world's greatest game in the tradition of Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. In his thirties, married, and staring down impending fatherhood, Tom Coyne was familiar with the last refuge of the adult male: the golfing trip. Intent on designing a golf trip to end all others, Coyne looked to Ireland, the place where his father has taught him to love the game years before. As he studied a map of the island and plotted his itinerary, it dawn on Coyne that Ireland was ringed with golf holes. The country began to look like one giant round of golf, so Coyne packed up his clubs and set off to play all of it-on foot. A Course Called Ireland is the story of a walking-averse golfer who treks his way around an entire country, spending sixteen weeks playing every seaside hole in Ireland. Along the way, he searches out his family's roots, discovers that a once-poor country has been transformed by an economic boom, and finds that the only thing tougher to escape than Irish sand traps are Irish pubs.
In celebration of the 100 year anniversary of the venerable Pinehurst No. 2 course comes the release of the definitive history of North Carolina Sandhills golf, Pinehurst ~ Home of American Golf (The Evolution of a Legend) written by veteran golf course architect Richard Mandell. It is a story of dumb luck, ingenuity, and grand visions. This 384-page, four-color history is more than just a coffee table book. It is a detailed account of the evolution of the playing fields of golf in Pinehurst and how it directly affected the game of golf in America. Inside these pages is the story of Pinehurst Resort, Pine Needles, Mid Pines, Southern Pines Country Club, The Country Club of North Carolina, Tobacco Road, and countless other golf courses of the sandhills. Rare, never-before-seen photographs of the early days of sandhills golf include construction scenes of one of the most famous golf courses in the world as well as the only known construction drawings of Pinehurst No. 2. Another feature of Pinehurst ~ Home of American Golf (The Evolution of a Legend) is Mr. Mandell's detailed overlays of historic golf course routings of Pinehurst on top of an aerial photograph from today, allowing the reader access to history only an archaeologist can uncover.
Discovering the life and work of a true artist: Donald Ross I grew up playing a Donald Ross golf course, Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, so my standards of what a good golf course should be were based on a Ross design. I think being exposed early to a Donald Ross course provided me balance, as both a player and future golf course designer, because of the variety of shots found throughout each of his design. Ross was without a doubt a great influence on my design career, and he remains a personal favorite. I am happy to see Brad Klein devote a book to the work of Donald Ross. Brad is passionate about golf course design and that translates in his writing. --Jack Nicklaus
