The Story of Golf in Fifty Holes - by Tony Dear (Paperback)

About the Book

"The book covers the 600-year history of golf and its most significant contributors with a main focus on iconic holes. Tony Dear describes the origins of each course featured, and explains its role in the history of the game such as contributions to course architecture or its importance to the careers of iconic players."--

Book Synopsis

"The latest golf book from Dear (Every Golf Question You Ever Wanted Answered) meets the formidable challenge of trying to tell the 600-year history of golf.... a Masters-level celebration of the game."
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The people and events that shaped golf's 600-year history.

The Story of Golf in Fifty Holes explores the 600-year history of the "game of honor." It reveals the excitement and despair, the challenges overcome and the sweet victories, the sportsmanship and the stars bursting onto the scene. It also describes the developments in course design, like the first manmade water hazard, and the first central fairways bunkers.

In 50 chapters, the book describes the holes, their contribution to golf course architecture, their importance to the careers of specific players, and their place in the overall story of golf.

The book also features:

• "Design and Layout" illustrations of the 50 holes
• The year, course, location and map, distance and par for each hole
• Color and archival photographs of the players and tournament events
• Sidebars with additional stories of interest.

The 50 stories cover the globe and generations of players, including:

• 5th North Berwick, the original Redan hole
• 18th Glen Abbey, where Tiger Woods had what many call the greatest shot ever hit
• 12th Atlantic Country Club, where the term "birdie" was first used
• 18th Royal Birkdale, home to "the concession."

For golfers and fans alike, The Story of Golf in Fifty Holes is an exciting treat they will return to again and again.

Review Quotes

For players and fans alike, The Story of Golf in Fifty Holes is a phenomenal history and a 'must read' selection for anyone who has enjoyed the game of golf as recreation or as a profession. Simply stated, this paperback edition of Tony Dear's The Story of Golf in Fifty Holes from Firefly Books is a high prized pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Sports and Golf collections.-- "Midwest Book Review" (5/1/2024 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of hardcover: ] (starred review) Like a perfectly placed 250-yard drive down a long fairway fraught with peril on a blustery day, the latest golf book from Dear (Every Golf Question You Ever Wanted Answered) meets the formidable challenge of trying to tell the 600-year history of golf. The unaccompanied text would have gotten mired in a sand trap, but numerous images--photos and illustrations of many featured holes, shots of key golfers and moments from history--add to the fascinating details to make for a dream game. Readers will be inspired to hit the links. Alongside descriptions and pictures of various hazards--including ancient sheds, railroad tracks, rolling hills, and vegetable gardens--the author provides tidbits on inspired course architects, maddeningly placed bunkers, the origins of golfing terms, and intriguing people at every level of the game. The book is fittingly international in scope, too, going from Scotland to Australia to Japan and all over North America. The only penalty stroke, perhaps, would be for lack of attention to women in golf, but then women weren't allowed to play golf professionally until the 1950s. The book is a touch melancholic, lamenting changes made to particular holes that had meant so much at certain points in history, but overall it is a Masters-level celebration of the game. [Review-- "Publisher's Weekly" (10/1/2015 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of hardcover: ] I highly recommend this book for any golf enthusiast or history buff in your family.--Tom Ward "Sports Page Weekly" (9/25/2015 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of hardcover: ] In a captivating chronicle of "the game," golf writer Tony Dear lists 50 holes, past and present, where significant events in golf's history have taken place.--Brandy Allport "Florida Times-Union" (12/20/2015 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of hardcover: ] The Story of Golf in Fifty Holes is a perfect read... The book chronicles 50 holes, past and present, where significant events in golfs illustrious history have taken place... A number of the holes appear at courses so private the closest you might ever get to them is by looking at the picture. But I estimate that, by paying the green-fee or with a well-penned letter to the club secretary, you could play well over three-quarters of them.-- "Golf Canada" (9/1/2015 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Tony Dear, a former British PGA apprentice professional and member of the University of Liverpool golf team, is now an award-winning freelance golf writer. He contributes to numerous golf publications on both sides of the Atlantic, including Golf World, The Open Championship magazine and Links. He has also written for the Guardian, Dallas Morning News, San Diego Union-Tribune and National Post, and is a former golf correspondent of the New York Sun. He currently lives in Bellingham, Washington.