From Booklist
Shackelford is a golf journalist and traditionalist worried that equipment and television are degrading golf into a sport played by thrashers rather than thinkers. In this enjoyable effort to spread appreciation for golf-course architecture, Shackelford preaches a simple dogma: a course should be naturalistic, replete with tempting, playable shot options. Knowing that golf aficionados can sense the difference between playing an assembly-line course built during the 1970s and a mature one from the 1920s, Shackelford puts flesh on the bones of their intuition with a review of design schools. He extols the "strategic" school, exemplified by St. Andrews or Augusta National, which he justifies with detailed assessments of the famous Road Hole and Amen Corner, respectively. Caustic about designs he disdains, Shackelford is more than an armchair critic because he helped create a new public course in Southern California, illustrated, as are his other topics, with a profusion of sketches and photographs. An insightful instilling of knowledge, Shackelford's history and analysis will score low with the cerebral segment of golfdom--and, remember, low is good. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
Golfers dream of playing the legendary courses of the game: St. Andrews, Augusta National, Pinehurst, Pebble Beach. And anyone who has played the royal and ancient sport is an armchair architect at heart. From alterations for their home course to visions of their very own backyard dream course, most golfers would love to test their hands at course design.
What makes certain courses timeless? Unlike the venues of other popular recreational sports like tennis and racquetball, whose playing fields are bound by strict measurements that do not vary, each golf course is unique. Offering an endless topographical variety, from short to long, flat or hilly, wet or dry, every course represents a compelling blend of risks versus rewards, with decisions and challenges to test every golfer’s game and mental toughness.
Combining Geoff Shackelford’s informative narrative with detailed illustrations by architect Gil Hanse, Grounds for Golf explains the fundamentals of golf course design in an understandable and entertaining style. Modern photographs, anecdotal sidebars, and witty quotations augment a course design primer that will enhance readers’ enjoyment of golf's lore while introducing the fundamentals of course design. By explaining the golf course from the ground up, Grounds for Golf will not only help readers in their understanding of the game, but will help their games themselves.
From the Back Cover
Advance Praise for Grounds for Golf
“Geoff's book is great. In fact, Grounds for Golf explains the basics of course architecture better than any other book—ever. But this is no snooze—Shackelford remembers to entertain while he informs.”—Curt Sampson, author of Chasing Tiger and Hogan
“Geoff Shackelford’s primer on the fascinating world of course design will help golfers understand and appreciate why some courses succeed in holding their interest while others fail to do so. His work is both insightful and approachable. Readers will never look at a course the same way again.”—Lorne Rubenstein, author of A Season in Dornoch: Golf and Life in the Scottish Highlands.
“I don’t know anyone more knowledgeableæor passionateæabout golf course architecture than Geoff Shackelford. His Grounds for Golf is a terrific primer for those who want to know why architecture is an important, but misunderstood, part of the game. And if it helps them play better, well, that’s just a nice bonus.”—James A. Frank, editor of Golf Magazine
“Geoff Shackelford’s dedicated enthusiasm for the study of golf course architecture comes across beautifully in this lovely book. I highly recommend the book to all golf enthusiasts.”—Peter Oosterhuis, CBS commentator, six-time Ryder Cup player, and former director of golf at the Riviera Country Club
About the Author
Geoff Shackelford is the author of several golf books, and his writing has appeared in Golf Magazine, Links, Golf World, the Los Angeles Times, and Golfdom magazine. While writing Grounds for Golf, Shackelford codesigned Rustic Canyon Golf Course in Moorpark, California, with Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner. Golf Digest recently named Rustic Canyon the Best New Affordable Public Course in America. Geoff lives in Santa Monica, California.
Gil Hanse has a master’s degree in landscape architecture from Cornell and is the architect of several acclaimed courses, including Craighead Golf Links in Scotland, Applebrooke Golf Club near Philadelphia, and Rustic Canyon. Hanse has overseen restoration work at classic courses originally designed by Donald Ross, A. W. Tillinghast, and William Flynn. Gil and his wife, Tracey, live in Malvern, Pennsylvania, with their three children Chelsea, Tyler, and Caley.
Grounds for Golf: The History and Fundamentals of Golf Course Design FROM THE PUBLISHER
Golfers Dream of playing the legendary courses of the game: St. Andrews, Augusta National, Pinehurst, Pebble Beach. And anyone who has played the royal and ancient sport is an armchair architect at heart. From alterations for their home course to visions of their very own backyard dream course, most golfers would love to test their hands at course design. What makes certain courses timeless? Unlike the venues of other popular recreational sports like tennis and racquetball, whose playing fields are bound by strict measurements that do not vary, each golf course is unique. Offering an endless topographical variety -- from short to long, flat or hilly, wet or dry -- every course represents a compelling blend of risks versus rewards, with decisions and challenges to test every golfer's game and mental toughness. Combing Geoff Shackelford's informative narrative with detailed illustrations by architect Gil Hanse, Grounds for Golf explains the fundamentals of golf course design in an understandable and entertaining style. Modern photographs, anecdotal sidebars, and witty quotations augment a course design primer that will enhance readers' enjoyment of golf's lore while introducing the fundamentals of course design. By explaining the golf course from the ground up, Grounds for Golf will not only help readers in their understanding of the game, but will help their games themselves.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
It goes without saying that every golfer comes in contact with golf architecture-there is simply no other way to play the game. In his latest book on the sport, Shackelford (The Art of Golf Design) provides a basic understanding of golf course architecture for the average duffer in lay reader's terms. Mixing architectural knowledge and golfing anecdote, this book fills the gap between technical treatises on landscape and golf course architecture (e.g., Michael Hurdzan's Golf Course Architecture) and coffee-table books with spectacular photography. Shackelford does a creditable job of presenting holes, both in words and illustration, to illustrate the points that he is trying to make. One of his valuable tips is to talk to the course superintendent, who will know if sand has been added to the bunkers, if new tee positions will be added, and other peculiarities of the course. Understanding the architect's concept can lead to a more enjoyable game and, in turn, better scores, and this book can help. Strongly recommended for sports collections.-Steven Silkunas, North Wales, PA
Art & Photography
Book Info
