Books
The 50 Golf Books Every Golfer Should Read

Whether you recognize it or not, you're always reading on the golf course: your putts, the wind, the lie, your opponent's reactions. Reading is, indeed, fundamental for a golfer on the course, but it should be off it, too. If you're not reading any of the more than 10,000 English-language golf books that have been written you may be missing out on the most important reads of all.
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But you don't need to read all 10-grand to feel how the majesty of the game has been expressed in elegant prose. Golf Digest has narrowed the list to a nifty top 50, standouts that aren't so much the best ever but a well-rounded collection that every golfer should read for the combination of golf knowledge and entertainment they offer. They are organized alphabetically by author and should be available, even the older titles, on Amazon. Also peruse AbeBooks.com, used-book site alibris.com and classicsofgolf.com, or library used-book sales or used-book stores. Do something radical in today's barrage of limited-character messages and take in some golf lit off the course that complements your reading on it.

How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time By Tommy Armour (1953)

The Masters of Golf: Learning from Their Methods By Dick Aultman and Ken Bowden (1975)

Gettin' to the Dance Floor: An Oral History of American Golf By Al Barkow (1986)

Pro: Frank Beard on the Golf Tour By Frank Beard, edited by Dick Schaap (1970)

On Learning Golf By Percy Boomer (1946)

A History of Golf: The Royal and Ancient Game from Its Beginnings to the Present Day By Robert Browning (1955)

In Search of Tiger: A Journey Through Golf with Tiger Woods By Tom Callahan (2003)

Golf: The Marvelous Mania By Alistair Cooke (2007)

The Architects of Golf By Geoffrey Cornish and Ron Whitten (1981)

The Golf Courses of the British Isles By Bernard Darwin (1910)

The Historical Dictionary of Golfing Terms By Peter Davies (1980)

The Book of Golf Disasters By Peter Dobereiner (1983)

The Glorious World of Golf By Peter Dobereiner (1973)

The Clubmaker's Art: Antique Golf Clubs and Their History By Jeffery B. Ellis (1997)

A Good Walk Spoiled By John Feinstein (1995)

The Greatest Game Ever Played By Mark Frost (2002)

The Illustrated History of Women's Golf By Rhonda Glenn (1991)

The Pro: Lessons About Golf and Life from My Father, Claude Harmon Sr. By Claude (Butch) Harmon Jr. (2006)

Ben Hogan's Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf By Ben Hogan, with Herbert Warren Wind (1957)

Practical Golf By John Jacobs (1972)

Dead Solid Perfect By Dan Jenkins (1974)
Jenkins’ sarcastic wit is channeled through Kenny Lee Puckett, a fictitious tour pro whose off-course dramas—numerous and humorous—are amplified when he gets in the hunt at the U.S. Open.

The Dogged Victims of Inexorable Fate By Dan Jenkins (1970)

Golf Is My Game By Robert Tyre Jones Jr. (1959)

Bobby Jones on Golf By Robert Tyre Jones Jr. (1966)

The Essential Henry Longhurst By Henry Longhurst (1988)

Arnie: Evolution of a Legend By Mark McCormack (1967)

Uneven Lies: The Heroic Story of African-Americans in Golf By Pete McDaniel (2000)

The Ultimate Golf Book By Charles McGrath and David McCormick (2002)

Golf in the Kingdom By Michael Murphy (1971)

Golf My Way By Jack Nicklaus, with Ken Bowden (1974)

The Greatest Game of All: My Life in Golf By Jack Nicklaus, with Herbert Warren Wind (1969)

A Game of Golf By Francis Ouimet (1932)

The Making of the Masters By David Owen (1999)

My Game and Yours By Arnold Palmer (1963)

A Golfer's Life By Arnold Palmer, with James Dodson (1999)

Harvey Penick's Little Red Book By Harvey Penick (1992)

The Bogey Man By George Plimpton (1967)

Golfer-at-Large: New Slants on an Ancient Game By Charles Price (1982)

Mostly Golf: A Bernard Darwin anthology By Peter Ryde, editor (1976)

Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect By Bob Rotella with Bob Cullen (1995)

The Art of Golf (Ebook) By Sir Walter G. Simpson (1887)

The U.S. Open: Golf's Ultimate Challenge By Robert Sommers (1996)

A Love Affair with the Game By Frank (Sandy) Tatum (2002)

The Open: Golf's Oldest Major By Donald Steel (2010)

The Principles Behind the Rules of Golf By Richard S. Tufts (1960)

Golf Architecture in America By George C. Thomas (1927)

The Story of American Golf By Herbert Warren Wind (1948)

Golf Dreams: Writings on Golf By John Updike (1996)

How I Play Golf By Tiger Woods (2001)
