2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club - FORMAT REVEALED!

[James Boon]

Great idea Tim and great book. I look forward to reading it again, as it was 10 years ago since I finished it first time. I know this as I just dug out my copy and between the last pages is a train ticket (a usual bookmark for someone who used to catch the train a lot) dated 26 Nov 2009.
Cheers,
James

[Tim Gallant]

So very excited by the interest level. I'll be sure to send out reminders in the coming weeks / month on next steps. But until then, happy reading!

[Chris Mavros]

It's a great book and I look forward to reading it again and discussing with you all. 


Out of curiosity, can the other books that were in the running be listed?  All of them looked interesting as well and I'd like to get to them at some point. 

[Dave McCollum]

I've been re-reading a few chapters and enjoying my notes from the the first time through.  Back then I seemed to be interested in the grand truisms about the game and less so about specific strategies and the ideal course or holes.  The one thing I find particularly amusing is that golfers are still complaining about the same things they were in 1924-25--95 freaking years ago.  Maybe that equates to Hunter's comments being as relevant today as they were then.  We'll see.  I have no idea how long ago I first read this book. but 15-20 years ago seems reasonable.  Long enough that re-reading now holds my interest.     

[Lov Goel]

Tim!  Great to see you on this board.  Would love to join in on the discussion!  Buying a copy of the book as I write this.

[Tim Gallant]

Tim!  Great to see you on this board.  Would love to join in on the discussion!  Buying a copy of the book as I write this.

Likewise Lov!


Fantastic - will hopefully be releasing more details about the discussion in the coming weeks.

[Bob Montle]

I'm in.

Just ordered via Abebooks

[David Jones]

I’ve managed to end up with two copies on my bookshelf so if anyone UK based would like me to send one on just let me know!

[Dave Maberry]

I'm in. Looking forward to a reread after 10 years.

[Kalen Braley]

So Tim,


Was it the basic plan here?  Read the book over the holidays and then start discussion in Januaury?  Mine is sitting on the end table right next to my favorite chair and I have to resist the urge to crack it open early... 

[Pete_Pittock]

Kalen,
Discussion starts January 27.   
Reply 55 (the one with the survey charts)

[Kalen Braley]

Kalen,
Discussion starts January 27.   
Reply 55 (the one with the survey charts)

Thanks Pete, I missed it.


Kalen

[jeffwarne]

How about something foreign to this group think. Fazio's book.

I would have to buy that, and I'm not going to buy it.

and miss gems like this?


"A couple of years ago, we sat down for an interview with the renowned American golf course architect Tom Fazio while he was visiting Waterville in Ireland for the club’s popular World Invitational Father & Son Golf Tournament. At one point, during our lengthy conversation over breakfast, we asked Fazio what he thought the legendary designers of the 19th and 20th centuries would make of the expansive nature of some modern golf courses and their extravagant and expensive methods of construction. Fazio pondered the question for a few moments before replying, “You think for one minute somebody like an A W Tillinghast wouldn’t have jumped at the chance of using a D5 if he could?”

[ward peyronnin]

I am in. Just located my Sleeping Bear edition

[Carl Rogers]

Got my copy from e-bay .... $9.99 + tax.  Meaning to get it for a long time.

[Marty Bonnar]

I'm halfway through. Any thoughts of a first chat?
F.
PS Oh bugger, just spotted the January date. Ignore me. I'm an imbecile.

[David Harshbarger]

Marty, thanks for bumping the thread!


A nice copy will be at my local book store in 1-5 days!


 

[Peter Pallotta]

I'm reading it now too.
Got my copy from the library -- it's the version that the USGA put out, with an introduction by John Strawn. 
Looking forward to the discussion.

[Jerry Kluger]

I have gotten a short way into the book and I have noted a few of Hunter's observations:


1.  He laments that none of the top architects have ever written about the subject of golf course architecture which I presume is his reason for writing this book.


2.  He loves links golf courses built on sandy surfaces as well as sandy soil such as at Pine Valley or Pinehurst.


3.  He finds it unimaginative for a course to be flat and believes that the rolls and bumps of links courses is what is necessary to make a course interesting and challenging.  He also notes that he generally does not like courses that are very hilly. 


The book to this point seems to agree with much of the opinion of most of us GCAers.


