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Complete Golfer’s Handbook By Gary Player

August 29th, 2008 — Book Review

How do you fit a complete golfer’s handbook into 170 pages? The author of this book actually managed quite well, surprisingly. From pictures of golf courses in South Africa, to analyzing Ben Hogan’s famous swing, everything you could ever really need to know about golf is contained within these scant pages. At times, the book suffers from a lack of focus, but overall, we found it to be a very enjoyable read.

We appreciated the fact that this book did a great job of covering all of the basics, such as the history of the game, rules, etiquette and different strategies. Each section contains incredible illustrations and photographs, and visually, this is a very stunning book. Since the page count is rather limited, the author really didn’t go into as much detail as he could have, but the basics are all covered quite nicely. He did a good job of demystifying a lot of the aspects of this sport and you’ll come away with some very interesting trivia to share with your friends on the 19th hole.

Player has three Master’s jackets and is well known throughout the golfing world as one of its nicest personalities. This shines through in the book and if a read could ever be called genial, this book would take the cake. It was a pleasant read that captured Player’s spirit and translated it onto the page, and that is something that many authors fail to do throughout their careers. He did have the help of two co-authors, but you never feel that they are writing the book while he’s off at the clubhouse. A lot of books by star players fall prey to this, but Player’s book managed to really capture his love of the game, and his personality, without feeling like it was overly ghostwritten.

The section on practice drills and games was very informative and we came away with some great tips to use out on the course the next time we head out. The mental preparation section was also particularly useful and again, full of tips you can put to immediate use.

Bottom line, if you are a fan of the sport and already own every book on the subject, you should still be able to get something out of Player’s book. If you’re completely new to the game and looking for an instructional, this is not the best resource for that, but it is still a good read that can help explain a lot of the game to a novice. Golfers are an odd bunch, as we should know, but this book does a good job of appealing to all of them. It may not be our favorite golfing book, and it may not be the most useful book ever written on the sport, but that didn’t take away from enjoying it thoroughly. Buy it, give it as a gift to a rabid golfer and take it at face value as an entertaining read. You won’t regret the purchase.

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Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die: Golf Experts Share the World’s Greatest Destinations by Chris Santella

August 8th, 2008 — Book Review, golf courses

Whether you are a die hard golfer, or just someone that likes to dream big, this is an incredible book. Inevitably, when you're dealing with a book that lists the "50 Best", you're going to have a lot of controversy. Instead of getting bent out of shape that perhaps your favorite courses weren't included, this is a book to be read for fun, not for critiquing. When you're done, take some inspiration from the book and make your own list of 50 courses that you must visit before you die - now that is a lot of fun.

The author is well known for his previous title on Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die, and he is also a fanatical golfer. We liked the approach of asking several people, such as Donald Trump, where they would love to play golf. The result is a great list, but one that not a lot of golfers will be able to attain. For example, there are a few courses on the list that are simply too expensive for the average golfer, or shut to the public.

However, if you're just reading for fun, the book takes you on a fantastical journey literally around the world. You'll be seeing courses in the most exotic locations and the accompanying photographs are worth the cost of the book alone. This can serve not only as a dream book, but as a wonderful conversation piece among friends. Our main complaint was that pictures were not included for every single course in the book. That would have bumped the book up a lot further in our estimation, and it seems almost silly not to include at least one picture for every course.

That aside, this is a terrific book that belongs on every single golfer's coffee table, if for nothing else than the inspiration it can bring. The next time it's a rainy day and you can't get on the links, open this book and prepare to travel around the world in style. The overall style of the writing is well suited to a book of this type and it's all too easy to get swept away and wonder where the hours went.

As we mentioned previously, this type of book usually generates quite a bit of controversy, simply because everyone has a set idea of what the best courses are. However, this works in the book's favor and while there are those that might criticize it, this is an inspirational read that really made us love the game even more.

The one thing that would have made the book better is perhaps steering clear of being "safe" with some of the more well known courses. We would have liked to have seen more out of the way courses that are real diamonds in the rough so to speak. But, then again, this isn't our top 50 list.