The only course that will remain difficult under all conditions will be one that is designed and kept for golf of a stereotyped, monotonous character, and this makes a most uninteresting proposition. BOBBY JONES
Available via Amazon (US): Golf Architecture For Normal People
Barnes And Noble (online and in stores)
Bookshop.org option to support local independent bookstores.
Reviews:
"Golf Architecture for Normal People . . . should be required reading for those who are not ashamed to admit they know little about the subject, and for those who think they do . . . . Golf course architecture geeks have trouble slimming their thoughts down to bite-sized chunks, but Shackelford has achieved a remarkable success here." —Independent (Ireland)
"From the relative newcomer who’s slowly getting hooked to those that have played the game for most of their lives and think they know a thing or two, Golf Architecture for Normal People provides a solid and sober perspective that will help everyone recognize why some golf courses are worth playing more than once while a single trip around others is all you’re ever likely to want or need." —Links Magazine.
“It’s a wonderful book. An easy read that arrives just in time for your summer reading list. If you’ve never thought about how an appreciation for course design could heighten your enjoyment of the game, you must check this out.”—The Peterborough Examiner
"As in his prior publications, in his newest book Shackelford shows a deep appreciation for what can be done to create a golf course that appeals to the broadest possible golfing audience…Shackelford’s prose is succinct, often witty, and accessible."—Cape Gazette
"Author, blogger and golf architecture expert Geoff Shackelford, who helped Gil Hanse design Rustic Canyon and restore 2023 U.S. Open host Los Angeles Country Club, taps into his passion by creating a guide that helps every golfer understand the nuances of course design. Published by Tatra Press, the 164-page hardcover book is a must-read for every golfer to better understand the game they love." —Golf Pass
"Shackelford provides an informative picture [and]...sprinkles in history lessons about those who planted the game's architectural roots, defines common terms and helps you hone your eyes when it comes to identifying some of the tricks of the trade."—FORE Magazine
"This new book does a great job demystifying golf course design ideas for average players, but can also be a beneficial read fro PGA Professionals and other golf course employees to get a better understanding of their home courses." —PGA Magazine
In this Tuesday Quadrilateral for all to enjoy, I review and chat with Bob Harig, author of Tiger & Phil.
Also, there is a preview of the Greg Norman 30 For 30 debuting Tuesday night on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. ET.
You can purchase Harig’s book here at Amazon or here at Bookshop.org to benefit independent sellers.
Club Pro Guy recently surprised the golf world with the publication announcement for his new book, Club Pro Guy’s Other Black Book.
Authored with Paul Koehorst, CPG’s already placing it in the pantheon of American golf literature with Scotland’s Gift-Golf and Hogan’s Five Fundamentals.
A Mexican Mini-Tour “legend” who is believed to have made 17 cuts, CPG is a former Lynx Ambassador and founder of the 7-4-7 Swing Thought System®. Despite an ugly losing streak in the Thursday Afternoon Men’s League and what appear to be labor shortage issues while building Three Jack National, CPG carved out a few minutes from his busy schedule to answer my questions. (Full disclosure: I bought a Yucatan National membership and am sorry to report they are not currently available.)
GS: The book cover looks suspiciously like Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book. Do you share any similarities with Mr. Penick in your life or teaching philosophies?
CPG: Mr. Penick was faithfully married to the same woman for 74 years and abstained from alcohol. I’ve been thrice divorced and can’t start my Miata without blowing into a court mandated breathalyzer, so our life philosophies couldn’t be more divergent. From a teaching perspective, I feel like Harvey was very one dimensional. Was he a great teacher? Yes. But he never played the game at an elite level and I think that limited his ability to get the most out of his students. It’s also probably the reason Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw only won 3 majors between them. As for me, I’m a classic dual-threat. Meaning I can teach the game at a high level as well as play the game at a high level. Which is extremely rare. Not only can I give players the knowledge to be great, but I can also tell them what to expect when they become great.
GS: What are some of the “Other Black Book” topics we can expect and are there any chapters that you’re particularly proud of?