I want to throw in a side note:  Most of the golfers that I know who have gone to the UK or Ireland to play golf come back raving about it yet when they play in the US they complain if the course has rumpled fairways and all types of lies.

[Pete_Pittock]

I have gotten a short way into the book and I have noted a few of Hunter's observations:


1.  He laments that none of the top architects have ever written about the subject of golf course architecture which I presume is his reason for writing this book.


2.  He loves links golf courses built on sandy surfaces as well as sandy soil such as at Pine Valley or Pinehurst.


3.  He finds it unimaginative for a course to be flat and believes that the rolls and bumps of links courses is what is necessary to make a course interesting and challenging.  He also notes that he generally does not like courses that are very hilly. 


The book to this point seems to agree with much of the opinion of most of us GCAers.


I want to throw in a side note:  Most of the golfers that I know who have gone to the UK or Ireland to play golf come back raving about it yet when they play in the US they complain if the course has rumpled fairways and all types of lies.

spoiler alert.

[Tim Gallant]

I have gotten a short way into the book and I have noted a few of Hunter's observations:


1.  He laments that none of the top architects have ever written about the subject of golf course architecture which I presume is his reason for writing this book.


2.  He loves links golf courses built on sandy surfaces as well as sandy soil such as at Pine Valley or Pinehurst.


3.  He finds it unimaginative for a course to be flat and believes that the rolls and bumps of links courses is what is necessary to make a course interesting and challenging.  He also notes that he generally does not like courses that are very hilly. 


The book to this point seems to agree with much of the opinion of most of us GCAers.


I want to throw in a side note:  Most of the golfers that I know who have gone to the UK or Ireland to play golf come back raving about it yet when they play in the US they complain if the course has rumpled fairways and all types of lies.

Love the observations! He certainly doesn't hold back in his distain for flat, unimaginative golf courses, and certainly lauds the links courses of the UK&I!

[Tim Gallant]

Happy New Year everyone!!!!


I'm so excited to kick off the book club discussion in a few weeks time. If you haven't gotten around to reading your copy of The Links yet, fear not! you still have a few weeks to read.


After soliciting some thoughts on how to run this book club (thank you David Jones and Ian Galbraith), we've chosen a format that will hopefully stimulate great discussion. What we will do is have three threads that will be started as part of the book club, and will cover three macro themes from the book that will hopefully give us enough space to explore ideas/comments within, but at the same time, guide some of the discussion.


We will introduce one thread each week, starting on 27 January, and we can go from there! I'm really excited because two fellow GCA professionals have agreed to help lead two of the discussions: Blake Conant and Kye Goalby. Both have worked on some of the best golf courses in the world, and I have no doubts that the topics they choose will be insightful and stimulating.


In theory, the order will go something like this:


27 January: First Book Club thread is started by Tim Gallant. Topic: TBC


03 February: Second Book Club thread is started by Blake Conant. Topic TBC


10 February: Third Book Club thread is started by Kye Goalby. Topic TBC


I hope this format will be to everyone's liking. We thought about doing a chapter-by-chapter analysis, but I thought this might lose a bit of steam, and a lot of the chapters / ideas are all inter-related. Rather, hopefully our three threads will explore macro ideas that Hunter focuses on within the book and allow all the participants to discuss the book in these ways!


Needless to say, I can't wait to get cracking!

[Colin Macqueen]

Tim,


This seems like an eminently sensible approach to the book reading!


An holistic approach rather than chapter by chapter, I think, will make for a much more informative and focussed look at the book's content.


I am looking forward to the endeavour and if not particularly contributing I will thoroughly enjoy the chat.


And not wanting to spoil any of the interest but one interesting aspect of Hunter's book "The Links" was brought to my attention by Sven Nilsen some years ago in another thread. That is that the book was written and published prior to Hunter actually being considered as an architect in his own right.


Looking forward to this very much,


Cheers Colin

[Jerry Kluger]

Sorry if I jumped in too soon but I hadn't seen anything and didn't realize a specific format was being contemplated. 

[Garland Bayley]

From what little of the book I've read, I'm wondering if Tom Doak isn't really Robert Hunter, Jr., or Robert Hunter III.

 

Are you getting royalties Tom?