Adventures in Extreme Golf: Incredible Tales on the Links from Scotland to Antarctica
By Duncan Lennard, Skyhorse Paperback, $14.95Any golfer who has sought to break free from their mundane, familiar course will want to read this book about the extreme golf adventures being experienced around the world. Learn about courses located in the snow, desert, and mountains of the world. This book follows golfers such as Torsten Schilling and Andre Tolme, who have played "courses" with a par of 11,880 or layouts at 12,000 feet in altitude. There are many golfers like them who aren't satisfied with simple layouts; they want the challenges found in New Zealand and Antarctica. Lennard shows that diligence and resilience are more important than having a nice-looking swing.More information on this book ⇒
An American Caddie in St. Andrews
By Oliver Horovitz, Gotham, $26After schooling at the University of St. Andrews, Horovitz stayed on for seven summers to caddie at the Old Course. His memoir tells all the tales of the crazy moments he endured, the celebrities he caddied for, the playing tips he learned, how caddieing taught him to be a smarter player, and how he worked his way up the ladder from trainee to veteran caddie. (Publication date is March 14.)More information on this book ⇒
Any Given Monday: Sports Injuries and How to Prevent Them, for Athletes, Parents, and Coaches
By Dr. James R. Andrews, with Don Yaeger, Scribner, $25The title also includes the notation that the book is based on Dr. Andrews' life in sports medicine, which is described as "the preeminent and pioneering orthopedic surgeon of the sports world with over 40 years in sports medicine." Among his clients has been Brett Favre, Bo Jackson, Jack Nicklaus, Albert Pujols, Roger Clements, Charles Barkley, Drew Brees and Eli and Peyton Manning. He is the team doctor for Auburn University, the University of Alabama, the Washington Redskins, and the Tampa Bay Rays. The book is a reference guide for the 25 most popular youth sports and it describes common health concerns, how to prevent them from happening and if they do, how to treat them. Dr. Andrews hopes he can get people to key in on prevention first and foremost.More information on this book ⇒
Bobby's Open, Mr. Jones and the Golf Shot that Defined a Legend
By Steven Reid, Corinthian Books, $24.95Reid has been an R&A member since 1965 and is the chief medical officer of the R&A Golf Club, a background sufficient enough to make his description of Jones' triumph in the 1926 British Open a worthwhile read.More information on this book ⇒
Drive Like the Pros: Increase Your Clubhead Speed and Distance Using Revolutionary 3-D Technology by TaylorMade
By Michael Neff, Gotham, $30Neff is the founder of the first TaylorMade Performance Lab and a top expert in 3-D swing instruction. He explains here, using the TaylorMade MAT-T (Motion Analysis Technology by TaylorMade) system, how amateurs can swing more like tour pros and improve their games. The system uses multiple high-speed cameras and specifically designed software to produce a three-dimensional, computer-animated image of a golfer's swing. It then allows players of all skill levels to have their swing compared with PGA players such as Sergio Garcia and Dustin Johnson. That shows amateurs where they need to improve. (Publication date is March 7.)More information on this book ⇒
18 in America
By Dylan Dethier, Scribner Kindle Edition, $25Amazon describes it as "an exhilarating account of one remarkable teenager's solo trek to play golf in each of the lower 48 states—a compelling coming-of-age story and a surprising look at the equalizing power of the sport in America… From a three-dollar nine-holer in rural West Virginia to a municipal course amid the failing factories of Flint, Michigan, and to the manicured greens of Pebble Beach, Dylan explored the variety of the nation's golf courses, the multiplicity of its towns and cities, and, most strikingly of all, the diversity of its people." (Publication date is May 21.)More information on this book ⇒
18 Greatest Golf Collection
By Craig Morrison and Andrew Ross, 18 Greatest Golf, $199This limited-edition collection is made up of a two-volume series of coffee-table size books, all featuring hand-numbered, high-definition art prints and beautiful photography. The books are "18 Greatest Irish Holes" and "18 Greatest Scottish Holes." Colin Montgomerie wrote a foreword for the Scottish book and Padraig Harrington wrote one for the Irish book. The book set is available in select golf stores or can be ordered online at www.18GreatestGolf.com.There are also full-digital photographic ebook versions available from Amazon and iTunes. Also available are limited-edition prints, done on archival museum paper either framed or unframed.More information on this book ⇒
The Golden Age of Pinehurst: The Story of the Rebirth of No. 2
By Michael Neff, Gotham, $30One of the most venerable and loved golf locations in the world, Pinehurst No. 2 will be the site in 2014 for the U.S. and U.S. Women's opens being held on back-to-back weeks. Mr. Pace is the right writer to tackle how No. 2 has been transformed over the years —both the good and bad workovers. Its present transformation has the course back to what Donald Ross admirers feel is the correct look and playing characteristics.More information on this book ⇒
Golf's Grand Design: The Evolution of Golf Architecture in America
By Bob Cupp and Ron Whitten, Whitten/Cupp/Trimboli, $24.95This companion book to a PBS documentary of the same name is written by course architect Cupp and Golf Digest Architecture Editor Whitten. The book is an expansion of the special and highlights the work of 34 past and present architects, using rare sketches and hole diagrams, some published for the first time. Some of the designers include Alister Mackenzie, Pete Dye, Bill Coore, Donald Ross, A.W. Tillinghast and Gil Hanse, plus player/designers Ben Crenshaw, Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus. The unique construction of the book's narrative —with Cupp and Whitten's "voices" being heard in dialogue fashion —helps with comprehension of their perspectives on why design features were done in a certain way. This is a great read for golfers seeking knowledge of why courses are put together the way they are.More information on this book ⇒
