'The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses' - Tom Doak

[Robert "Cliff" Stanfield]

Normally I would never place an item for sale on GCA but I thought it would be weird to list it on Amazon or an online book website where it might not be appreciated.  I currently have a 1996 Sleeping Bear published mint condition - The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses by Tom Doak.  The dust jacket is mint as well.  I owe that to my wife since she decided to remove the jacket and place the book in our built-in bookcases.

I am interested in selling the book so that somebody else can enjoy it.  The last time I opened the book was in 1998-99.  Plus my wife says some of my golf book collection needs to be thinned out.  I am located in Atlanta GA if anybody wants to see the book before purchasing.

Cliff

[JR Potts]

Price?

[Robert "Cliff" Stanfield]

Not even sure what's a fair price.  So I don't violate the board or compromise the true intent of GCA as a golf architecture discussion board just message me and we can chat off line.

Thanks,

Cliff

[Mike Benham]

I think this gentlemen has an offer ...

[Neil_Crafter]

....and here it is.

[Mike_Clayton]

Robert,

Not opening that book in over a decade is like being a member at Royal Melbourne and playing there once a year.
It happens - but it shouldn't. I met a member once who had not played there in seven years.
Mind you - he should have resigned so someone who did want to play could take his place. So perhaps you should do the same and sell the book.

[Chris Kane]

Mike, a member friend of mine claims that there is a member who joined in the mid-1970's and is yet to make his first visit to the club as a member. I'd be staggered if that is true, but there must be dozens if not hundreds of members who never play there (as with most of the sandbelt clubs).

[Mike_Clayton]

Chris,

I would have thought that RM would have more members who averaged less than 2 rounds a year than any other of the sandbelt clubs.
There was a classic story at Royal Adelaide the year they had the Open - 1998. A young woman from Adelaide was working in Melbourne for the AGU and went to a meeting at RA.
She was from a prominent Adelaide family and one of the committee asked her if she was a member.
'No, I don't play golf.'
He went to check the membership register, came back to the meeting and informed he she was indeed a member and had been for a few years.

[Jud_T]

Hard to believe that this is the book one would choose to throw into the "thin out the collection" pile.  An invaluable reference guide that you can return to over and over.  Also you're selling at the lows.  I think I paid double the current market price 5 years ago...

[Dan Kelly]

I recommend a donation.

Cf., e.g., http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,47963.0.html

Take a tax deduction of 100 trillion dollars.

[Mike Demetriou]

Why don't you offer it as an auction item for Jim Colton's fundraiser for Ben Cox.. I'm sure many of us would bid it up to support such an excellent cause...

[Mike Hendren]

I too have a pristine copy that I purchased before I ever heard of Tom Doak.

I haven't opened mine in years either because it's among the most overrated books on golf course architecture ever published.  Before you post, that doesn't mean it's for sale.

Mike

[Dan King]

I have two of the self-published books and one published by Sleeping Bear Press. Think I can get $300 trillion for the set?

Cheers,
Dan King

Inflation is when you pay fifteen dollars for the ten-dollar haircut you used to get for five dollars when you had hair.
 --Sam Ewing

[Thad Layton]

I'll start the bidding off at $200 (and promise to read it cover2cover if purchased)....

[Mark Chaplin]

My source tells me RM has one category of member, everyone pays the same whether you golf or just lunch. The reality is if everyone one of the 2000+ members were a regular player the club would grind to a halt. Other than the 200 strong US clubs, golf clubs need a heathly number of payers but non-players!

[Chris Kane]

Absolutely correct Mark.

I don't have evidence to back this, but I've long thought that a real challenge for the many of the sandbelt clubs going forward is the decline of the non-golfing member (ie. they pay full subs but rarely or never use the course). As these members resign or die, they are more likely to be replaced by new members who actually play...the portion of non-golfing members will drop.

This could have a serious impact on the number of members a course (or two) can support - the current model of around 1000 members for a one-course club won't be viable anymore.

[Robert "Cliff" Stanfield]

I have received several offers offline.  I do like the idea of donating it to a charity.  Just need to run that idea by the wife since she might have thought the funds from the sale went to her personal charity! HA

In response to Jud & Mike on why it’s being removed from my collection & unopened for so many years – It’s a great book but it’s a review of golf architecture that took place almost 10+ years ago.  As we all know the courses may have changed for the better or the worse.  As for selling during a low period I never thought of that….I just don’t have a need for it anymore per my opinion above.  Plus if my goal was to sell it for a song I guess I could hold onto it but maybe it’s time for somebody else to own it just like a membership at Royal Melbourne-which I would trade for without hesitation.  Or at least a round at Cypress or ANGC! HA 

At the end of the day I bought it for retail in the late 90’s as a student of architecture and not as a guy hedging that it would be worth something one day.

