Composed by Graham Segger in a couple of hours on the morning of February 24, 2023. Hours devoted to reading the books reviewed – possibly 25 or more. See accompanying article for a computer generated version of this article composed in less than one minute by ChatGPT.

Those who have followed my past articles may be a little surprised to find me writing about golf, rather than my usual obsession with maritime subjects. Since taking golf a little more seriously over the last four years, I’ve begun to fall under its spell. What had previously been a mystery to me – why grown men and women regularly devote three to five hours chasing a small sphere around a golf course – is becoming a lot more understandable. We joined the full seasonal BSMCC golf membership for the first time this year and sure enough, the more you play, the more it seems you want to play. I have lots of golfers in my extended family who have been feeding me reading suggestions over the last couple of years. This is an attempt to briefly scan the sub-genre of golf literature and review a couple of interesting books which delve into the strange hold the game can have on us.

Many books about golf can be categorized as instructional manuals for how to play the game better. Others are biographies of famous golfers, and some, are a combination of the two. I’m not suggesting that my golf game has necessarily benefited from any of these tomes, but for the most part I have enjoyed reading them. I’ve looked at Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book and Sam Snead Teaches Golf. On my bed stand is Classic Instruction by Bobby Jones and Ben Crenshaw. Unfortunately, these instructional books often work better battling insomnia than they do improving my game. Another big category of golf books are those devoted to golf humor. There are many to choose from, though one that caught my eye recently was a compilation of Playboy’s politically incorrect Fore Play golf cartoons. Being new to the game I also enjoyed Scott Johnson’s The Complete Book of Golf Games, which has been helpful in understanding some of the arcane terms used to enhance a round of golf.

Back to the mystique and draw of golf, the following three books have provided thought provoking takes on this aspect of the game.

Final Rounds: A Father, a Son, the Golf Journey of a Lifetime by James Dodsen

When award winning Golf Magazine writer and editor Jim Dodsen learned his father had only months to live he initiated a father and son road trip to some of the great golf courses of England and Scotland. The book which grew out of this adventure is part biography of both father and son, part travelogue, and part reflection on the mystique of the game. It is an emotionally charged tribute to the author’s father, who introduced him to the game and provided him with many life lessons both on and off the course.  I fondly recall a similar trip to North Carolina with my own father 15 years ago where we visited some of the great golf courses, though did not have the opportunity to play any of them.

The Back Nine by Billy Mott

This novel has a fanciful and highly improbable plot about a down and out character dealing with problems in his personal life and making a mid-life golf comeback after flaming out as a promising junior. It is complete with gambling, troubled relationships, the cult of the caddies and shot by shot descriptions of suspenseful golf matches. As long as you suspend credibility for a few hours it is an enjoyable read.  

Golf in the Kingdom by Michael Murphy

This novel is what you get when you mix mysticism, philosophy, psychology and Scottish links golf. Many of my golf playing friends, particularly in Florida, might gag on this book as it strays into the surreal. It was, for me, however, an enjoyable account of seaside golf among the heather and gorse in the Kingdom of Fife, as well as a lesson on the ancient history of the game. Hiding among the gobbledygook about inner selves and transcendental golf shots there is an enjoyable exploration of some of the mysteries and attractions of the game.

All three books, in their different ways, try to probe the depths of the strange addiction which golf can produce in players, an affliction I am beginning to succumb to.