Discovering Donald Ross : The Architect and his Golf Courses

Rating:
Summary: A golf legend comes alive
Review: Brad Klein has done a superb job in this lavishly illustrarted story of Donald Ross,long recognized as one the original "founding fathers" of the golden era of golf architecture. While it shows dozens of courses in detail,it is much more than a picture book, since it tells the story of Ross right from his earliest days in Scotland. Klein weaves a very readable and interesting picture of the life and accomplishments of Donald Ross.

The book is well named since it a wonderful journey of discovery. There are all kinds of new insights for even the Ross fans who thought they read everything about DJR. But it will hold the interest of any reader who loves to read about a rich, full life told well. About a man who left Scotland for America without enough money to buy his second meal but who worked so hard he became one of the best paid individuals in all of sports.

And it is about a man who never forgot the meaning of family and his employees.

Brad Klein's book is throughly researched, well written and shows a genuine love for golf and for one of the men who made it great. Mr Klein is on his way to join that list.

John Purcell

Rating:
Summary: A golf legend comes alive
Review: Brad Klein has done a superb job in this lavishly illustrarted story of Donald Ross,long recognized as one the original "founding fathers" of the golden era of golf architecture. While it shows dozens of courses in detail,it is much more than a picture book, since it tells the story of Ross right from his earliest days in Scotland. Klein weaves a very readable and interesting picture of the life and accomplishments of Donald Ross.

The book is well named since it a wonderful journey of discovery. There are all kinds of new insights for even the Ross fans who thought they read everything about DJR. But it will hold the interest of any reader who loves to read about a rich, full life told well. About a man who left Scotland for America without enough money to buy his second meal but who worked so hard he became one of the best paid individuals in all of sports.

And it is about a man who never forgot the meaning of family and his employees.

Brad Klein's book is throughly researched, well written and shows a genuine love for golf and for one of the men who made it great. Mr Klein is on his way to join that list.

John Purcell

Rating:
Summary: Must reading for anyone who has played a Ross masterpiece
Review: I am not aware of any other golf course architect who has a society named after him, but this book is required reading of Ross groupies and non-groupies alike. As a member of Longmeadow Country Club in Massachusetts (which is given ample coverage by the author), I learned to appreciate the subtlety and genius of Donald Ross. It was further driven home after spending 4 days following the best seniors in the world at the US Senior Open at Salem CC, and watching them struggle with a realtively short golf course by today's standards. Par was the winning score. Brad Klein illuminates for the reader how Ross did it. Reading the book is like getting the secret code that unlocks the mysteries of his design philosophy. The only danger in reading the book is that you just might get annoyed with modern golf course design. However, you may learn to appreciate great golf architecture whatever the vintage.

Rating:
Summary: Must reading for anyone who has played a Ross masterpiece
Review: I am not aware of any other golf course architect who has a society named after him, but this book is required reading of Ross groupies and non-groupies alike. As a member of Longmeadow Country Club in Massachusetts (which is given ample coverage by the author), I learned to appreciate the subtlety and genius of Donald Ross. It was further driven home after spending 4 days following the best seniors in the world at the US Senior Open at Salem CC, and watching them struggle with a realtively short golf course by today's standards. Par was the winning score. Brad Klein illuminates for the reader how Ross did it. Reading the book is like getting the secret code that unlocks the mysteries of his design philosophy. The only danger in reading the book is that you just might get annoyed with modern golf course design. However, you may learn to appreciate great golf architecture whatever the vintage.

