Golf Architecture In America

Golf Architecture in America is a masterpiece of early golf literature, written by famed architect George C. Thomas. Considered by historians to be the most influential book ever written on early American golf, this guide provides rare insight into the methods and philosophies used to design, construct, and maintain the most renowned golf courses in the United States. According to Thomas, “In this book it has been aimed to aid the beginner by giving actual experiences in course building, and to place before him the practical working methods found by the writer to constitute sound practice; to illustrate strategy and construction, and to consider all the factors which must be included in the up-to-date proposition.” Written in 1927, this book features over 150 black-and-white photographs and drawings, including rare photos of Pine Valley, Pinehurst No. 2, and Pebble Beach. Also included is a foreword by the author and an appendix highlighting his design achievements.

Golf Architecture in America is a masterpiece of early golf literature, written by famed architect George C. Thomas. Considered by historians to be the most influential book ever written on early American golf, this guide provides rare insight into the methods and philosophies used to design, construct, and maintain the most renowned golf courses in the United States. According to Thomas, "In this book it has been aimed to aid the beginner by giving actual experiences in course building, and to place before him the practical working methods found by the writer to constitute sound practice; to illustrate strategy and construction, and to consider all the factors which must be included in the up-to-date proposition." Written in 1927, this book features over 150 black-and-white photographs and drawings, including rare photos of Pine Valley, Pinehurst No. 2, and Pebble Beach. Also included is a foreword by the author and an appendix highlighting his design achievements.

With an introduction by H. S. Colt.

"Golf's Grand Design," prepared as a companion volume to the PBS documentary of the same name, expands upon the information presented in the television program. Co-authored by Bob Cupp, one of America's leading golf course designers, and Ron Whitten, Golf Digest's longtime senior editor on golf architecture, the book features rare sketches and diagrams of golf holes—some never before published—by 34 past and present golf architects, including Alister MacKenzie, Pete Dye, Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Doak, Gil Hanse, Doug Carrick, Steve Smyers and David McLay Kidd. In each chapter, based upon one of the drawings, Cupp and Whitten explore a different facet of the course depicted and present unique perspectives into the craft and art of golf course architecture. These sketches are the vehicles by which design becomes grass. They are not AutoCAD plottings used to clear permits (full of technicalities practically indecipherable by everyday folks), but intimate, immediate and sometimes idiosyncratic streams of consciousness that are handed to a bulldozer operator, along with words of instruction, which become reality; the very crux of golf design. These drawings seldom survive; ending up as grocery lists, note pads or even shelf paper. But if one comes back to the designer after the fact - after the hole has been played and proclaimed fun, the drawings become treasures.Written in a lively conversational format, "Golf's Grand Design" takes readers behind the scenes in the creation of many of America's finest courses, from the modest-budget Bully Pulpit in North Dakota to the mega-budget Shadow Creek in Nevada. The authors retell the discovery of the land that became the groundbreaking Sand Hills Golf Club in Nebraska and relate the extensive process required to complete the environmentally-sensitive Liberty National in New Jersey. They take readers behind the scenes with Jack Nicklaus at work and at play, analyze what made Donald Ross and A.W. Tillinghast such great architects, offer insights into the little-known design talents of PGA Tour Hall of Famers Tom Kite and Tom Watson and pass along revelations regarding such famous holes as “The Cape” and “The Redan.” They conclude with a short discussion of the impact that technology has had on the world of golf. "Golf's Grand Design" is intended for all who enjoy golf or who, by virtue of these stories, might consider the game. It provides a fresh approach to understanding and appreciating good golf architecture. It will certainly be one of those books with a long shelf life because its content is not trendy but factual. It is the story of American golf and a living description of the creative process of a game that somehow worked its way into our very souls.

The first history of Minnesota's celebrated golf clubs and courses, including rarely seen photographs and long-lost details about the game's most famous architects

A key book for the golfer's library, exploring the intricacies of golf architecture--and how this knowledge can improve your golf game.

The most celebrated and historic golf clubhouses in America and Great Britain. If golf courses are the soul of a golf club, then the golf clubhouse is the heart of a golf club. The private inner sanctum for member camaraderie and refreshment appeared in golf’s earliest history, but purpose-built clubhouses didn’t exist until the nineteenth century. Focusing on the most celebrated golf clubhouses built from the late-nineteenth century and into the 1930s, Legendary Golf Clubhouses of the U.S. and Great Britain showcases the true golden age of golf clubhouse architecture. The clubhouses chosen for this book are stellar examples of expansive and lush private estates that were converted into golf courses, and the estate manors into golf clubhouses. Experience the turn-of-the-century coastal charm of thatched Maidstone Country Club located in chic Easthampton, New York; savor a view of the ocean from the locker rooms in the luxurious Mediterranean-influenced Gulfstream Golf Club in Palm Beach, Florida; and behold the lavish grandeur of England’s Stoke Park, best remembered for its appearance in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever. Diedrich gives the reader an insider’s view of these singular grand golf structures—their grounds, and the dining, sitting, and club rooms—clubhouses that are distinguished not only for their architectural beauty, but also for how they are symbolic of a particular golf club’s identity. This book is the perfect gift for avid golfers and golf enthusiasts alike.