CPG: The topics are all over the board and I think that’s what makes this book so unique and so valuable. In one chapter you might learn how to develop a rock solid pre-shot routine, and in the next you're getting valuable tips on how to avoid shitting your pants on the course. Instruction, travel, dating, technology, you name it. It’s all in there. The chapter I’m most proud of is probably the one where I list my complete cache of private swing thoughts.
GS: What topics ended up getting cut?
CPG: I had a 68-page chapter devoted exclusively to the Medicus Golf Club that my editor convinced me to scrub. It started out as an instructional piece, then it meandered into a product review of sorts and by the time the chapter ended, I had somehow delved deep into Mark O’Meara’s personal life. It got pretty dark.
There was also a "travel and destinations" chapter that focused on the Sioux City, IA that didn’t make the book, as well as a chapter detailing the 79 I fired in the 2nd round of the 1993 Yucatan Masters where I attempted to walk the reader through my round, shot by shot.
GS: Where do you actually do your writing and what kind of environment do you like to create when doing so and do you have any advice to aspiring writers?
CPG: Most of my writing is conducted on the back of cocktail napkins during shift changes at Bottoms Up. One of my big pet peeves about strip clubs is when random dancers just come and sit by me, totally uninvited. Don’t get me wrong, I understand they have a job to do and I appreciate the hustle, but I have a special type. I like brunettes with some meat on their bones. So when a super skinny blonde starts walking toward my table I have to look preoccupied and uninterested. That’s when I start jotting down random golf thoughts on a cocktail napkin. Not only does it help me finish such an ambitious project like this one, but it also keeps girls with tons of tats away from me. Did I mention I hate tattoos?
GS: Yes, thanks. Good to know. Now, I see you have a co-author, can you give us a sense of your writing process?
CPG: That's a perfect follow up to your last question. The ideas I jot down on cocktail napkins are sent to my co-author and he brings them to life. Sometimes it’s detailed notes, sometimes it’s unintelligible gibberish because the DJ (Alan) talked me into doing a line of coke, and sometimes it’s a graph or a formula with little to no meaning. I’ll never forget one night I drew a stick figure holding a golf club and wrote the words “custom shaft” under it. My co-author took that and turned it into a complete chapter on how big of a rip off Club Champion is.
GS: You are the publisher of The Other Black Book, why did you choose to go this route instead of going with a big New York house?
CPG: I tried, but I couldn’t get a meeting with anyone. I’m actually glad. Publishers like Simon & Schuster are dinosaurs anyway. Everything is digital nowadays. When is the last time you thumbed through a porno magazine? It’s been over a year for me. Truth be told, I would have put my book out as a Kindle version only if I hadn't known how good of a coffee table book it was gonna be.
GS: Do you have any favorite bookstores? Any plans to do a signing at one?
CPG: I’m not a huge reader, but if I had to pick a favorite bookstore it’s probably The "Lions Den”, which is a little place off I-70 just east of Kansas City. I used to stop by there a lot on my way to St. Louis to visit one of my step-dads. Last I heard the adult arcade is open but the video booths are still closed due to Covid. They have a huge truck driver clientele so I’m not sure an in-person signing for a book about golf would move a lot of units.
GS: Any other promotional plans? Mike Stone took out ads on Golf Channel for his latest album. Could that be an option?
CPG: Why did you have to mention Mike Stone! Now I’ll never get the tune “One Week in April” out of my head! It’s interesting, after the debut of Shotmakers I thought it would have been impossible for the Golf Channel to embarrass themselves further, but the emergence of Mike Stone proved me wrong. He kinda reminds me of a poor man's “My Pillow Guy”. I actually feel sorry for the people who work at that network.
My promotional plan for the book is two-pronged. The first is to tweet about it so much that I either sell 100,000 books or lose 100,000 followers, and the second is to pay Instagram models to post about the book as it rests on their tits.
GS: Sounds smart. If this is successful, might you consider publishing the other Black Book? And what’s in that book?
