Golf Books

Kingswood Rover

ivan Morris has a book out this week "Ireland's Best nine hole courses" it is a brilliant read. It starts off explaining that nine hole "Village" courses in Scotland in Particular in the 1890's and the early part of the last century played a significant role in popularizing the sport. He also adds that some struggling 18 hole clubs survival may be accomplished in reverting to a nine hole format. Hard to disagree with his logic given that I have seen posts on this forum by people reckoning that it costs a million euro a year to maintain a half decent 18 hole golf course. Any way it is a great read with some wonderful stories of his experiences as he researched the book. 9 HOLERS RULE.

princess poppy

Kingswood Rover wrote: »

ivan Morris has a book out this week "Ireland's Best nine hole courses" it is a brilliant read. It starts off explaining that nine hole "Village" courses in Scotland in Particular in the 1890's and the early part of the last century played a significant role in popularizing the sport. He also adds that some struggling 18 hole clubs survival may be accomplished in reverting to a nine hole format. Hard to disagree with his logic given that I have seen posts on this forum by people reckoning that it costs a million euro a year to maintain a half decent 18 hole golf course. Any way it is a great read with some wonderful stories of his experiences as he researched the book. 9 HOLERS RULE.

Were the 'blessed lakes' mentioned?

Kingswood Rover

Yep he reckoned it was ok

princess poppy

Kingswood Rover wrote: »

Yep he reckoned it was ok

Which did he pick as the top ones?

Kingswood Rover

Best Parklands 1. Blessington lakes. 2. Fintona. 3. Carrickmines.
Longest Course Blessington lakes.
Best Overall test Blessington Lakes.
Best pair of par fives. Blessington Lakes.
He also did an eclectic list of all the best holes he played as he researched the book, Our second hole made the list.
Get in there. The club are running an open day as part of a members recruitment drive on March 7th.

Montgolfier

Ally McIntosh wrote: »

Montgolfier,

None of those four books is essential to directly improve your game. But they are all essential to make you appreciate the game more. Which may indirectly help your game.

1. The George Thomas book (1920's) is a classic of architecture and strategy. Very hard to get hold of so you will be paying upwards of €200.
2. The MacKenzie book (1920) was a good early take on golf courses, much of which was superceded in his own book The Spirit of St Andrews
3. Doak's book is an excellent one that gets the basis of golf architecture down well.
4. Shackleford's book is probably the least technical and most romantic.

They are all based on golf courses and golf course architecture. On this subject, there are in essence 7 cornerstone books from the 1920's, 2 of which are highlighted above.

Cheers I ordered Anatomy of a golf course by Doak on amazon.
It's really to try and improve my course management I'm brutal on the course, but want to learn. I read on Karl Morris book that one way to learn how best to play a course is to walk the course backwards.

alxmorgan

Montgolfier wrote: »

Cheers I ordered Anatomy of a golf course by Doak on amazon.
It's really to try and improve my course management I'm brutal on the course, but want to learn. I read on Karl Morris book that one way to learn how best to play a course is to walk the course backwards.

You buy the new Karl Morris book "Attention...." ?

Montgolfier

alxmorgan wrote: »

You buy the new Karl Morris book "Attention...." ?

Yeah that's the one not exactly new, I got it late last summer. Great book good practice tips

the greatest game

Ones I have enjoyed

The Greatest Game ever played, The Match, An American Life ( Ben Hogan story) , The Wicked Game - just starting again.

G1032

A Good Walk Spoiled by John Feinstein

Tales from Q-School, also by Feinstein

They would be my two favourite golf books outside of the Mark Frost ones already mentioned in the thread

OffalyMedic

Midway through 'Dream On' after reading about it on here. Great book, what i enjoy most about it is I can relate to most of the stuff he says. Easy read and entertaining and best of all not to technical! Next on list is 'The Short Game Bible' and 'Putting out of your mind' especially after todays troubles on the course.

downthemiddle

Kingswood Rover wrote: »

Best Parklands 1. Blessington lakes. 2. Fintona. 3. Carrickmines.
Longest Course Blessington lakes.
Best Overall test Blessington Lakes.
Best pair of par fives. Blessington Lakes.
He also did an eclectic list of all the best holes he played as he researched the book, Our second hole made the list.
Get in there. The club are running an open day as part of a members recruitment drive on March 7th.

Great to see the course getting the recognition it deserves. It has always be a good and genuine test of golf with the course always well presented. Apart from the second you could make a very good argument for the sixth and the ninth being amongst the top holes.
Fintona has always been highly rated. Ronan Rafferty reckoned that two of the best holes he ever played were at Fintona.