Grown At Glen Garden
By Jeff Miller, Skyhorse, $24.95The lives of Masters rivals and 1942 playoff battlers Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan are chronicled. It starts when they are caddies at the same club.More information on this book ⇒
Hogan on the Green: A Detailed Analysis of the Revolutionary Putting Method of Golf Legend Ben Hogan
By John Andrisani, Rodale, $19.99Today we mainly recall Hogan's putting for being shaky and poor at the end of his career, but Andrisani writes that Hogan's putting ability in his prime often went unnoticed and was overshadowed by his legendary tee-to-green skill. This book focuses on Hogan's skill at making putts of all lengths on a variety of grasses. (Publication date is May 14.)More information on this book ⇒
Houdini Shots
By Martin Hall, Wiley, $25.95The magical short-game skill of the late two-time Masters winner Seve Ballesteros is the inspiration for this engrossing guide to playing all the tough shots.More information on this book ⇒
How to Make Every Putt: The Secret to Winning Golf's Game Within the Game
By Dr. Joseph Parent, Gotham, $25The instructor and mental-game expert, who works with PGA and LPGA players, helps golfers gain putting skill and confidence by focusing on both the physical and mental challenges. His goal is for golfers to reach stress-free putting with essentials such as: feeling the confidence that you can make every putt; how to read greens for line and speed; the secret to a great putting routine, and how to get better while you play. (Publication date is May 2.)More information on this book ⇒
Ike, Golf and Augusta
By David Sowell, Sowell Publishing, $13.50As a golf-happy president, Dwight Eisenhower played more than 900 rounds of golf, but he was also well known for his association with Augusta National. Sowell examines Ike's love of the game, the genesis for his interest in Augusta starting in World War II, and how he worked golf into his presidency while trying to solve world affairs at the same time.More information on this book ⇒
It's Game Time Somewhere
By Tim Forbes, Bascom Hill, $15.95The author did what many people languishing in jobs feel like doing: leaving the job and pursuing a longtime desire or passion. In Forbes' case, he had been in a perk-filled sports-marketing job that wasn't satisfactory and had him questioning whether he still had a love for sports. At age 40, he set out to discover the answer, taking a camera and notepad with him to experience 50 different sports, which included ventures into the golf world.More information on this book ⇒
Legendary Golf Clubhouses Of The U.S. And Great Britain
By John Dunn, Crown, $25Dunn began his caddie odyssey by looping in college. Once out of school, he began a 20-year experience of traveling around the country and working at places such as Bandon Dunes, Shinnecock Hills and Augusta National. This is his account of what he learned at his many stops about the game and himself. (Publication date is May 14.)More information on this book ⇒
On Par: The Everyday Golfer's Survival Guide
By Bill Pennington, Mariner Paperback, $26Pennington, a golf writer for The New York Times, comments on a wide-ranging list of golf topics, from equipment to instruction to the language of the game, using knowledge he's pulled from a variety of experts. CBS' Jim Nantz says, "No one can completely cover the game of golf like Bill Pennington and no book can comprehensively tell the story of the sport with the same wit, wisdom and knowledge like On Par." (Publication date May 7.)More information on this book ⇒
Sun-Up to Sun-Down: The Lives of Golf Course Owners
By Thomas Franklin, Blue River Press, $27.95There are 26 million golfers and 2 million jobs in the golf industry; this book looks at the lives of the golf course owners who try to accommodate and provide for those two groups. Franklin reveals the trends in ownership and what the future holds. (Publication date is April 1.)More information on this book ⇒
The Kingdom of Golf in America
By Richard J. Moss, University of Nebraska Press, $34.95The aristocratic and democratic impulses of golf as it grew in the private and public golf communities in America are traced. Moss shows how many of the elements that shaped America —race, gender, technology —also shaped golf. (Publication date is June 1.)More information on this book ⇒
365 Golf Tips & Tricks from the Pros
By Jay Morelli, Sterling paperback, $12.95There are 26 million golfers and 2 million jobs in the golf industry; this book looks at the lives of the golf course owners who try to accommodate and provide for those two groups. Franklin reveals the trends in ownership and what the future holds. (Publication date is April 1.)More information on this book ⇒
Two Roads to Augusta: The Heartwarming Story of Ben Crenshaw and Carl Jackson
By Crenshaw and Jackson, American Golfer, $29.95This is the divergent story of how Crenshaw hooked up with the Augusta caddie Jackson and continued to use him year after year, two times finishing atop the standings. (Publication date is April 1.)More information on this book ⇒
1001 Golf Holes You Must Play Before You Die
By Jeff Barr, Universe, $36.95This is a revised and updated edition, with a preface by Robert Trent Jones Jr., of the richly illustrated collection (800 photos) of great golf holes from around the world, organized by the challenge level they present and including par 3s, 4s and 5s. Some longer entries reveal designer's reasons for how the hole was designed, plus there are tips on how the hole should be played. (Publication date is March 19.)More information on this book ⇒
Walking with Jack
By Don Snyder, Doubleday, $25.95The subtitle is "a father's journey to become his son's caddie," which pretty much describes this memoir about a father's dream to be a pro caddie for his son, Jack, which required Don, at age 57, to leave the comfort of home and venture out to make good on his promise. (Publication date is June 11.)More information on this book ⇒
