Is this new book basically "Creating Classics" with some Mackenzie and Morrison courses tacked on? Or did they revise/update the original Colt research. Same basic mistakes?
In the first few pages of "Creating Classics", I was a bit sad to see the Colt portrait-that took me weeks of searching through a library to dig up! But I gave copies of that portrait out to several clubs, so can't really complain.
PS I recently read the history book by Peter Pugh on Stoke Poges. The author seems to have forgotten that it was published to celebrate the centenary (1908-2008) of the golf club, there's hardly any research on the golf course, the golf club and its history! (it's mostly history about the building, the estate etc)
Hi Paul,
The book has some real nice photos, I specially liked chapter eight "Australia and New Zealand" with impressive photos shot by Gary Lisbon - sometimes though this part of the book reminded me of the brilliant "Sandbelt" book by Paul Daley published some years ago....
There are ten chapters in the book:
1 - In the Beginning
2 - Gentlemen vs. Players
3 - The Golden Age
4 - Harry Colt
5 - Alister Mackenzie
6 - Alison & Morrison
7 - The British Isles and Europe (Royal Zoute being the only portraited Non-British Course - disappointing for me)
8 - Australia and New Zealand
9 - The Americas
10 - Japan
totalling 445 pages of text and pictures plus acknowledgements...sometimes it remains unclear to me whether this is actually a book about Colt & Associates or more about the history of golf architecture in general plus some nice photos - More general chapters 1, 2 and 3 are containing photos and texts that most of us have seen or read elsewhere before....also I sometimes find it dificult to fellow the general line of the book - either because my English is just not good enough or maybe simply because the book lacks a good and straight line....
Personally I found two sketches on page 164 most dissatissfying as the authors didn't even bother to find out what one can see on these sketches - certainly not greens at Hamburg-Falkenstein! The drawing shows a green on a never realized course in the Jenischpark at Hamburg-Flottbek adjacent to the original 9-hole layout of Hamburger GC (which was opened in 1906).The proposed Jenischpark-site is about 5km away from Falkenstein and has nothing to do with todays course there. The drawings are dating from early 1928 (having been sent to the club secretary on April 24th, 1928)
....I have enclosed the two scans shown on page 164 of "Masters of Design" (without any source or acknowledgement) plus an additional scan not in the book explaining hole and green no.15 as I thought you might find them interesting - Colt or Morrison? What do you think Paul?
Greeting and have a good new year 2010!
Christoph