Rating:
Summary: Discovering Bradley Klein's Ross
Review: In "Discovering Donald Ross," Bradley S. Klein has written a book which can be thumbed through and enjoyed as visual entertainment by the casual golfer/reader or closely studied by the ardent student of the old game. Left on the coffee table or the night stand to be used to fill precious spare minutes with golf-related dreaming, the photos and captions alone will captivate and enlighten the reader. Dr. Klein has revealed himself as a talented photo-journalist, equally comfortable telling the story of Donald Ross with pictures or with words. Be prepared to be educated while being entertained. Using wise delineation of chapter headings, Klein walks us through Ross' childhood, family life, and career to the ultimate reason for the book: the author's knowledge of and desire for preservation of classical, especially Donald Ross, golf courses. Anyone who has the blessing of playing one of Klein's cited courses will understand his devotion. Lovers of biography will be fascinated by Klein's stories of Ross' background and personality. History buffs will learn through clearly written text and old black-and-white photos the problems encountered in golf course constuction as well as the societal and economic limitations that Ross faced. Those who get caught up in beautifully photographed golf landscapes will be captivated by the visual journey from windswept Scottish links where Ross was weaned to America's varying terrain where Ross was to be so successful. Klein's book, like a Ross course, represents a value and pleasure for the user, whether casually approached or closely scrutinized.

Rating:
Summary: Discovering Bradley Klein's Ross
Review: In "Discovering Donald Ross," Bradley S. Klein has written a book which can be thumbed through and enjoyed as visual entertainment by the casual golfer/reader or closely studied by the ardent student of the old game. Left on the coffee table or the night stand to be used to fill precious spare minutes with golf-related dreaming, the photos and captions alone will captivate and enlighten the reader. Dr. Klein has revealed himself as a talented photo-journalist, equally comfortable telling the story of Donald Ross with pictures or with words. Be prepared to be educated while being entertained. Using wise delineation of chapter headings, Klein walks us through Ross' childhood, family life, and career to the ultimate reason for the book: the author's knowledge of and desire for preservation of classical, especially Donald Ross, golf courses. Anyone who has the blessing of playing one of Klein's cited courses will understand his devotion. Lovers of biography will be fascinated by Klein's stories of Ross' background and personality. History buffs will learn through clearly written text and old black-and-white photos the problems encountered in golf course constuction as well as the societal and economic limitations that Ross faced. Those who get caught up in beautifully photographed golf landscapes will be captivated by the visual journey from windswept Scottish links where Ross was weaned to America's varying terrain where Ross was to be so successful. Klein's book, like a Ross course, represents a value and pleasure for the user, whether casually approached or closely scrutinized.

Rating:
Summary: Donald Ross: his life, his style, and his golf courses
Review: My expectations for "Discovering Donald Ross" were reviews of his prominent designs and a lot of color photos of how they look today. This book has that, but also so much more.

My initial response was to be impressed by the respect Dr. Bradley S. Klein commands from others in the world of golf. Jack Nicklaus wrote the comments that appear on the back cover and Pete Dye penned the Foreword. Such heavyweights lend credibility to the journey that unfolds between the covers as you learn about Mr. Ross's life in great detail.

First off, understand this is not a "Confidential Guide" to Donald Ross courses. Dr. Klein has written a comprehensive biography on the individual, which inevitably turns to discussion of his work and design philosophy.

Through exhaustive reserach, Klein makes an attempt to list all of the courses that have been touched by Ross's greatness and determine whether or not he made it on site. An attempt to chronicle all of the courses designed by Ross is beyond the scope of this book, leaving a follow-on sequel a distinct possibility.

Many courses are mentioned, but they tend to be his most significant work in some measure. For example, Interlachen CC in Edina, MN is often cited as one of his best courses, but it isn't profiled here because it was a redesign of an existing course and was already Ross's 7th venue to host the U.S. Open. The courses that are covered can be viewed as milestone works - Oakley was his first, Essex his earliest "great" work, Seminole his last, Pinehurst where he spent the most time, and Teugega located where he had a girlfriend!

You will find just the right amount of old memorabilia and correspondence to satisfy those looking for heavy detail without boring those who are more inspired by colorful photography.

For fans of Donald Ross, Klein's work will serve as the Bible for an examination of personality and design style. It even goes so far as to dispel some of the myths, like saying Pinehurst's crowned greens are the result of years of topdressing instead of architectural intent.

Rating:
Summary: Donald Ross: his life, his style, and his golf courses
Review: My expectations for "Discovering Donald Ross" were reviews of his prominent designs and a lot of color photos of how they look today. This book has that, but also so much more.

