The golf book : the players, the gear, the strokes, the courses, the championships

Discover the competitive and cultural history behind one of the world's most popular sports, and absorb expert advice to mastering the perfect swing. Find all there is to know about golf: from its ancient origins to the global competitions today. Learn about the strokes and analyze the talents of the world's best. Check out the gear and try out the equipment, from drivers and irons to carts and clothing. Meet the players from the Golden Bear to the White Shark, and come face-to-face with the stars as you read about their finest performances. And take a close-up look at the great competitions from the Open to the Curtis Cup and walk the fairways of the preeminent courses. An invaluable reference section advises you on buying equipment, including custom fitting, guides on the all-important golf etiquette, an explanation of golf's most important rules, and definitions of all the key golfing terms. Showing you exactly what it takes to achieve an effective--and repeatable--golf swing, this book works systematically through every type of shot, from tee shots, iron play, pitching, and chipping, to coping with bunkers and putting. Brimming with detail and superbly illustrated with over 1,500 photographs, illustrations, maps and diagrams, The Golf Book is the definitive guide to the famous game. Contents Introduction 1 PLANET GOLF Golf’s Origins Golf Ball Revolution Golf’s Great Triumvirates The Majors Arnie’s Army The Golf Business A Fine Line ... The Women’s Game The Greatest? Behind the Scenes Team Orders 2 PLAYING THE GAME Golf Balls: The Design Drivers: The Design On the Tee The Drive Big Hitters: A Master Class Metals and Hybrids: The Design The Fairway Metal Shot The Hybrid Shot The Hybrid Chip and Run Fairway Metal: A Master Class Irons: The Design The Iron Shot Shaping Shots Iron Shots: A Master Class Sloping Lies Problem Shots Wedges: The Design The Pitch Shot Pitching: A Master Class The Chip Shot Chipping: A Master Class The Bunker Shot Bunker Play: A Master Class Putters: The Design The Putting Stroke The Art of Putting Putting: A Master Class Course Management 3 THE GREATEST GOLFERS Old and Young Tom Morris John Ball and Harold Hilton Great Triumvirate Walter Hagen Gene Sarazen Bobby Jones Joyce Wethered Henry Cotton Byron Nelson Sam Snead Ben Hogan Babe Zaharias Max Faulkner Bobby Locke Peter Thomson Billy Casper Julius Boros Arnold Palmer Gary Player Jack Nicklaus Mickey Wright Bob Charles Lee Trevino Tony Jacklin Raymond Floyd Hale Irwin Nancy Lopez Johnny Miller Tom Watson Severiano Ballesteros Ben Crenshaw Bernhard Langer Sandy Lyle Greg Norman Nick Faldo Curtis Strange Ian Woosnam Payne Stewart John Daly Fred Couples Laura Davies José Maria Olazábal Nick Price Colin Montgomerie Ernie Els Annika Sorenstam Vijay Singh Paul Lawrie Jesper Parnevik Retief Goosen David Duval Karrie Webb Se Ri Pak Padraig Harrington Sergio Garcia Phil Mickelson Tiger Woods Rory McIlroy Brooks Koepka Jordan Speith Inbee Park Stars of the Men’s Tour Stars of the Women’s Tour 4 GOLFING LANDMARKS Major Birth at Prestwick “Bobby Slam” for Jones Master Class of Course Design “Lord” Byron Sets the Standard Walter Walks on Air Hogan’s Triumph Over Tragedy Golf’s Most Exclusive Club McCormack’s “Big Three” Seve Starts It All Golfing Gladiators Big Jack’s Final Charge Tiger Roars to Major Victory Europe’s Ryder Cup Raid The Battle of Brookline Woods in a Class of His Own Sorenstam Reigns supreme Big Bertha Arrives Golfers’ Grand Designs 5 THE GREATEST COURSES Links Courses Waterville, Ireland Ballybunion, Ireland Royal County Down, N. Ireland Turnberry, Scotland Kingsbarns, Scotland Royal Birkdale, England Muirfield, Scotland St. Andrews, Scotland Royal St. George’s, England Fancourt, South Africa Kiawah Island, US Shinnecock Hills, US Parkland Courses Merion, US Les Bordes, France Valderrama, Spain Hirono, Japan Muirfield Village, US Augusta National, US Oakmont, US Heathland Courses Sunningdale, England Woodhall Spa, England Royal Melbourne, Australia Pinehurst, US Pine Valley, US Ocean Courses Cape Kidnappers, New Zealand Cypress Point, US Pebble Beach, US Casa De Campo, Dominican Republic Mountain Courses Banff Springs, Canada Desert Courses Emirates, Dubai Shadow Creek, US Troon North, US Unique Courses Loch Lomond, Scotland Sun City, South Africa Mission Hills, China TPC Sawgrass, US 6 THE RECORDS The Ryder Cup The Tours The Open The Masters The US Open The USPGA ANA Inspiration Women’s PGA Championship Women’s US Open Women’s British Open The Solheim Cup Index Acknowledgments Discover the competitive and cultural history behind one of the world's most popular sports, and absorb expert advice to mastering the perfect swing.Find all there is to know about golf: from its ancient origins to the global competitions today. Learn about the strokes and analyze the talents of the world's best. Check out the gear and try out the equipment, from drivers and irons to carts and clothing. Meet the players from the Golden Bear to the White Shark, and come face-to-face with the stars as you read about their finest performances. And take a close-up look at the great competitions from the Open to the Curtis Cup and walk the fairways of the preeminent courses.An invaluable reference section advises you on buying equipment, including custom fitting, guides on the all-important golf etiquette, an explanation of golf's most important rules, and definitions of all the key golfing terms. Showing you exactly what it takes to achieve an effective--and repeatable--golf swing, this ebook works systematically through every type of shot, from tee shots, iron play, pitching, and chipping, to coping with bunkers and putting.Brimming with detail and superbly illustrated with over 1,500 photographs, illustrations, maps and diagrams, The Golf Book is the definitive guide to the famous game. This comprehensive survey of the game of golf begins with a history of the game--including its origins and rich traditions--covers the world's most prestigious golf championships, and showcases the very latest developments in equipment. Full-color photographs throughout ****Discover the competitive and cultural history behind one of the world's most popular sports, and absorb expert advice to mastering the perfect swing.**** __The Golf Book__