Golf is one of the world''s fastest growing sports, with more than 60 million players worldwide generating billions of dollars a year, and book sales in the millions. The Golf Book opens with a history of the game, including its origins and rich traditions. The story continues later as thebook visits the world''s most prestigious golf championships, including The Openand The Ryder Cup. Many of these have been the settings of the greatest momentsin golf, and a separate section is devoted to a celebration of the special feats that have defined the sport over the years. A lavish tour of the most coveted golf courses, from St. Andrews in Scotland, to Augusta in the US, and Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand, transports the reader to the fairways of golfing fantasies. The accent is on style, design, and technology as The Golf Book showcases the very latest developments in equipment, from the evolution of the golf ball to custom-fitted clubs. Harnessing the new technology is the focus of the unique techniques section that examines and dissects the shots of the professionals,and suggests ways in which players of all skill levels can improve their game. The book would not be complete without the records and statistics that tell their own story of the game.

Discover the competitive and cultural history behind one of the world's most popular sports, and absorb expert advice to mastering the perfect swing. Find all there is to know about golf: from its ancient origins to the global competitions today. Learn about the strokes and analyze the talents of the world's best. Check out the gear and try out the equipment, from drivers and irons to carts and clothing. Meet the players from the Golden Bear to the White Shark, and come face-to-face with the stars as you read about their finest performances. And take a close-up look at the great competitions from the Open to the Curtis Cup and walk the fairways of the preeminent courses. An invaluable reference section advises you on buying equipment, including custom fitting, guides on the all-important golf etiquette, an explanation of golf's most important rules, and definitions of all the key golfing terms. Showing you exactly what it takes to achieve an effective--and repeatable--golf swing, this ebook works systematically through every type of shot, from tee shots, iron play, pitching, and chipping, to coping with bunkers and putting. Brimming with detail and superbly illustrated with over 1,500 photographs, illustrations, maps and diagrams, The Golf Book is the definitive guide to the famous game.

Golf is a Scottish game. It has been played by the Scots for centuries, and Scotland is its spiritual and cultural home. This is a book devoted to one nation's devotion to a game of stick and ball which today casts its enchantment over the entire world. The beginnings of golf and its early development are shrouded in mystery and are part fact and part fable. The Scottish Golf Book separates one from the other as it traces the early history of golf to the multimillion-dollar, worldwide obsession it has become today. Images from the earliest days of Scottish photography recall titanic battles between the early superstars of the game, while the modern lens takes the reader on a spectacular and magical journey around the historic, the classic, and the hidden treasures of Scotland's finest courses.

East Lothian, a unitary authority area including the old county of Haddingtonshire, is one of Scotland's most historic places - John Knox was born in Haddington in the early years of the sixteenth century; important links were forged with the Low Coutries as a result of trade; and because of its location between Edinburgh and the border with England, the area was razed frequently by English troops. Significant battles were fought within its boundaries, most notably at Dunbar in 1560 and Prestonpans in 1745. It is also a land of huge contrasts, with sandy beaches, majestic sea cliffs, rolling farmland and barren moor, geographical features which have heavily influenced the life and industry of its inhabitants over the centuries.In this beautifully illustrated book, featuring over 100 old photographs, maps and prints, Craig Statham explores an enormous range of lost buildings which have been central to all aspects of the history of the county over a period of thousands of years, but which now no longer exist, lie in ruins or are no longer used for their original function. Grouped by theme, the book includes all types of lost buildings, from castles, mansion houses, streets and even whole villages to hospitals, factories, churches, schools, hotels and even swimming pools.

In the tradition of Peter Mayle and James Dodson’s Final Rounds, Curtis Gillespie gives us a delightful and heartwarming story of people, place, and golf. In this funny, wise, and moving book, Curtis Gillespie chronicles the year he spent with his family among the gorse and heather of Gullane, Scotland, site of this year’s Open. Gillespie had hoped to golf at Gullane with his father, who died several years before, and the memory of his father provides the catalyst for both Gillespie’s trip and the book. He writes affectionately about place, family, life, the obsessive nature of golf, and the personalities who are drawn to the sport. Along the way Curtis Gillespie discovers how much he owes his father -- and finds a rich sense of belonging among the local courses and the people who play them. Playing Through is a warm and wonderfully told memoir that transcends the boundaries of travel and sports writing.