The Secret Home Of Golf

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * “One of the best golf books this century.” —Golf Digest Tom Coyne’s A Course Called Scotland is a heartfelt and humorous celebration of his quest to play golf on every links course in Scotland, the birthplace of the game he loves. For much of his adult life, bestselling author Tom Coyne has been chasing a golf ball around the globe. When he was in college, studying abroad in London, he entered the lottery for a prized tee time in Scotland, grabbing his clubs and jumping the train to St. Andrews as his friends partied in Amsterdam; later, he golfed the entirety of Ireland’s coastline, chased pros through the mini-tours, and attended grueling Qualifying Schools in Australia, Canada, and Latin America. Yet, as he watched the greats compete, he felt something was missing. Then one day a friend suggested he attempt to play every links course in Scotland and qualify for the greatest championship in golf. The result is A Course Called Scotland, “a fast-moving, insightful, often funny travelogue encompassing the width of much of the British Isles” (GolfWeek), including St. Andrews, Turnberry, Dornoch, Prestwick, Troon, and Carnoustie. With his signature blend of storytelling, humor, history, and insight, Coyne weaves together his “witty and charming” (Publishers Weekly) journey to more than 100 legendary courses in Scotland with compelling threads of golf history and insights into the contemporary home of golf. As he journeys Scotland in search of the game’s secrets, he discovers new and old friends, rediscovers the peace and power of the sport, and, most importantly, reaffirms the ultimate connection between the game and the soul. It is “a must-read” (Golf Advisor) rollicking love letter to Scotland and golf as no one has attempted it before.

From Joe Posnanski, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Paterno,The Secret of Golf is the story of the friendship, rivalry, and enduring relationship between golf legends Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus, combined winners of twenty-six major championships, whose sparring matches defined the sport for more than a decade. The first time they met, at an exhibition match in 1967, Tom Watson was a seventeen-year-old high school student and Jack Nicklaus, at twenty-seven, was already the greatest golfer in the world. Though they shared some similarities—they were both Midwestern boys who had learned to play at their fathers' country clubs—they differed in most ways. Nicklaus was known for his skill and confidence; Watson's game was wild and seemingly uncontrollable. While Nicklaus lacked the charm and theatrics of crowd favorites like Arnold Palmer, Watson already possessed the zeal and energy that endeared him to fans. Tom revered Jack; Jack barely knew who was Tom was. Yet their seemingly divergent paths collided over the next twenty years, when they battled against each other again and again for championships, a place at the top of the sport, and the title of greatest living golfer. Loosely focused on the period from the “Duel in the Sun” at Turnberry in 1977 to Watson's near-miraculous victory at Turnberry as he approached sixty, and informed by extensive interviews with both players over many years,The Secret of Golf is #1 New York Times bestselling author Joe Posnanski's intimate account of the most remarkable rivalry and (eventual) friendship in modern golf.

Harvey Penick's life in golf began when he started caddying at the Austin, (Texas), Country Club at age eight. Eighty-one years later he is still there, still dispensing wisdom to pros and beginners alike. His stature in the golf world is reflected in the remarkable array of champions he's worked with, both men and women, including U.S. Open champion and golf's leading money winner Tom Kite, Masters champion Ben Crenshaw, and LPGA Hall of Famers Mickey Wright, Betsy Rawls, and Kathy Whitworth. It is not for nothing that the Teacher of the Year Award given by the Golf Teachers Association is called the Harvey Penick Award. Now, after sixty years of keeping notes on the things he's seen and learned and on the golfing greats he's taught, Penick is finally letting his Little Red Book (named for the red notebook he's always kept) be seen by the golf world. His simple, direct, practical wisdom pares away all the hypertechnical jargon that's grown up around the golf swing, and lets all golfers, whatever their level, play their best. He avoids negative words; when Tom Kite asked him if he should "choke down" on the club for a particular shot, Harvey told him to "grip down" instead, to keep the word "choke" from entering his mind. He advises golfers to have dinner with people who are good putters; their confidence may rub off, and it's certainly better than listening to bad putters complain. And he shows why, if you've got a bad grip, the last thing you want is a good swing. Throughout, Penick's love of golf and, more importantly, his love of teaching shine through. He gets as much pleasure from watching a beginner get the ball in the air for the first time as he does when one of his students wins the U.S. Open. Harvey Penick's Little Red Book is an instant classic, a book to rank with Ben Hogan's Modern Fundamentals of Golf and Tommy Armour's How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time.

