A summer 2006 reading list for golfers

By Kiel Christianson

Senior Writer, Golf Publisher Syndications

updated 1:17 p.m. ET June 5, 2006

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - When summer comes, there are golfers who simply look forward to hitting the links once a week or so. Then there are golfers who begin a dedicated regimen that revolves around the game. These people are students of golf, and they live, eat, drink and breathe the game from the day the frost melts out of the greens to that first sorrowful snowfall.

But even these dedicated souls can't spend every minute on the links. They're constrained by pesky family vacations, vexing afternoon meetings and the daily irritation that is sundown. These are the folks who curse a day at the beach because their spouse wouldn't let them bring a sand wedge along.

For these dedicated souls, we've amassed a summer reading list. Because even if you can't be on the course, you can at least immerse your mind in all things golf. And with golf books this good, you might not even mind the occasional rainy day.

Men on the Bag by Ward Clayton

Arguably the most hallowed greens in America are those at Augusta National. And the average Joe has a better shot at winning the lottery than ever playing them. But if you want to learn about the place from the inside, this book ($13, Sports Media Group, www.greatgolfbooks.com) offers an unparalleled compilation of memories, anecdotes and insights from the caddies who've looped for Masters champions and presidents alike.

Pebble Beach: Golf and the Forgotten Men by Jerry Stewart

If your tastes run more toward public courses, there's no doubt that the gold standard is Pebble Beach. Stewart's volume about the caddies at Pebble ($25, Sports Media Group) does for the California course what Clayton does for Augusta National. After reading this comprehensive book, you'll know more about Pebble Beach than most of the folks in the surrounding multi-million dollar mansions do.

The Search for the Perfect Golf Club by Tom Wishon

We try to avoid instructional books during the season, but it's always a good time to learn more about your clubs. Tom Wishon has been designing golf clubs for more than 30 years, and he shares vast stores of that knowledge with the reader. From head shape to lie to loft to shafts to swing weights to grips to ladies' clubs - you name it, Wishon covers it. His book ($25, Sports Media Group) is a must-read for anyone looking to buy new clubs, especially if you're going to be custom-fitted - if you don't want to be ripped off or led astray, that is.

Lines of Charm edited by Geoff Shackelford

If you want to learn more about golf-course design, this delightful collection of quotes from the game's so-called "Golden Age" architects is a great place to begin ($20, Sports Media Group). There's more than one golfer who would agree with C.B. MacDonald's sentiment, "Long grass entails too much searching for balls." And how many of today's designers have forgotten A.W. Tillinghast's sage advice: "It is the feel of the shots rather than the measure of the tape that is the greatest asset to the builder of courses."

Fairways of Life by Matthew E. Adams

Perhaps no other sport draws so many comparisons to life itself as golf. Perhaps the metaphor is hackneyed, but can any golfer deny the obvious parallels? This rich volume ($25, Sports Media Group), with a forward by Arnold Palmer, weaves quotes from and stories about the game's most famous personalities to show even the cliché-weary that lessons learned on the course can be applied to life off it.

The Old Man and the Tee by Turk Pipkin

Pipkin devoted 12 months of his life to taking 10 strokes off his handicap. In the process he learned how to love the game again. Envious as you might be - who wouldn't want to take a full year to just play? - this golfing memoir ($25, St. Martin's Press, www.stmartins.com) will do more than make you mutter "lucky bugger" over and over again. It'll make you laugh out loud.

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