Golf Course Design

     The following are a list of books related to golf course design. Just click on the book cover, or the Title to find out more, and to order online from Amazon.com.

Driving the Green: The Making of a Golf Course
Written by John Strawn
     A slow-driving account of the development and building of Ironhorse, a "country club community" in West Palm Beach. ``Designing a golf course,'' Strawn, a devoted golfer and former construction entrepreneur, is told, ``is five percent common sense and ninety-five percent drainage.'' The Ironhorse property, a flat 350 acres in the Florida wetlands, presented an array of challenges to golf-course architect Arthur Hills.

Golf Course Design
Written by Robert Muir Graves (Editor), Geoffrey S. Cornish
     Golf course construction is burgeoning in the US and worldwide. Since 1990, an average of more than 350 new or expanded courses have opened annually in the US, and 1,600 course are planned or under construction. This book covers all aspects of golf course design and construction.

Golf Course Development and Real Estate
Written by Muirhead, Guy L. Rando
     Golf Course Development and Real Estate includes detailed how-to information about designing and building a golf course and the surrounding residential area. Full color illustrations, examples, and case studies offer insights and ideas. Topics covered include: the development process; analysis of economic viability; strategies for risk minimization; ways to increase land values, accelerate absorption, and determine costs; golf course design and land planning; pros and cons of various layouts; management of the golf business; and solutions to environmental and safety issues.

Bury Me in a Pot Bunker : Golf Through the Eyes of the Game's Most Challenging Course Designer
Written by Pete Dye, Mark Shaw
     One of the world's most creative golf-course designers, Pete Dye is known to golfers everywhere as either a genius or a demon. Pete and his designer/wife Alice have magically converted dull ground and swamps into diabolical courses filled with mounds, pot bunkers, and small "target-golf" greens. Now Pete Dye reveals the secrets behind his designs and captivates readers with his hilarious stories involving the greatest players of all time.

Golf Course Architecture: Design, Construction & Restoration
Written by Michael J. Hurdzan
     Simply an outstanding look at the fascinating process of taking a piece of land and sculpting a championship layout. A step-by-step process that details the many intricacies and disciplines involved in creating a golf course.

Golf Architecture (Classics of Golf)
Written by Alistair MacKenzie, Herbert W. Wind (Designer)
     If you didn't like the recent reprint of "Spirit of St. Andrews," take heart; this book is the one that was published during Dr. MacKenzie's lifetime for a reason. The book is well organized, and Dr. MacKenzie obviously used a good editor to help him.

 

The Course Beautiful : A Collection of Original Articles and Photographs on Golf Course Design
Written by Albert Warren Tillinghast
     In celebration of the genius of Albert Warren Tillinghast, we have published THE COURSE BEAUTIFUL, a collection of original Tillinghast essays on golf course design, loaded with vintage design sketches and antique photographs.

 

Golf Has Never Failed Me : The Lost Commentaries of Legendary Golf Architect Donald J. Ross
Written by Donald J. Ross
     Donald Ross, one of Scotland's great exports to America, has designed or remodeled some of the most magnificent and challenging courses on the planet. His commentaries on the rationale behind his architecture, penned before World War I but only recently rediscovered, present a continuous fairway of graceful and thoughtful insights into the game.

The Captain : George C. Thomas Jr. and His Golf Architecture
Written by Geoff Shackelford
     The Captain is Geoff Shackelford's brilliant bouquet to the memory of one of America's legendary golf architects, George C. Thomas Jr. Using little known details and newly discovered illustrations, Shackelford thoughtfully analyzes the might captain's course architecture with the same loving attention that Thomas himself gave to both his course designs and his hybrid roses.

The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses
Written by Tom Doak
     One of the better young contemporary course designers and a contributing editor to Golf Magazine, Tom Doak has assembled a brash, coffee-table volume of observations and analyses that'll have golfers salivating and pulling their hair out at the same time (when they're not debating his findings over refreshments at the 19th hole). Not only does Doak rate and review hundreds of courses throughout the U.S.--by region and state--and around the world, he offers a "Gourmet Guide" to the 31 layouts he'd personally like to play with friends: Anyone not up for the likes of Pine Valley, Merion, St. Andrews, Riviera, and Ballybunion?

Rough Meditations
Written by Bradley S. Klein
     Klein is a fine writer and in this eclectic collection he ably conveys the beauty and mystery of the game in the context of course design and architecture. He has set out to “help other golfers appreciate the aesthetics of the most interesting playing fields in all of sports,” in the belief that “paying close attention to the landforms we play golf on makes the game more enchanting and more fun.” In the case of this reader he has succeeded.

Golf by Design : How to Lower Your Score by Reading the Features of a Course
Written by Robert Trent Jones, Michael Bartlett (Contributor)
     From the distinguished designer of over 150 golf courses around the world, this unique guide shows golfers how to read the key features of a course--and dramatically lower their scores. Drawing on a lifetime of experience, Jones teaches golfers how to beat a course by outwitting its architect. 60 color photos. 100 line drawings.