CPG: I won’t rule out anything, but my original Black Book probably wouldn’t be appropriate for public consumption. It’s a book I used to carry around Mexico in my Nickent Staff Bag that was filled with beeper numbers, course yardages and old soccer lines. At its apex my original black book coulda got you laid or high from Albuquerque to Zihuatanejo but sadly most of the numbers don’t work anymore or have blocked me.
GS: How many people did you approach about writing the Foreword before you landed on Scott McCarron?
CPG: I can honestly say zero. Scott McCarron was my first and only choice because he has been the only player on tour to fully embrace my teaching methods, he’s also one of those rare guys who truly understands what it means to “Live Under Net Par”. He’s got a hot wife, he loves to party, and no matter how many snarky comments you guys in the media make about it…..he DGAF that you think he’s anchoring.
Here is The Other Black Book’s ordering information and embedded below is CPG’s Tweet announcing this unique buying opportunity. Apologies to my pal John Feinstein:
Honored and #humbled to announce that my new #book is now available for #PreOrder. Click here to order -> https://t.co/GWCLodnFkO pic.twitter.com/l1QP2BwWok
— Club Pro Guy (@ClubProGuy) September 7, 2021
A smart new book just in time for Father’s Day and the U.S. Open has arrived and I you enjoy this chat with Peter May in The Quadrilateral.
This one is open to all so check it and if you enjoy, buy the book and subscribe to The Quad free or because you want to read yesterday’s U.S. Women’s Open roundup and other past subscriber-only posts.
Also, today’s edition features a quick roundup of the almost-concluded U.S. Open Final Qualifyings.
While she’s a former Kiawah resident and a pivotal part of the CBS announce team, that takes second fiddle in this Q&A to Dottie Pepper’s remarkable new book.
As I noted in The Quadrilateral introduction, there has never been a book like Letters To A Future Champion in golf’s vast library. I think it’s an especially important read for a young golfer aspiring to greater things. Those searching for necessary comfort to offset the blows this game delivers will also take heart in George Pulver’s letters.
It’s also just a very understated autobiographical story of a player on the cusp of Hall status who, like many women of her generation, were not afforded some of the opportunities today’s players enjoy.
You can read more about Letters To A Future Champion here and also find an easy link to purchase a copy of this magnificently produced tome.
Well done to Roger McStravick on his second Herbert Warren Wind Award, this time for the incredible bit of research on St Andrews, the Road War and how it shaped both the course and town.
'St. Andrews: The Road War Papers' Wins Herbert Warren Wind Award
USGA honors author Roger McStravick for second time for outstanding contribution to golf literature
LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. (March 4, 2021) – The United States Golf Association (USGA) has named “St Andrews: The Road War Papers” by Roger McStravick as the recipient of the 2020 Herbert Warren Wind Award.
Established in 1987 and named for the famed 20th-century American golf writer, the Herbert Warren Wind Award is presented by the USGA Golf Museum & Library in recognition of outstanding contributions to golf literature through expert research, writing and publishing.
'It is wonderful to receive the USGA’s Herbert Warren Wind Award for 2020,” said McStravick. “It is the highest honor for any golf writer and I am delighted to be this year’s recipient. Winning in 2015 changed my life. This award has the power to do that, and I am truly grateful to the USGA and the committee. This means the absolute world to me.”
McStravick’s book takes readers through the “road war” that ensued in 1879 after the St. Andrews town council encouraged residents whose homes faced the Old Course to build a road from Golf Place to Grannie Clark’s Wynd, running over a portion of the ancient links. Local resident John Paterson emerged as a staunch and vocal critic of the plan, fighting in court for the preservation of the historic grounds. The case eventually made its way to the House of Lords.
McStravick gathers, transcribes and analyzes original archival documents from St. Andrews institutions to construct a vivid account of the legal conflict while telling the story of the town’s evolution and development around the Old Course. This research, compiled in the book for the first time, includes court testimony of local residents, including Old Tom Morris and three-time Open champion Jamie Anderson.
