Golf Books

My good friend Terry Koehler, also known as The Wedge Guy, recently did an interview with Fred Greene over at the GolfSmarter Podcast.

Click here to listen to The Wedge Guy talking about the short game.

It’s the June 3rd, 2008 episode, it’s about 42 minutes, it’s very “listenable” and very informative.

The Travelling Golfer and three friends ventured into Jasper, Indiana to try and tame Sultan’s Run golf course.

We played it from the tips, as we always do everywhere we go and in the end, we felt like ol’ Sultan himself had run over us, around us and thru us !

The photo you see above includes my friends Kevin Cawthorne, Todd Hart and Shane Bosemer.

The course was in pretty good shape, as it usually is and the greens rolled as well as I could hope for, because I putted as well as I can putt.

Sultan’s Run has long been a favorite of mine and we used to travel the short 1 1/2 hours from Louisville several times a year. Of late, after it’s purchase by a new ownership group, the rates seemed a bit high to me, so we dropped it from our rotation. $53 may be inexpensive in many parts of the world, but in our area, that’s over-priced, especially since I can get to the Kentucky State Park golf courses, several of which are better and play for 20% less.

The courses website has this to say about the course’s history:

“It was only a few years ago that this lush land was home to Supreme Sultan, a horse of history and literally a legend in his own time. It was over these hills and valleys of picturesque beauty that Supreme Sultan sired a record number of World Champion American Saddlebred horses. No place on earth can lay claim to this record.

Now, this same ground recalls the heritage of Supreme Sultan just as an engraved stone marks each unique and challenging tee box, memorializing the name of one of these World Champions. From its very beginning, this land was destined for greatness, but few would have predicted the creation of a world class golf course that would entice champions of the links.

Sultan’s Run embarked on an extensive remodeling project in 1996, taking the golf course to the pinnacle of public golf. Designer Tim Liddy, a disciple of world renowned architect Pete Dye, took what God had laid out and what the course already offered, and enhanced it. All 18 holes have been beautified in some shape or form from entirely new bunkering and reconstructed greens, to complete rework of several holes. The end result is that Sultan’s Run has become a world class golf facility that golfers will talk about long after their round is done.”

If your within 2 hours or so of Sultan’s Run, it’s very much worth the trip. You won’t be disappointed. If you’re looking to stay overnight and play a couple of rounds, stay downtown at the Hampton Inn and eat at the Schnitzelbank restaurant. You’ll thank me later.

The most famous hole at Sultan’s Run is, of course, the 18th, which starts with a drive over a gorge and ends with a waterfall behind the green.

The water is very, very cold. I know, since I always put my head under the falling water to instantly cool me off. And I do mean instantly.

All in all, it’s a helluva golf course and you’ll enjoy yourself. Send me an email if you’re going and I’ll join you over there !

Today we’re going to feature a golf article written by author and humorist David Wood.

David’s the author of Around the World in Eighty Rounds, a soon to be published book about his travel around the world and golfing while he went.

For lack of a pithy saying, take it away David -

A Poor Man at Blue Canyon

Indulge me while I regale you on the magnificent charms of living the life of an Asian millionaire for a day while golfing at the wonderful Blue Canyon Golf Club in Phuket, Thailand.

I now have a pretty good clue how the other one-percent lives (Didn’t it use to be how the other half lived?).

They live quite well thank-you-very-much in tropical, exotic Thailand – especially at the Blue Canyon Golf Club which boasts of having two world-class courses sitting on as fine a piece of natural golfing real estate as you’ll find anywhere in the world.

Thoroughly captivated by its joyous ambiance, I found myself seriously contemplating a life of crime to be able to afford joining the delightful, but expensive, club.

Now, I’m not smart enough to be a white-collar criminal. Plus I don’t even have any white collars except on golf shirts.

However, I’ve decided to start knocking off the convenience stores that seem to dot the corner of almost every block in the world. I figured two-to-three holdups per week should cover the ongoing cost of the club with little problem.

By the way, if you are a convenience store clerk reading this, please, don’t mistake me for a real burglar when I enter your store and say that I have a gun.

Don’t worry ! That’s just my finger under my golf shirt. Don’t shoot me ! Just give me the cash and I’ll send it directly back to the Blue Canyon Club.

You’re probably thinking, “What’s in it for me ?” Listen up. I plan to put all the names of the convenience stores that I rob into a hat. I’ll have a drawing, and the lucky winner will join me in the annual member-guest tournament, on me – my treat !

What could be better than that ?

It’s the Canyon Course – the elder of the two golf courses at Blue Canyon – which has the pedigree even the winner of the Westminster Dog Show would envy.

It has been named “The Best Course in Thailand,” “The Best Course in Asia,” “The Best Championship Course in Asia,” and “The Asia and Pacific Golf Resort of the Year,” as well as holding numerous major world professional tournaments including the Johnnie Walker Classic – won by my fellow millionaire (not that I’m letting the whole experience go to my head or anything) Tiger Woods in 1998.

