The Golf Course by Fred Hawtree

[Brent Hutto]

I was in Books-a-Million tonight and as usual walked through the golf books section. I happened to see a copy of The Golf Course: Planning, Design, Construction and Maintenance by F.W. Hawtree. I added it to our stack and figured it might be worth a read.

When I checked out, they only charged me $15 for it (minus my discount-card 10%) which seemed awfully cheap. So I got home and did a quick Google search. It seems the book is out of print but copies of it fetch anywhere from $125 to $275, almost like Confidential Guide prices. Obviously, there was a pricing mistake.

So I guess I need to take it back and settle up for whatever their correct price might be or else give it back to them. I haven't looked through it yet but is it something worth $100 or more to have on the shelf? I see it was published by Chapman & Hall which AFAIK is a specialty academic textbook publisher (I've had to pay small fortunes for some Biostatistics texts from them in the past). Is this a classic reference or just an obscure, properly forgotten oldie?

[Tom_Doak]

Brent:

I have that book, but I'm even more shocked at the price of it ($125) than at the price of The Confidential Guide.  It's a nice book, with a bit of insight into the worldview of an architect who built most of his courses for a nickel on the dollar in the UK over a fifty-year career.  But the price is based on obscurity and the fact that there are too many collectors of golf books.

[Tony_Muldoon]

So I guess I need to take it back and settle up for whatever their correct price might be or else give it back to them.

 I see it was published by Chapman & Hall which AFAIK is a specialty academic textbook publisher (I've had to pay small fortunes for some Biostatistics texts from them in the past).

Brent is this like calling out a penalty on yourself even when no one else can see?  First I'd check if there really has been a mistake. ON ebay is the big money for the original version? It's possble the acasdemic publishers version is a reprint.  Secondly in the market economy all transactions  are based on 'adding value' and then reselling.  IN this case the value you are adding is your knowledge of who Hawtree is and where people will pay more for the book.  You might want to accuse me or robbing a bank, but I can't see how you've got to return the book.  

If the book isn't worth keeping then stick it on ebay and put down a deposit on your next trip over.  $100 dollars will buy you 5 twilight rounds athe Hawtree and Taylor course Hainault Forrest Upper - now that is one of the all time bargains in Golf.

[Paul_Turner]

That book has always been expensive.  I don't have it and I'd be surprised if you can get it for $15.  Not surprised at $125.

I've thumber through it and only remember a nice vintage pic or two of Moor Park.