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Dan Kelly

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club
« Reply #25 on: November 21, 2019, 01:32:53 PM »
The Links is a fantastic book. FWIW.
"There's no money in doing less." -- Joe Hancock, 11/25/2010
"Rankings are silly and subjective..." -- Tom Doak, 3/12/2016

Chris Mavros

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club
« Reply #26 on: November 21, 2019, 01:40:10 PM »

I read The Links before so my vote is on one of the others:


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[font=&amp]Wide Open Fairways - Brad Klein[/font]
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[font=&amp]The Architectural Side of Golf - Simpson / Wethered[/font]
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[font=&amp]Discovering Alex Russell: The Man and His Legacy[/font]
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Thanks for the idea and putting together.
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Tim Gallant

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club
« Reply #27 on: November 21, 2019, 05:27:17 PM »

I read The Links before so my vote is on one of the others:


[font=&amp]Wide Open Fairways - Brad Klein[/font]
[font=&amp]The Architectural Side of Golf - Simpson / Wethered[/font]
[font=&amp]Discovering Alex Russell: The Man and His Legacy[/font]
Thanks for the idea and putting together.


Chris,


I'm in the same boat. I'd vote for one of the others. But will let other recommendations come in and put the options together.

Philip Hensley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club
« Reply #28 on: November 21, 2019, 06:11:41 PM »
In

Adam G

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club
« Reply #29 on: November 21, 2019, 07:53:32 PM »
The Links is free on Kindle, which is a plus.

Joe_Tucholski

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club
« Reply #30 on: November 21, 2019, 09:19:38 PM »
Tim I hope you're a better book club leader than I was.  I did appreciate the folks who participated.  Especially Tom when going over his book.


http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,51891.0.html


http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,53982.msg1242195.html#msg1242195


You can count on me to participate.





Jay Mickle

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club
« Reply #31 on: November 22, 2019, 06:34:23 AM »
I am in. Just don’t choose Tom’s original Confidential Guide. I have neither the time or money to track one down😊
@MickleStix on Instagram
MickleStix.com

Scott Senior

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club
« Reply #32 on: November 22, 2019, 10:23:25 AM »
I'm in.


I will NOT tell my wife I joined a book club!!! haha

John Sabino

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club
« Reply #33 on: November 22, 2019, 11:00:40 AM »
Tim - I like the idea. A couple of thoughts on books:


1. The new National Golf Links history by Chris Millard would be perfect but it's hard to get and VERY expensive, but has lots of insights into the creation of the National and architecture.


2. Bobby Jones's Down the Fairway is always a good choice. So much insight in there about Jones, although it has more of a focus on his tournament play than architecture.


3. Colt and Alison's Some Essays on Golf Course Architecture is very good and inexpensive reprints are available.


4. Robert Hunter's The Links is excellent and any book with a picture of St. George's Hill 8th hole on the cover is a winner.


5. The Toronto Terror about Stanley Thompson would also be a good choice and would allow us to focus on the underappreciated courses of Canada.


John
Author: How to Play the World's Most Exclusive Golf Clubs and Golf's Iron Horse - The Astonishing, Record-Breaking Life of Ralph Kennedy

http://www.top100golf.blogspot.com/

Garland Bayley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club
« Reply #34 on: November 22, 2019, 01:02:26 PM »
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, unfortunately it is not in the Traverse City Library System collection. Perhaps you could do interlibrary loan.
"I enjoy a course where the challenges are contained WITHIN it, and recovery is part of the game  not a course where the challenge is to stay ON it." Jeff Warne

Kalen Braley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club
« Reply #35 on: November 22, 2019, 01:07:15 PM »
Something I wouldn't mind reading again is Missing Links by Daniel Wexler.  Yes I have the book, but always fascinating to revisit that one.

Garland Bayley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club
« Reply #36 on: November 22, 2019, 01:09:16 PM »
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, unfortunately it is not in the Traverse City Library System collection. Perhaps you could do interlibrary loan.

You can get it on Ebay for $4.38
"I enjoy a course where the challenges are contained WITHIN it, and recovery is part of the game  not a course where the challenge is to stay ON it." Jeff Warne

Jonathan Mallard

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club
« Reply #37 on: November 22, 2019, 03:29:14 PM »
At now 37 replies, this looks to be a go.


I'd ask Mr. Gallant as the OP to update the thread title to alert the rest of us when the book has been determined and our deadline for reading it.




Tim Gallant

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club - BOOK SELECTION SURVEY LIVE!
« Reply #38 on: November 23, 2019, 03:11:17 PM »
Thanks all for the suggestions! I did a bit of research on the suggestions and picked those that I felt were easy to buy for a large number of people and didn't cost over $100.


https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/W32LB8J


I've asked two questions: the first is to answer how many of the proposed books you have read, and the second is to nominate which book you would like to read for the Winter Book Club.


It may be that there are two books that are close in votes, and in that case, I'll check to see if there is one that fewer people have read so that it is stimulating for all!


I'll try to tally the votes in a few days, and will post which book has been selected and next steps.

