When one comes to the quality of the bunkers and other hazards we pass into realm of much dispute and argument. Primarily bunkers should be sand bunkers purely, not composed of gravel, stones or dirt. Whether this or that bunker is well placed, has caused more intensely heated arguments outside of the realms of religion, than has ever been my lot to listen to. C.B. MACDONALD
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
An unbylined AP story on how the White House sees some of the particulars playing out for Saturday's Obama-Boehner buddies trip golf outting.
Presidential spokesman Jay Carney says he anticipates that Obama and Boehner will find time to discuss important issues such as budget negotiations.
But the outing is mostly about giving them a chance to socialize. Carney says that gives it “great value beyond the game.”
Carney isn’t saying whether the White House will disclose what the golfers shot on their round. The Ohio lawmaker is known to be a much better golfer than Obama.
Carney says reporters and photographers will get a chance to see something of the action. The White House hasn’t said what course they’ll play.
A president has never played a round of golf with the leader of the opposing party who was also considered a near-lock to win the match (the closest thing was a round L. B. J. played with Dwight D. Eisenhower in February 1968 at Seven Lakes Country Club in Palm Springs, Calif.; Ike won in a breeze). So, perhaps Mr. Obama deserves to be spotted a few free strokes for sporting courage.
More important, the timing of the “golf summit” is curious (and not just because it coincides with the United States Open at nearby Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.). Two wars (three, if you count health care; four, if you count Libya), a stubborn economic downturn and partisan rancor combine to make the president’s decision to play with Mr. Boehner a surprise and one that appears to offer more downside than upside to the White House.
In anticipation of his big showdown with Speaker Boehner, Glenn Thrush of Politico crunches the numbers and talks to folks about President Obama's golf and comes to some interesting conclusions.
So while those two lovebirds are swatting it around Andrews or some other DC course, the world's best will be at nearby Congressional. Politco's Glenn Thrush reports (thanks reader Tim for the link). 
Obama's gotten a lot of scrutiny for his golf even though Boehner plays his fair share, so this unbylined AP story is worth nothing for a few reasons, none moreso though than for this item about his putting. Plug in your metaphors here.
Just the people who stuff their pockets! Want more proof that lobbyists rule the world? Look at them clog up Golf Digest's list of best political world golfers.
Boehner lands at T-43 while Obama is listed as a 17, landing him at No. 108.
Slate's John Dickerson defends Barack Obama's love for golf in light of Newt Gingrich's recent criticism. Yes, someone is defending golf!
Obama should resist—and, regardless of party, we should all want him to. The presidency is a prison. Your every move is watched and tended by the Secret Service, your opponents, and the media. Even when you're "having fun," you do so in quotation marks. At parties or a baseball game, you're watched to see if you're having a good time. If you play basketball, your on-court demeanor is analyzed for clues to your leadership style. You don't drive. You can't keep a diary (they can be subpoenaed). You can't smoke (the kids are watching). You can't take a stroll through your old neighborhood. All of this distorts the mind.
The golf course is one of the few places a president can escape the pressures and physical limitations of the office. George W. Bush was smart enough to have a ranch that allowed him to get out from under the scrutiny of the press. He was inside a perimeter, so the Secret Service could back off a little. You don't have to like golf to recognize that being able to walk in relative freedom and hang out with friends is an obvious pleasure and escape. The more tightly someone is confined, the more necessary it is to escape. One of the great problems for any president is a loss of perspective. A distraction, even for a moment, from the constant and attention-shredding duties of the day is one way to gain perspective.
Ron Sirak wants to see them make deals over a round of golf. Somehow I don't see that ending well.
Boehner is well known for using the golf course to conduct business. Federal Election Commission filings obtained by the Reuters news agency showed that Boehner's political action committee spent $82,998 on golf outings in 2009, including events at Robert Trent Jones GC in Virginia, Muirfield Village near Columbus, Ohio and the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Fla. "If you're going to ask people to give you money, why not let them enjoy themselves," Boehner told Golf Digest in 2005. Boehner said he doesn't discriminate against lobbyists who don't play golf, but added, "If someone I've gotten to know on the golf course comes into my office with a good argument, I tend to want to listen."
**Russell Berman of The Hill makes it sound like the chances are slim.
Boehner has said their Oval Office chit-chat is mostly focused on golf, a sport that the Ohio Republican is better at than the president.
“First thing that happens is, you know, I come in and he’ll say, ‘Boehner, you’re almost as dark as me,’ ” Boehner told Fox News host Sean Hannity last month. “You know, I listen. We talk about golf. We’ll talk about our skin color.”
“There’s no animosity, but there’s not much of a personal relationship or a working relationship,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said on Wednesday.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
