Grounds for Golf: The History and Fundamentals of Golf Course Design

Product Description:

Subjects: Sports & Recreation, Sports, Golf - General, Sports & Recreation / Golf, Design and construction, Golf, Golf course architects, Golf courses, History,

Good Book on Course Design
Geoff Shackelford is an excellent writer and explains golf course design in simple and yet direct terms. It is a very interesting book for those who have an interest in what makes a well designed golf course.

Why Journalists Shouldn't Design Golf Courses
After having read this book, which I thought was pretty good, I looked forward to playing Rustic Canyon.
Wrong! I thought the author "got it", but Rustic Canyon suffers from most of ills discussed in the book.
Talk about not memorable...I was really disappointed.
When the fairways are not framed by rough or trees, when the pancake traps are unseen, when the number of straight holes well out-number the doglegs, its time to go.
Good book, but if Rustic Canyon is any indication of the author's sensibilities, maybe there is better reading out there.

A great book for the uninitiated
Books on golf architecture are begining to appear in huge numbers. The interest in golf course architecture, as opposed to only the swing, is something the author will no doubt see as the coming of a new recognition of golf as a thinking sport, rather than the "ape with a club smacking a ball" sport it is devolving into.

This sumarizes the main point the author seeks to make: architecture is important because it is what makes us stop and scratch our head on the course. When we no longer are selecting clubs in order to navigate a course in what appears the best rout for ourselves, and are merely seeking to blast the ball down the fairway as if on a driving range with a hole, architecture and the sport itself is lost.

As is made clear from this, a great deal of lamenting on the state of the game is done between the covers. This may irk a number of readers, particularly those who do not care too much about the professional game, and not obsessed with scores. It may be even more irritating to those who believe the purpose of the game is to hit 300 yard drives on every hole and leave people who can only hit to 200 on the granny tees.

All the woes aside, the book gives what is probably the best introduction to architecture one is likely to find. It covers all the bases: the history of architecture, its various schools, strategic layouts, the basics of course maintanence, and lots of examples of famous holes and layouts to learn from. Some of the holes may have been copied on the courses readers frequent, and may shed some light on how to apporach a hole and why it was designed the way it was.

Aimed more towards the golfer rather than the aspiring architect, it gives the reader everything needed to look anew at the game and the field on which it is played. This will be a particularly useful book for someone with the World Atlas of Golf, as they will be able to see why so many courses have earned their reputations.

Terrific even for nongolfers
I bought his book as a gift and then picked it up and found myself reading the whole thing. The book is very accessible and entertaining even for the novice, and the beautiful drawings and great photos perfectly illustrate the author's text. It covers the history and evolution of course design, famous courses, greatest architects and the best holes ever built. Shackelford also details his own experience designing the Rustic Canyon Golf course, so this isn't a dry academic exercise: he knows what he's talking about, and says it with grace and a lot of humor. There are chapters on how to "read" a design, how to daydream your way through redesigning a hole while you're playing a course, and even a chapter that gives you a blank canvas to create your own design. I especially liked the history of St. Andrews Old Course and now understand why that course is so revered. I also liked the way Shackelford used movie and baseball analogies, which made things even clearer. The chapter on the language of architecture gave me a better understanding of golf overall. Now I actually have to try it.

So, that's why playing at the Riviera was so much fun!
If you've ever wondered why some golf courses are interesting and fun to play, while others are boring and unsatisfying, you are likely to find the answers in Grounds for Golf. Shackelford brings valuable insights to the subject he calls "the most interactive art form alive." A book on golf course design could get bogged down with technicalities and engineering jargon; instead Grounds for Golf is entertaining, amusing, revealing and written for a wide golfing audience. You will have some "Aha!" moments as you realize that the best course designers, it turns out, aren't trying to punish you or trick you. They are trying to 1. Give you choices (some of which depend on how good a golfer you are or what type personality you are) and 2. Give you a way out or a way back when you make a bad shot. They're on your side, though it sometimes doesn't seem that way. If you are a golfer who gets to play many different courses (through business or vacations) you will find yourself not only beginning to notice the good and bad design aspects of a course, you will also find yourself asking, "Who designed this course?" And you will start seeking out courses designed by good architects in the same way that detective story readers seek out their favorite authors. You will become, painlessly, somewhat of a golf course design expert without having to read all the old classics on the subject. Shackelford has distilled them for you. The book is also liberally sprinkled with quotable quotes, handy for repeating in the appropriate situation. There is a fun "list" section in the back with the author's bests, favorites, etc. Also a good index. I highly recommend this book.