My initial response was to be impressed by the respect Dr. Bradley S. Klein commands from others in the world of golf. Jack Nicklaus wrote the comments that appear on the back cover and Pete Dye penned the Foreword. Such heavyweights lend credibility to the journey that unfolds between the covers as you learn about Mr. Ross's life in great detail.

First off, understand this is not a "Confidential Guide" to Donald Ross courses. Dr. Klein has written a comprehensive biography on the individual, which inevitably turns to discussion of his work and design philosophy.

Through exhaustive reserach, Klein makes an attempt to list all of the courses that have been touched by Ross's greatness and determine whether or not he made it on site. An attempt to chronicle all of the courses designed by Ross is beyond the scope of this book, leaving a follow-on sequel a distinct possibility.

Many courses are mentioned, but they tend to be his most significant work in some measure. For example, Interlachen CC in Edina, MN is often cited as one of his best courses, but it isn't profiled here because it was a redesign of an existing course and was already Ross's 7th venue to host the U.S. Open. The courses that are covered can be viewed as milestone works - Oakley was his first, Essex his earliest "great" work, Seminole his last, Pinehurst where he spent the most time, and Teugega located where he had a girlfriend!

You will find just the right amount of old memorabilia and correspondence to satisfy those looking for heavy detail without boring those who are more inspired by colorful photography.

For fans of Donald Ross, Klein's work will serve as the Bible for an examination of personality and design style. It even goes so far as to dispel some of the myths, like saying Pinehurst's crowned greens are the result of years of topdressing instead of architectural intent.

Rating:
Summary: A Painstaking Much Awaited Masterpiece
Review: There is little doubt of the time and effort it took to reasearch this phenominal book on one of Golf's Great Heroes.

Author Brad Klein gives the reader a inside view of not only who Donald Ross was, what he represents to the game of Golf today, as well as a revealing throwback to an age gone by.

Aerial photos, course diagrams, and other pertinent data show the reader just how much the game's playing grounds have changed, and the effort to hold on to their design critieria as was intended by this soft spoken man from the North of Scotland.

I would highly suggest this book to all who love the game of Golf itself, as well as the courses of Donald Ross; and for those who love golf courses, in general.

Rating:
Summary: Good Broad Perspective On Donald Ross
Review: Whereas Bahto in the Evangelist of Golf is focused on the National more and how it came to define C.B. MacDonald, Brad Klein produces a broad overview of Donald Ross and is less focused on any one aspect of his life and career as a golf designer.

Donald Ross was the Henry Ford of golf design. Some 400 courses confirmed to his credit with, of course, Pinehurst being his crown achievement.

I think this is a solid overview of Donald Ross in general, but I was hoping to really appreciate "why" his courses were so special. We get to understand that for Donald Ross, his routings and greens were some of his strong points. However, the Ross hole and green diagrams along with the course plans only convey so much about this. Yes, they're great but the text I feel isn't in depth enough to really bring out what's buried in the diagrams, plans and pics. Instead, we are exposed to tid bits of some of the more popular courses he's produced. There's an attempt to explain Ross strategies and golf design philosophy in chapter 7, but it's high level and general. I also don't quite grasp why chapter 7 wasn't placed sooner in this book. Maybe I was expecting too much on this. Indeed, this is not a "Confidential Guide" of Ross courses as John Conley states in his earlier review.

At any rate, I think the strengths of this book lie within the quality production, tremendously thorough research (especially when it comes to how Ross did things), very good photographs (especially when it comes to before and after course pictures), and the historical perspective.

The Pinehurst section is very interesting from a background and historical perspective, but you won't learn much about why the course is great.

The renovation / restoration segment is also very informative. Some great pictures illustrate what can happen when proper care is given to a renovation / restoration effort.

There's a nice comprehensive compilation list of Ross's courses, but unfortunately it won't help you figure out which one's you can play. Maybe in the next revision, Klein can indicate which courses are public vs. private. Even tracking back some of the courses within the book won't help either, as you're never too sure which one's are public or private.

Overall, I'd recommend this volume in a heartbeat. Just don't have grand expectations about understanding what makes such and such a Ross course so great. Rather, view this work as a very good and thorough review of what was involved in being Ross the person, family man, hard working course designer, and creator of many great golf courses.