The week before I played the course, two of my future clubmates – Ernie Els and Nick Faldo – had been at Blue Canyon, relaxing and preparing for the upcoming Johnnie Walker Classic to be held in Bangkok the following week.

To think that I’m only one measly little million dollars away from saying, “Good morning, Ernie ! That was one hell of a good shot you hit on eighteen yesterday, big fella.”

Or, “Hey, Nick! Fancy a game today? I’m just going to need my usual twenty shots a side.”

Oh, what fun we’d have!

Built on an old rubber plantation with natural ravines and valleys, Blue Canyon is a symphony of green fairways, fragrant flowering trees, and wondrous foliage that would force Monet to get the easel out of his golf bag and start painting.

The Canyon Course has it all: large, fast, undulating greens, tricky water hazards, and naturally rolling fairways that turn each hole into a mini-SAT golf test.

Several holes are outstanding. My favorite was the par-four 390-yard thirteenth hole –a real gem – which horseshoes around a deep ravine that must be cleared on your drive.

If successful, your second shot is 185 yards uphill to a severely bunkered green that rests peacefully beside the grand, elegant clubhouse. Playing this hole when he won there in a play-off against Ernie Els in the Thailand Johnnie Walker Open in 1998, Tiger drove the green !

Standing on the tee-box, it would never even occur to me that route was a possibility. We’re talking a carry of 340 plus yards straight across the unforgiving ravine to an uphill green sitting behind a grove of tall rubber trees standing watch on the edge of the cliff that must be cleared as well.

No way! I couldn’t think of a more difficult golf shot, or anyone with the ability or imagination to try such a heroic feat.

The next hole, the fourteenth, presents itself like a wolfish par-five wearing a lamb’s par-three clothing. Playing this diabolical hole is as scary as waking up next to Bea Arthur.

While it looks nothing but beautiful, resting all peaceful-like in the middle of the lake – a veritable torture chamber of evil awaits your innocent little ball. The wind, the water, the tiny target, your nerves – you really don’t have a chance.

Best to just hit your shot quickly knowing that it’s going straight into the water, then proceed rapidly with a rueful smile to the drop area.

The terrific holes go on and on. Course record holder Freddy Couples calls the par-three seventeenth, one of the best par-three’s in golf. He’s not alone – the 221-yard hole has been named in the top 500 golf holes in the world.

The finisher is excellent as well with water flanking the eighteenth fairway to catch the errant drive. The second shot on the stout par-four plays directly toward a peaceful waterfall that cascades gently down the hill on which the grand clubhouse sits regally perched. It’s the perfect setting to finish playing a great course.

To be fully forthcoming, all the holes are remarkably memorable. I could go on and on about this golf wonderland. How is it that I can never remember where I put my car keys, yet I can recall every blade of grass at Blue Canyon ?

After playing, I sat on the elegant clubhouse patio overlooking the course mesmerized by all the colors as the sun started to slowly descend over beautiful Phuket.

I dreamed of playing this course on a daily basis and then relaxing in that very spot taking in the awesome view. What could be better ?

Purples, reds, greens, and blues – the full spectrum of the earth’s finest colors – formed a serene palate soothing my constantly restless mind.

The spell had been enhanced by an orange butterfly that suddenly flittered directly past my gaze as if to tell me that the glories of life are fleeting and time is racing by.

I summoned the cheerful waitress and asked, “Excuse me, would you please tell me where the nearest convenience store might be ?”

Here’s another great shot from Golf Courses Of The US Open.

This one’s the 2nd hole at Torrey Pines, a golf course I’m sure el Tigre played a lot on growing up. Maybe ol’ Lefty did too.

Click thru to the website and check out the book and click thru to Torrey Pine’s website and see if you can get us on and I’ll fly out for a round … or two !

As always, you can get a better view by clicking on the photo.

Here’s one of the shots from Golf Courses Of The US Open, written by David Barrett and soon to be part of a review here at Travelling Golfer.

This happens to be the 2nd hole at The Riviera Country Club, sometimes called Hogan’s Alley, because of the success enjoyed there by Mr. Hogan.

You can click on the photo to enlarge it and you can follow the link to purchase the book.

David Barrett, a former senior editor at GOLF Magazine, recently authored a book covering the golf courses that are in the US Open rotation.

David is also the editor-in-chief at Divot Communication, publisher of some of the nation’s finest regional golf magazines. He also contributes to GolfObserver.com.

We just watched the drama unfold from Oakmont and every year we dream about playing in the U.S. Open. Or at least I do.

I’m not gonna ever get that chance, but being 6′2″ and 250 lbs., maybe I’ll still be bombing it long enough to qualify for a Senior US Open in 6 more years !

Now, at least I can dream in full-color, because David has authored Golf Courses of the U.S. Open, the next best thing to being there.

He profiles 50 amazing courses, such as Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pinehurst No. 2, and Winged Foot Golf Club.

There’s also a detailed look at some lesser-known host sites, such as Myopia Hunt Club and Inwood Country Club, from the early years of the twentieth century, which just might be the chapters I read first. Even though he never had any real success in the US Open, Sam Snead is my favorite golfer of years gone by and seeing and reading about those courses will be a special treat for me.

