Scotland's Gift: How America Discovered Golf

Rating:
Summary: Required reading for serious golfers
Review: Although I don't know that I could define "serious golfer" off hand, you might fit in that category if:

You have ever played at the National Golf Links of America
Want to know how the USGA came to be
Wonder what golf was like in the late 19th century in the US
Dream of building your own course, but have no clue what "good design" is

Personally, I fit into the last slot. Most of us play rounds or look at yardage books and try to figure out why one course is on the top 100 of every magazine, and another never seems to see the light of day in print. For people like this, we need books on golf architecture. This book contains, arguably, one of the most concise takes on the subject.

It would be misleading to say that architecture is the only matter covered. Actually, it only accounts for about a quarter of the volume in total. The rest is the personal narrative of Macdonald as the pioneer of golf in America, and as one of the founders of the USGA. It also discusses early tournaments in the US, which may be of interest to history buffs. Much of this is probably required knowledge to have any sort of intelligent discussion on golf history, and is worth a quick read at the least.

Given that Macdonald was involved with the USGA for the decades after its inception, he also was there to witness the begining of problems that still plague the game today. Namely, the question of equipment, particularly ball, regulation, and amateur status rules. A person wondering what the current USGA is doing might be interested to know what they did in the past, if anything to gain a little perspective on how times have changed. Incidentally, Macdonald himself was dead against allowing the "bane of professionalism" and the "self-driven manufacturers" from infecting the game of golf. Conversely, he was against equipment regulation for the most part, even the ball, although he does suggest making a requirement for balls to float in water to allow more possibilities for play and to keep lost balls to a minimum.

The appendix contains reference material such as a sample of the earliest rules of golf, and those used by the R & A in the mid 19th century.

The only thing I would have liked to see in the book, as it is a reprint, was more detail regarding the layout of the National. That is, diagrams and drawings of the routing and holes. Photographs can only say so much, and while we have a routing diagram for the Mid-ocean Club, we have none for the National, even though it got its own chapter. It is a course that most likely needs to be experienced to be understood by any measure, but any additional clues as to the design would help us understand Macdonald's efforts that much better.