“Roger backs a fascinating and engaging narrative with meticulous research to deliver an unparalleled look at how St. Andrews was shaped into the town we know today,” said Hilary Cronheim, director of the USGA Golf Museum & Library. “The book will serve as an invaluable resource for future researchers on the history of the game as well as any golf fan who wants to learn more about one of golf’s most historic towns.”
McStravick previously received the Herbert Warren Wind Award for his 2015 book, “St Andrews: In the Footsteps of Old Tom Morris,” which also garnered him the Murdoch Medal from the British Golf Collectors Society (BGCS). He is currently the editor of the BGCS magazine Through The Green and is a frequent contributor globally in print and on screen as one of golf’s preeminent historians. McStravick lives in St. Andrews with his wife and two children.
The book can still be purchased here including for U.S. residents.
It’s that time of year when chances are pretty good you got a golf trinket you didn’t want and still await that amazing golf book you mumbled out loud about. Well, I don’t like your chances so might as well treat yourself.
I’ve only read one of the three but have good reason to believe the other two, while pricey, will be real keepers.
My favorite read of a summer we were deprived of links golf comes from American Stephen Proctor who meticulously researched Monarch of the Green: Young Tom Morris, Pioneer of the Game.
A former senior editor at the Baltimore Sun, the San Francisco Chronicle and Houston Chronicle, Proctor took on the difficult task of telling Young Tom Morris’ story and delivered a highly readable, immensely satisfying work of non-fiction despite the—spoiler here—dark ending. I note the non-fiction component given the previously published and also superb, Tommy’s Honour, Kevin Cook’s researched and fictionalized account of the Morris’. While the liberties were small, any created dialogue can be a killer for some (it was not for me, a credit to Cook’s respect for the subject matter).
While telling the story of Young Tom, Proctor also introduces to the origins of The Open, life in St Andrews and other areas without ever straying from telling the incredible life story. A must if you are going to Scotland or dreaming along those lines. Aren’t we all these days?
Another great Scot—when he wanted to be—is going to be chronicled in a much needed compilation of writings, photos, plans and other information. Josh Pettit’s MacKenzie Reader is at the printer and will provide an update to the prior MacKenzie coffee table book by Tom Doak. So much has been uncovered since that excellent work and I can’t wait to see what Pettit ultimately will surprise and delight us with (I’ve seen portions and also contributed a short piece on the Good Doctor’s less-than-rosy days spent in L.A.).
Today, 30 August 2020, is Dr. Alister MacKenzie’s 150th birthday (b. 30 August 1870). In commemoration of the Good Doctor’s sesquicentennial the MacKenzie Institute is pleased to announce the new book "The MacKenzie Reader" is now available for pre-order https://t.co/MoxaNfqglH
— Dr. Alister MacKenzie (@DoctorMacKenzie) August 31, 2020
Reading about a nasty fight over a road does not exactly sound very golfy, but owning Roger McStravick’s other well-researched works and knowing his passion for St Andrews, I can’t wait to find out more about those early days that shaped the town and led to an absurd war.
Nick Rodger profiles McStravick and previews the book here in this Herald story.
It seems we’ll also learn more about how the Old Course came to be. My copy is on order and I can’t wait.
“Everybody had written that the first hole was created in the 1840s or so,” he said. “But I found the receipt from the 1830s which showed the carter was being paid to take the rubbish from St Andrews, dump it on what was the beach, level it off and that reclaimed land was how the first hole was created. The man who actually did this, John Carstairs, talks about the whole case. The first hole is effectively built on the rubbish.”
For McStravick, the Old Course and St Andrews as a whole is the gift that keeps on giving. “There are so many wonderful twists and turns in the history of St Andrews and that’s the beauty of the place,” he said.
Longtime readers know I tend to advocate the post-Christmas, what-can-we-buy-that-no-one-got-us guy. And in 2020 I plan no shortage of efforts to highlight the many nice holiday treats from big and small operations who make the sport just that much better.