Kingswood Rover

wit

downthemiddle wrote: »

Great to see the course getting the recognition it deserves. It has always be a good and genuine test of golf with the course always well presented. Apart from the second you could make a very good argument for the sixth and the ninth being amongst the top holes.
Fintona has always been highly rated. Ronan Rafferty reckoned that two of the best holes he ever played were at Fintona.

Just finished reading the book last night. The picture the authors words paints of some of the clubs/courses has me planing a 9 holer tour in my head. Hmmmm let me see, played carrickmines several times a magical place although the M 50 is an irritant. I think i would head North and do Virgina, Helens bay, Cushendall, Bushfoot and Fintona.
The start of the book contained a wonderful insight of how the game has developed in New Zealand where the country is "awash with 9 hole courses that are easily accessible in every small town with cheap green fees geared to make the game available to everybody". He goes on to say that clubhouses remaining in "steadfastly in Pavilion mode". and that a lot of the course maintenance is done by the members. Golf clubs being run similar to local GAA and football clubs with the same type of thinking and ethos but perhaps more importantly being being held by the wider community in the same regard is where golf needs to go in this country.

Ally McIntosh

Kingswood Rover wrote: »

wit

Just finished reading the book last night. The picture the authors words paints of some of the clubs/courses has me planing a 9 holer tour in my head. Hmmmm let me see, played carrickmines several times a magical place although the M 50 is an irritant. I think i would head North and do Virgina, Helens bay, Cushendall, Bushfoot and Fintona.
The start of the book contained a wonderful insight of how the game has developed in New Zealand where the country is "awash with 9 hole courses that are easily accessible in every small town with cheap green fees geared to make the game available to everybody". He goes on to say that clubhouses remaining in "steadfastly in Pavilion mode". and that a lot of the course maintenance is done by the members. Golf clubs being run similar to local GAA and football clubs with the same type of thinking and ethos but perhaps more importantly being being held by the wider community in the same regard is where golf needs to go in this country.

Well said Kingswood Rover (and Ivan Morris). Now for all those who think they agree - but actually don't when it affects them directly - to start accepting a different maintenance meld.

PARlance

Ally McIntosh wrote: »

Well said Kingswood Rover (and Ivan Morris). Now for all those who think they agree - but actually don't when it affects them directly - to start accepting a different maintenance meld.

Can't believe Mulranny hasn't been mentioned... Don't think you'll get better scenery on a nine hole course (sea views on all holes) and the course itself is a lovely flat(ish) links. As for maintenance... there's a few cattle and sheep that look after most of that. Only a couple of holes with bunkers too...

Ally McIntosh

PARlance wrote: »

Can't believe Mulranny hasn't been mentioned... Don't think you'll get better scenery on a nine hole course (sea views on all holes) and the course itself is a lovely flat(ish) links. As for maintenance... there's a few cattle and sheep that look after most of that. Only a couple of holes with bunkers too...

Yes, I suspect Mulranny would be my number 1, not that I've seen near them all. Need to buy the book. Delighted it's out there.

Kingswood Rover

Ally McIntosh wrote: »

Yes, I suspect Mulranny would be my number 1, not that I've seen near them all. Need to buy the book. Delighted it's out there.

Actually lads he did talk about Mulranny and that is somewhere i have played my self 3 times i think, a little piece of heaven. The author absolutely loved it, just the air of the place and the pavilion, the fight by ordinary people to keep back the Atlantic.... to me it is places like this that are the soul of what golf is all about, why do some members clubs feel they have to have to build an edifice to be admired as you walk up the final fairway is beyond me, it is as if the meal after, the shower facilities and having a Pro shop is the be all and end all. This is the type of thinking that has stratified golf in the minds of the vast majority of our citizens as stuffy, boring and not for me. For me its clubs like Mulranny, Doneraille, Blessington lakes, Glencullen, Spanish point, Ballinamore, Tubbercurry, Ballinascorney, Cill Dara etc that are going to survive and thrive.

Dolph Starbeam

Just finished "The Pro" as had been recommended on here, really enjoyable ready, my favorite part was when Butch Jr. missed a cut and called his Butch Sr.,

"Dad , I need to come home and see you. I'm Just playing awful"

"What are you talking about?"

"Dad I'm playing terrible. I just missed another cut, and I have to go to Canada to qualify on Monday. I need to come see you."

"You missed the cut?"

"Yes, I missed another cut."

"I thought you were leading," he said. "I must have had the newspaper upside down."



Also ordered "Ben Hogan: An American Life", so I'm going to start that now.