Favorite Books
Here are some of my favorite books about golf course architecture. Just as any other artist does, a golf course architect will look everywhere for inspiration and ideas. They say the biggest form of flatery is when you copy something. In this case it is not about copying a certian golf hole or feature, but its about seeing how someone else may have solved a design problem. I don't claim to have all the answers, but I know where to look or who to call.
Many years before his death in 1948, legendary golf course architect Donald Ross wrote a book that was never published. Within the manuscript, Ross offered many of his thoughts on the game that he so dearly loved. In the mid-1990s, the book was miraculously rediscovered and published to great acclaim.
Golf Has Never Failed Me is an insightful look at the game by one of its most famous and beloved people. And what may surprise you is that many of the astute observations that he made so long ago still hold true today.
Students of golf course architecture are well aware of Robert Hunter - and it’s all because of The Links. This scholarly work was different from other architecture books of the day because Hunter was not a designer attempting to attract commissions through his writing. His goal - through the use of detailed drawings, contemporary photographs and thoughtful text - was not only to explain what made the classic holes so great but why they would stand the test of time.
Golf Architecture in America is the title of a new book on golf. It is the work of George C. Thomas, Jr., one of the country's leading architects. Mr. Thomas is responsible for the design of the Ojai course, La Cumbre, Bel Air, the new Riviera and other famous links. His book, probably the most comprehensive and interesting yet published, because it gives all the fundamentals of golf course construction in undestandable English, is for the benefit of the average golfer as well as for experts or near experts who build or expect to build courses. - Sherman A. Paddock, in the Country Club Magazine
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. --Jack Nicklaus
The Life and Work of Dr. Alister MacKenzie by Tom Doak, James S. Scott and Raymund M Haddock, uses detailed text, color photos and vintage maps, drawings and pictures to bring together many pieces of the puzzle. Questions about his boyhood, his military service, his many design trips in various parts of the world, and what made him so good at his craft, are all answered. Golfers, golf historians, and students of golf course architecture will find this book to be among their favorites.
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