But before I hopefully send you to those deals, my McKellar issue 4 arrived today and it’s another beauty from Tom Dunne and Lawrence Donegan.
You can see just some of the stories here.
I contributed a short piece on the importance of a golf course name and what they tell you about the architecture.
Even more exciting? The first four issues can now be purchased in a boxed set for just $60, a magnificent holiday gift for anyone with a shred of golfing taste. Check it out here. It’s beautifully done. Not to mention housing a rich presentation of writers, views and places in golf.
Rick Reilly doesn’t produce a weekly column any longer but his latest guest contribution to the Washington Post reminded me that the greats never lose their ability to read a green. “The first things I’ll do when this is over” produced some comforting laughs during what is an otherwise not the easiest times to crack wise.
So I hope you enjoy this chat with Reilly from his southern California home where he’s doing some reading, some longing to get back out playing, and Tweeting away about Donald Trump. Reilly’s lastest book, Commander in Cheat, is now in paperback and we discuss why he tackled a book about the on-course antics of the 45th president. A dollar of every paperback copy is going to a good cause, discussed in the show.
Though as discussed during the show, the staggering funds raised for Nothing But Nets, all after he decided to turn on a hotel TV and get a column out of it, alone should make Reilly Noble Prize worthy. ($70 million!)
Before recording, I brushed up on some more recent Reilly columns from Tiger Meet My Sister…And Probably Other Things I Shouldn’t Have Said. I found a lot to love.
It’s been a while, but I was always a huge Missing Links fan, and as the podcast discussion revealed, so have been some of the bigger names in Hollywood.
While I embedded Amazon links above, I’m encouraging use of Bookshop.org where all of Rick’s in-print books are available, too. And to the benefit of independent booksellers (now up to $1.1. million raised).
As for other writers mentioned—Murray, Wodehouse, Runyon, Twain, Wilde—I’ll let you find those.
Rick’s favorite pasta-tossed-in-a-cheese-wheel spot in Florence.
All but one food spot in this Instagram post I did is courtesy of his outstanding suggestions.
Here’s the show on iHeart’s page, or the Apple option, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your subscriptions are most appreciated.
At a time we all need a little extra distraction reading, many thanks to co-founders Lawrence Donegan and Thomas Dunne for knocking a few dollars off the McKellar Journal cover price to provide the best issue yet.
Here is the last chance, with code SHACK, to get issue 3 for $10 plus shipping. Today, Thursday April 16 is the final day of this promotion. Thank you already to all who have picked up a copy or checked out McKellar’s website.
Also, one of my favorite pieces in an issue with 20 superb reads, is now available to listen to:
McKellar’s third issue is an especially rewarding publication to be part of and a timely gift for golf readers.
Every page features something rewarding to read. Thanks to Founding Editors Tom Dunne and Lawrence Donegan, the content is both lively and original. The writers have freedom to roam but never too far.
Tommy Naccarato and I profile an underrated architectural and construction masterwork by an unknown engineer. No where else could we tell the story of Santa Anita Golf Course but in McKellar.
Just some of the other highlights in Issue 3: Never-before-seen images by Ansel Adams of golfers in Yosemite, Michael Clayton on the rejuvenation of Hogan’s Shady Oaks practice spot, Lorne Rubenstein on the joys of just walking a course, David Normoyle on how golf keeps surfacing on BBC’s Desert Island Discs, Dan Davies on golf artist Harold Riley, John Ammerman on architects Devereux Emmet and Stanford White, Jay Revell on the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, and Audrey Gillian on Scottish career amateur Belle Robertson.
And so much more.
With checkout discount code SHACK, you can get Issue 3 for $10 a copy plus shipping. It’ll make for ideal quarantine reading and when civilized society returns, a classy gift to your hosts and golf friends. (You’ll see the code entry box at the Checkout page top.)
You’ll be supporting quality journalism in a readable format and enjoying top writers in a travel-friendly 6.5 x 9.5 inch size.
Don’t be fooled. Michael Bamberger has immense respect for his subject matter. But at times reading the longtime golf author’s new book, you might question at times just exactly how he feels about Tiger Woods.
