The Anatomy of a Golf Course: The Art of Golf Architecture

Even though this book was published in 1992, when Tom Doak was 30 years old, the lessons inside are still relevant. This makes sense, given that much of the book is rooted in the golf's past, from the Old Course at St. Andrew's to the so-called "golden age of golf" in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. Yet the book isn't all tooting the horn of tradition, as it takes contemporary currents (technology, sustainability, etc.) into account, offering a much-needed update to books written by Alister MacKenzie and others close to 75 years ago. If I ever got back on my high school-era path of wanting to design golf courses, this would be my textbook; it is that good, that timeless in its value of making courses for all show more skill levels and taking advantage of the natural features of a site, in lieu of exploiting the earth moving machines humans now have at their disposal. Yet the highest recommendation that can be made for this book is that it gives the reader enough knowledge about good golf course design that it should kill off bad golf courses. In other words, people who read this book won't play lousy tracts, no matter how cheap they might be. This book, then, calls for more better quality courses for all abilities, a very commendable goal. show less