I don’t want to part with the following so it had to go (As you can see I like the text book type stuff pertaining to golf architecture - Plus I would like my son to read the others when the time comes):
Anatomy of a Golf Course & numerous other books about & by Thomas, Colt, McKenzie, etc.

I would welcome a new review book of the same courses and some new layouts by Doak.  I wonder if he would still view many of them in the same light.  As we all know many of the courses may not even be private anymore, conditioned the same, or even in business! 

It would even be cooler to see if any of the clubs in the book have taken Doak's notes to heart and modified or adjusted over the years.  The real kicker would be if he would write or even posses the same strong tongue on certain layouts now that his design shingle is firmly hanging in the industry?  Although I would be shocked if he didn’t and I probably would want to read it without the firm reviews.

[Stewart Naugler]

I've been looking for a reasonably priced copy since I graduated from turf school!! Damn!

$100 anyone?

[cary lichtenstein]

I'll sell mine to the highest bidder

[Robert "Cliff" Stanfield]

UPDATE.  I have decided to donate $ from the sale of the book to Jim Colton's charity for Ben Cox.  Jim and I have swapped messages and he has confirmed that Tom Doak has generously agreed to personalize it for the winner of the auction!!!  Like I said earlier the book is close to mint as possible so Doak's signature is icing on the cake.  In the next day or so I will post a link here to the ebay auction. 

Jim and I felt that ebay would be the best way to execute the process.  If its sells outside of GCA for a higher bid then so be it.  The money raised is for Ben Cox and the more we raise the better.  We will start the bidding process at $500.00.  I will investigate the time frame for the bid since I have never posted on ebay.  I will be recruiting my wife since she has sold many items on ebay.

Lets get the word out.  I am going to contact some of my PGA contacts as well as some Golf Digest Panelist friends.  Wonder if any caddy associations might get some donors involved?

Thanks,

Cliff Stanfield

[Jim Colton]

Thanks Cliff and Tom. That's a cool item to auction off.

In that same spirit, I am going to donate my copy of George Bahto's The Evangelist of Golf to auction off as well. I bought it new last year so I would call it mint or near mint. I'm not sure what the market price is for the book but a quick glance on amazon has it priced at $725.

More details soon.

Jim

[Robert "Cliff" Stanfield]

Just reread my post.  I want to emphasize that the entire amount from the sale of the book will go to Ben Cox.  I felt like maybe my earlier post kinda read like I was donating some of the $ from the auction.  To clarify it will be 100%.

I hope to have it up and ready for auction sometime tomorrow.  I will post the link on GCA.

Thanks,

Cliff

[Bob_Huntley]

From a purely selfish viewpoint, I do wish someone who has a multi trillion dollar Zimbawean note would sell me one.

I am a Rhodesian, that has seen my country disintegrate to a thug ruled kleptrocacy that is a laughing stock of the world , yet is the most barbaric in its treatment of its peoples.

If the place had oil, Pax Americana would have removed Mugabe in a second.

Bob

[John Kavanaugh]

From a purely selfish viewpoint, I do wish someone who has a multi trillion dollar Zimbawean note would sell me one.

I am a Rhodesian, that has seen my country disintegrate to a thug ruled kleptrocacy that is a laughing stock of the world , yet is the most barbaric in its treatment of its peoples.

If the place had oil, Pax Americana would have removed Mugabe in a second.

Bob

Bob,

IM me your address,  I will send you my copy.  You may enjoy the inscription from Doak to me.  Priceless, as has been your friendship to this site.

[Matt Bosela]

Just reread my post.  I want to emphasize that the entire amount from the sale of the book will go to Ben Cox.  I felt like maybe my earlier post kinda read like I was donating some of the $ from the auction.  To clarify it will be 100%.

I hope to have it up and ready for auction sometime tomorrow.  I will post the link on GCA.

Thanks,

Cliff

Cliff,

This is an extraordinary gesture on your part, one I'm sure will delight both the winning bidder and the Cox family.  I continue to be amazed by the generosity of the people on this site but the days of me being surprised, if it makes any sense, have long passed.