This sensibility, however, was not created by Bamberger. It was Woods’ topsy-turvy decade and his bizarre last decade that miraculously ended in rebirth as a giant of sport. Bamberger’s issue is that he’s an outstanding reporter who picks up relatable details. It’s just that Tiger gave us two kinds of drama over the last decade and mercifully, after reviewing Woods’ injuries, the WD’s, the Dr. Galea time and the comeback trail, The Second Life of Tiger Woods (Avid Reader Press) finishes with the victorious 2019 Masters.
The number of insights, stories and well-labeled legends of anecdotal lineage are all presented in Bamberger’s inimitable style and often challenged by the reporter, as well. For as rough as some reminders are of Woods’ DUI or his struggles to recover his game, the ride is filled with plenty of stellar anecdotes for lovers of all things golf, and in particular, The Masters. (For devotees of the tradition unlike any other, the book is worth the cover price for Bamberger’s fresh details just on how the Champions Dinner works and Woods’ approach to the 2019 Masters. Oh, and the the Augusta National Golf Club security drive story that reportedly got Tiger laughing hard.)
Since we have no 2020 Masters to watch, reliving everything leading up to Tiger’s fifth title is well worth the ride, even if the road was bumpier than we’d prefer to recall.
Amazing news out of London and St. Andrews: longtime agent Alistair Johnston is gifting his incredible 30,000 golf book collection, easily the most complete and remarkable private collection today.
“We are very grateful to Alastair for this generous gift,” Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said.
“We are excited to continue his vision and support his desire to display this collection in its entirety in Scotland. I can think of no more appropriate place than St Andrews to create the world’s most comprehensive library of golf books.”
The goal is to have the library in place by the Open’s return to St. Andrews in 2021.
Having seen some of the great private collections broken up by auctions or failures to protect them in one locale, this is a great day for the R&A and a remarkable contribution from Johnston. Giving future generations access to essentially the entire story of the game and in St. Andrews, is a very special thing for golf and golf history.
Global Golf Post’s John Steinbreder profile of the collection is available here for Global Golf Post subscribers.
The above Gigapan was captured by Darren Carroll.
It's been a while since golf, which once received some attention at the New Yorker and no shortage of pages filled by Herbert Warren Wind's writing, has graced a cover. 
April, 2011 to be exact and it was a Bruce McCall piece depicting Tiger playing a recovery shot.
Here is the explanation of the latest Barry Blitt cover featuring President Trump.
“I see that the word ‘duffer’ is defined as ‘a person inexperienced at something, especially at playing golf,’ “ Barry Blitt says, about his cover for the upcoming issue. “That’s the word that comes to mind as I watch President Trump plowing one drive after another through the glass windows of American politics.”
Paul Harral explains in detail what UT's new Dan Jenkins Medal For Excellence in Sportswriting means and talks to His Ownself about the honor.
Writing for The Fort Worth Business Press, Harral notes:
Jenkins is known from here to Baja Oklahoma as one of the best sports journalists to ever grace the pages of a newspaper or a magazine and both fiction and non-fiction books.
“I get a tie with Red Smith and Ring Lardner, who have awards for sportswriters,” Jenkins said. “In fact, I've received the Red Smith from the AP sports editors and I am receiving the Ring Lardner from the Union League of Chicago the week after the Masters. Usually, you don't get these things when you're still vertical.”
The event also exposed many of us non-Horns to the Stark Center, a stunning collection of sports memorablia and papers stored in a huge, impressive archive. Jenkins pledged during the evening to leave some of his papers at the same place Harvey Penick's Little Red Book is housed.
I discussed with Gary Williams what it was like to see the book and read some of its contents, and Tweeted a few pictures from the night:
Besides hearing His Ownself @danjenkinsgd speak a few of us got to see & touch Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book housed at UT’s Stark Center pic.twitter.com/rFZNc3rLcK
— Geoff Shackelford (@GeoffShac) March 22, 2017
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