Jason Thompson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club - BOOK SELECTION SURVEY LIVE!
« Reply #39 on: November 24, 2019, 05:52:59 PM »
Tim,


First off, I think this is a wonderful idea and I look forward to participating.


The only problem seems to be that the survey won’t allow one to submit answers if you haven’t actually read any of the books. I’m getting the following response: ! This question requires an answer.

John McCarthy

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club - BOOK SELECTION SURVEY LIVE!
« Reply #40 on: November 24, 2019, 07:33:10 PM »
Voted!


BTW, I have not read any of the books on the list.  There is a glitch that you must answer both questions.  My answer to question 1 was a lie, I think I picked the least likely answer. 


Anyway, perhaps a none of the above option would allow a truer response. 
The only way of really finding out a man's true character is to play golf with him. In no other walk of life does the cloven hoof so quickly display itself.
 PG Wodehouse

Tim Gallant

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club - BOOK SELECTION SURVEY LIVE!
« Reply #41 on: November 25, 2019, 08:27:25 AM »
Hi Jason and John,

Thanks for the heads-up. I have added a 'None of the above' option - good shout!


We've already had 32 votes! So I will be closing voting tonight at midnight (BST) and will announce the winner. There is one book that has a pretty substantial lead, so think it will be difficult to overcome.




Lou_Duran

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club
« Reply #42 on: November 25, 2019, 09:19:56 AM »
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.


To your detriment.

Lou_Duran

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club - BOOK SELECTION SURVEY LIVE!
« Reply #43 on: November 25, 2019, 09:53:02 AM »
"The Perfect Golf Links- The Links of The European Club in Pictures With Musings On Golf Architecture" by Pat Ruddy.


To my discredit and loss, having subconsciously internalized the site's bias against challenging, championship courses, I didn't include The European Club in my itinerary while visiting Dublin over the last couple of years.  It took one of my regular golf mates, a highly-accomplished individual and a true "retail golfer" to get me to give the course a second look- it was his favorite in a fairly extensive tour of Ireland.  Though I have not played TEC, another high-quality individual did a few months ago upon my recommendation and he came back with a similarly high opinion of the links as well as a copy of the book for me in appreciation.


If Tim's intent is to expand our perspective on GCA, then Garland's suggestion is a good one.  If it is to confirm our ingrained biases, the 7-8 books in the survey serve that purpose (I own AND have read all but two). 


For a more in-depth discussion using a course that we can all play for analysis, Mr. Ruddy's book offers perspectives which may challenge "our" comfort zone, but is highly entertaining nonetheless.  It is not perfectly written or heavily edited, but the outstanding photography more than make up for it.  For me at least, the book was thought-provoking.  One thing for sure, TEC is now on my bucket list toward the top.

Adam Lawrence

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club
« Reply #44 on: November 25, 2019, 10:40:26 AM »

After seeing the Colt thread, I throw this one into the ring:


Creating Classics: The Golf Courses of Harry Colt, by Peter Pugh and Henry Lord


Don't, it's terrible. Although I'm biased.
Adam Lawrence

Editor, Golf Course Architecture
www.golfcoursearchitecture.net

Principal, Oxford Golf Consulting
www.oxfordgolfconsulting.com

Author, 'More Enduring Than Brass: a biography of Harry Colt' (forthcoming).

Short words are best, and the old words, when short, are the best of all.

Ian Galbraith

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club - BOOK SELECTION SURVEY LIVE!
« Reply #45 on: November 25, 2019, 11:32:09 AM »
Good idea Tim.


In case anyone is looking, Hunter's The Links is available at about £11 as a new reprint on Amazon UK:


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Links-Robert-Hunter/dp/1732113785/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+links+hunter&qid=1574699078&sr=8-1


It's not a thing of beauty but it does have all the words and works without a  battery!




Tim Gallant

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club - BOOK SELECTION SURVEY LIVE!
« Reply #46 on: November 25, 2019, 12:54:19 PM »
Great Link Ian!


And Lou - completely agree that we should try to avoid being an echo chamber. That said, I'll share some of the stats from the survey once we choose the book as I think there is something telling in there.


Kalen Braley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club - BOOK SELECTION SURVEY LIVE!
« Reply #47 on: November 25, 2019, 02:05:56 PM »
Tim,


I just took the survey and I too haven't read any of them, but there wasn't a "None of the above" selection.  Perhaps you need to publish a new link?




Josh Bills

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club - BOOK SELECTION SURVEY LIVE!
« Reply #48 on: November 25, 2019, 02:31:29 PM »
Tim,


I would like to be a part of the club as well.  I have completed the survey. Thank you.


Josh

Tim Gallant

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: 2019/20 Winter GCA Book Club - BOOK SELECTION SURVEY LIVE!
« Reply #49 on: November 25, 2019, 02:49:24 PM »
Kalen,


Apologies - I hadn't saved the update, but the link should have a 'None of the above option' now.


I'll close results in a few hours. If there are any more votes to be had, now is the time - it's tight at the moment.