The Golden Age of Golf Design - Hardcover

Shackelford, Geoff

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1886947317 ISBN 13: 9781886947313

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2005

Synopsis

The years between 1910 and 1937 will always be known as the golden age of golf design. The reason is because many of the greatest course architects in the history of the game were all at work during this era, and a number of America s most famous layouts were created. Geoff Shackelford s The Golden Age of Golf Designis an insightful analysis of those revered courses and the talented men that designed them. The list of architects working during the Golden Age is a Who s Who of golf including Ross, MacKenzie, Tillinghast, Crump, Raynor and Wilson. Incredibly, the layouts they built back then often with only bare hands and horses to do the work annually make up the majority of today s Top 100 Courses in America.

About this title

Review:

One of the great mysteries of the royal and ancient game is how good golf courses leave players convinced they've just spent four hours either floating in heaven or stuck in the bedlam of an Hieronymous Bosch painting. A golf course is not a random creation; the best are truly works of art and it's remarkable how many of the best were coaxed from the landscape between 1911 and 1937. This was, as the title of this lovely celebration proclaims, The Golden Age of Golf Design, a time when the giants of the craft--A.W. Tillinghast, Marion Hollins and Alistair McKenzie, to name a few--were in full flourish. Their courses-- Riviera, Seminole and Augusta National among them-- dominate any list of the best in the world.

Through deft use of archival photographs, sketches, written citations by the architects themselves and a series of evocative water colours by golf pro Mike Miller, Geoff Shackelford aims for why these courses continue to beckon, challenge, impress and endure. His shot is right on target. He breaks down the designers into their various schools of thought, tracing their import, evolution and influence. Next he introduces us to the individual architects themselves through short career summaries accompanied by details about their writings, golfing skills, design theories and characteristics and, of course, a list of their legacies. Best of all are the wonderful oldphotos of great holes, many accompanied by snippets of design philosophy from the creating wizard. It adds up to a book golfers should savour--and study. Knowledge is power on the course and understanding the hows and whys of the demonic challenges that designers subtly and not-so- subtly integrate into their layouts can mean the difference between a scratch handicap and scratching your head in bewilderment. --Jeff Silverman

From the Back Cover:

In Geoff Shackelford s The Golden Age of Golf Design, take and incredible photographic journey back in time and witness the mastery of golf s greatest architects. This remarkable book contains and astonishing collection of vintage photographs that will provide you with an intimate, and in nearly all cases, never–seen look at the most famous courses from the 1920s and 30s. Eccentric bunkering, bold strategy and extraordinary sites were just part of the early designs. And for the first time all of the legendary architects and their distinct styles have been brought together in one illustrative and captivating volume.

About this edition

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1886947317
• ISBN 13: 9781886947313
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 216