George & Rich, I think that maybe you misunderstand what I am not in favor of.
Tony originally suggested, "How about a Book Review section? People could submit a review and then there should be a link to threads discussing that review. Over time we could build up an impressive library."
I am NOT against book reviews, whether they proclaim the author as the next Hemingway or that a book is best suited as a barbecue starting tool.
Tony suggested, at least it is my impression, that GCA have an OFFICIAL book review section as separate to threads that discuss a particular book.
I am NOT suggesting, nor am I in favor of, as Rich suggests that my comment implies, "Restricting comments on golf books only to a chosen few will serve neither the interests of this board, nor of the writers involved (dead or alive)."
Currently there is a thread on the first page discussing a particular book, asking for comments and thoughts about it. I am all for discussions of this nature, even where sophomoric comments of the type similar to rating The Old Course as a 1 on a 1-10 scale as SEVERAL did, are made.
What I am not in favor of is seeing an OFFICIAL REVIEW of any book, old or new, written by someone who is not approved to REPRESENT GCA as a site.
What I would suggest instead is seeing a location where links to book reviews done for a reputable print or on-line magazine can be seen and read. For example, Golfweek, Golf Digest, GolfObservor.com, Travelgolf.com, and many others regularly review the latest golf books. I have had reviews of my books in newspapers such as Newsday and USA Today; an ability to link to sources such as these can also be provided.
Again, I am definitely against censoring comments, just want to make certain that they are made in the proper forum for them.
Right now the Discussion Group format works well for those who want to discuss the merits of any book.