A spiritual journey, a lush travelogue, a parable of sports and philosophy—John Updike called this unique novel “a golf classic if any exists in our day.” When an American traveler on his way to India stops to play a round on one of the most beautiful and legendary golf courses in Scotland, he doesn’t know that his game—and his life—are about to change forever. He is introduced to Shivas Irons, a mysterious golf pro whose sublime insights stick with him long after the eighteenth hole. From the first swing of the Scotsman’s club, he realizes he is in for a most extraordinary day. By turns comic, existential, and semiautobiographical, Michael Murphy’s tale traces the arc of twenty-four hours, from a round of golf on the Links of Burningbush to a night fueled by whiskey, wisdom, and wandering—even a sighting of Seamus MacDuff, the holy man who haunts the hole they call Lucifer’s Rug. “Murphy’s book is going to alter many visions,” The New York Times Book Review declared. More than an unforgettable approach to one of the world’s most popular sports, Golf in the Kingdom is a meditation on the power of a game to transform the self.

Ben Hogan is legendary, intriguing, and mysterious. It's a combination that has contributed to Hogan being the most interesting golfer of all time. Aside from his amazing competitive record, his secretive and solitary personality provoke wonder and devotion among thousands of golfers worldwide who attempt to unlock Hogan's secret code of how to swing a golf club and strike a golf ball. Hogan himself has fueled this intrigue, mainly because he openly declared that he had a "secret," one that he never publicly revealed. Many top professionals have speculated on what they thought Hogan's secret might be, but until now those speculations were not supported by any revelations from Hogan himself. Now, author Larry Miller, who was mentored by Tommy Bolt, who in turn was one of Hogan's protégés, shares Hogan's secret as he learned it. This secret fundamental, which Miller breaks down into two aspects and explains with the aid of full-color photography and illustrations, will help the average golfer implement Hogan's teachings to benefit his or her game.

Known and revered by golfers everywhere, St. Andrews was formed by members of the Kingdom of Fife in 1754. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club stages the Open Championship annually and is responsible for the rules of golf throughout the world in conjunction with the United States Golf Association. Golf at St. Andrews, including never-before-seen photographs, is an interesting and detailed survey of the Old Course and an account of its rise as the Home of Golf. Author Keith Mackie begins by discussing Open Championships from 1873 to 1990, giving amusing anecdotes of the lives of players from Old Tom Morris to Jack Nicklaus, who wrote the foreword. Mackie then handles the subject of equipment; as golf equipment and the upkeep of courses has changed, so has the shape of the swing and the flight of the ball. Of course, Mackie presents the famous events at St. Andrews such as the Amateur Championships, the Walker Cup International between Britain and America, and the PGA Championship. He also includes a chapter on the management of the links: the fascinating details of the maintenance of the Old Course as well as advice on how to secure a start time. With Golf at St. Andrews, your introduction to the world's most famous course will be complete.

Revised and updated, the definitive story of the Home of Golf, witness to more than 600 years of golfing history That the game evolved and developed into its final form at St. Andrews has never been in question--St. Andrews is the home of the game's most influential ruling body, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, and it was there in 1764 that today's standard 18-hole round was established when the 22-hole Old Course was reduced. One golf course has now become seven and many of golf's most dramatic moments, affecting the world's most famous players, have occurred here. It has played host to the game's greats, as well as those enthusiastic amateurs for whom the chance to play St. Andrews' hallowed turf is a dream come true. This celebratory volume of the official history of golf's most important location was written by Tom Jarrett, a caddie, journalist, golfer, and author, and updated by Peter Mason, who was involved in managing the links throughout its most intensive--and controversial--phase of development. It contains many previously unpublished and rarely seen photos from the archives of the St Andrews Links Trust.