Cheap World Atlas of Golf: The Greatest Courses and How They Are Played (Book) (Pat Ward-Thomas, Derek Lawrenson) Price

After a short refresher on the evolution of golf course design--"Not the least of golf's attractions," remind the authors, "is the fact that it is the one game that is played on natural terrain or, failing that, on terrain that has been diligently molded so that it has the aspect and feel of natural terrain"--the Atlas whisks you around the globe to more than 100 of the world's premier golfing outposts. Each course is described in words, pictures, and, most fun of all, routing maps with detailed schemes of individual holes that should have hackers salivating. Histories are provided; anecdotes about great shots and famous players are offered; and the best holes are analyzed, parsed, and dissected, complete with strategies on how to play them successfully. Some of the courses--Seminole; Augusta; and Pine Valley, considered the most challenging in the known universe--are so private that the only place to play them is in your dreams. But even there, golfers need an edge. An informed golfer is always ahead of the game, even when just sleeping on it. --Jeff Silverman