As a golf architect and collector for the past 50 years, I have seen how quickly important golf history can be lost, especially in this digital age where everything floats off on a cyber cloud. Documenting and preserving this vital heritage and information for future generations falls back to one of society’s oldest methods: the written word. No one is better at preserving club histories than John and Curt. The reason is their passion for golf, penchant for detail, and thrill of discovery of lost facts and personalities. Just read any one of the six books that they have collectively written to convince yourself that these are the guys that I want to write my history.
I’m not much of a fan of club histories, mainly because they usually consist of members pointlessly backslapping one another, relegating the whole purpose for the club – the golf course – to a scant few pages. This is why I feel John Strawn’s 2019 club history, Creating Calusa Pines – A Story of Hope and Determination, is so extraordinary. It’s not just a fascinating read, it’s a compelling treatise on golf design. This club history is almost as fascinating as the golf course itself.
TV charity matches may not rouse touring pros to perform with the intensity and drama they bring to a professional golf tournament, but made-for-TV events provide a better view of the courses they are being played on than the typical TV broadcast does.
Read MoreYou may have played The Ocean Course from the tips, or the Old Course in a gale. You may have arrived for the final round of a member-guest with a hangover so overwhelming that you used handicap parking--and deserved it. But there is another, tougher form of golf.
Read MoreI recently reviewed Michael Bamberger's new book, The Second Life of Tiger Woods, in tandem with an appreciation of Curt Sampson's Roaring Back for the Pacific Northwest Golf Association's website and magazine.
Read More