Beautiful photographs are accompanied by detailed descriptions of the courses and lively accounts of how the leading players of all time, including Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods, have won U.S. Opens there.

Completing this elegant volume is a foreword by Rees Jones, known as ” the Open doctor ” for his work in redesigning, restoring, and renovating courses in preparation for the U.S. Open.

Also included are detailed maps of the most prominent courses and a comprehensive section of U.S. Open records and statistics.

I’ve got a copy on the way to me and will give you a full review as soon as I can finish the book.

Luckily, I’ve got 12 days of vacation coming and golfing and reading about golf are going to be a big part of that.

Here’s a golf course test for you - Can anybody tell me what golf course and hole is pictured on the cover of the book ?

Here’s another book I was sent, but don’t have time to read and review.

We operate way too many blogs and get way too many books in the mail each week for me to be able to keep up.

So I’ll send this book to one lucky person drawn from everyone who leaves a comment in the next 7 days.

Leave a comment, win a book, where can you beat it ?

Here’s another new golf book that I recently was sent a copy of.

James Ragonnet has spent three decades studying golf and has applied the classic teachings of Buddha to the fine game we all love.

I’ll be the first to admit that a Hillbilly Golf Star like me has no business mixing Buddha and golf, so I was a little hesitant to review this book.

Not because I have anything against Buddha, but because I don’t feel qualified to critique his teachings.

I will point out that Mike Greenberg, of Mike and Mike in the Morning, from ESPN, said this about this book, ” If you play golf, you have to read this book. It will make you a better golfer, whether it improves your score or not. It will help you understand the game better than you ever have before. “

That’s about as well as I could say it, if I had said it. I don’t feel like a better golf, but I feel better about golfing, now that I’ve read the book. Maybe even like a better person.

Once again, I don’t see the need to hoard this book and let it collect dust on my shelf, so if you’ll leave a comment, I’ll choose a lucky winner from amongst the commenters and send this book to them.

Leave a comment, win a book, become a better person and maybe a better golfer too !

I was recently sent a copy of this book and it took me forever to read it … because I kept going back and re-reading whole chapters !

John Feinstein has done it again. Another well written book with insider info that you won’t read anywhere else.

It’s a fascinating inside look behind the history, the players and tales of a school so tough that few make it thru to the big dance.

Stories of a ball landing on a discarded divot, to a back giving out at just the wrong moment, to a player signing for bogie he never made and more, this book has all the horror stories and the feel good stories that you’ll never find anywhere else.

You’ll read the stories of Jaxson Brigman, Casey Martin, Peter Jacobsen and more and you’ll be glad, like me, that you don’t have to do this for a living !

Now for the best part - I’m going to give away this book to one of the people who comment on this post.

That way we can get another review, if you have a golf blog or at least another fan of John’s work will be rewarded.

I’ll check back at the end of next week and pick one lucky reader to get this book sent to them.

Leave a comment and you might win a book !

Dr. David Wright, a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher has released a new book, CONCENTRATION. It’s the second installment in the Focus for Success series.

The book sells for around $19.95 and is available for online purchase behind this link.

” It’s my belief that golf, not just competitive golf as Bobby Jones said, is played ‘mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course, the space between your ears. ” Wright said. ” Many golfers just don’t know how to concentrate. The goal of this book is to share not only what concentration is, but also show how golfers can consistently achieve it while playing. This will improve not only their scores, but their enjoyment of the game as well. ”

As a PGA teaching professional for over 20 years, Dr. Wright holds doctorate degrees in the psychology of learning and another in psychophysiology. This unique combination gives him
an unparalleled level of expertise into the mental and physical sides of the game of golf.

CONCENTRATION weaves stories from Wright’s personal teaching experiences and his clinical background.

Most golfers will gain a new appreciation for basic golf accessories such as tees and sunscreen, which he innovatively incorporates into exercises and drills for improved focus.

These drills are laid out in a very simple and concise manner, shedding new light on this often overlooked, yet crucial aspect of the game.

Golfers of all skill levels will improve by unlocking the mysteries of concentration and focus, and learning how to manage and eliminate the natural frustrations and distractions that occur on the golf course.

CONCENTRATION also includes a bonus audio CD which guides the golfer through the application of five key drills discussed in the book.

These guided audio drills provide valuable assistance in expediting the golfer’s mastery of their focus.

The Daily Concentration drill guides you through getting into the “here and now” and freeing the mind from outside thoughts.

The Sleep Focus drill is highly effective in quieting the mind to allow for a good night’s sleep, a critical factor for improving focus.

The Pre-Round drill helps get you relaxed and focused before teeing off.

Also included is Dr. Wright’s signature Tee Drill that can be used during a round to help calm the mind, lower anxiety and increase focus, and his Sunscreen Drill that takes the mundane task of applying sunscreen and turns it into a tool for improving your Focus for Success.

With Dr. Wright’s CONCENTRATION book, golfers no longer have to dream about breaking 100, 90 or 80 they now have the tools to focus their thoughts resulting in better golf and better balance.

Click thru and enjoy !