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Golf Books

Books are our first love.
        Bob Labbance has authored fifteen books on golf over the past 20 years. Together with co-author David Cornwell he wrote Vermont Golf Courses: A Players Guide in 1987, The Golf Courses of New Hampshire in 1989 and The Maine Golf Guide in 1991. Each offered a detailed write-up on every course in the state and included sections on courses that no longer exist, the state's golf history and course architects.

        In 2000, Labbance profiled Walter J. Travis in The Old Man, published by Sleeping Bear Press. "Helped by a score of personal correspondence, we're treated to a lively walk through the Old Man's wondrous career," says Hearthstone reviews of this comprehensive volume. The book details not only the long competitive career of Walter J. Travis, but also his extensive work as an editor and golf course architect. Travis founded The American Golfer magazine in 1908 and remained as editor until 1920. He also planned more than 25 golf courses including the Westchester Country Club in New York, Sea Island in Georgia and Ekwanok in Vermont.

        In 2002, Labbance co-authored (with retired Canadian golf course superintendent Gordon Witteveen) Keepers of the Green: A History of Golf Course Management. The book was written for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, under the auspices of the Historical Preservation Committee. A handsome volume with detailed information about the men and women who have created the modern superintendent, this book has filled a niche in the history of golf. Forward by Arnold Palmer, son of a hard-working greenkeeper.

         In 2003, Labbance authored Golf in the Year 2100, published by Towle House Books of Nashville, TN. A "sequel" to Golf in the Year 2000, which was published in 1892, this work of golf science fiction found a unique position in the rich literature of the game. One hundred years ago golfers played with balls made of tree sap, clubs made of hickory and tees fashioned from sand. A massive drive traveled 225 yards, greens "stimped" at five and courses were 5,000 yards. The quickest form of travel was the train, letters took weeks to reach Europe and the age of 60 was considered old. Do you think anything we experience today will be part of our normal existence in 2100? Find out what Douglas Grant sees, feels and hears when he finds himself 100 years hence. And what the game of golf has become.

        In addition to co-authoring a number of golf club history books, Patrick White has provided general writing and editing services to two recent landmark books by golf architect Geoffrey S. Cornish. Eighteen Stakes on a Sunday Afternoon, published by Grant Books, chronicles the history of golf course architecture in North America by examining and abstracting articles written on the topic over the past 100-plus years. It is a valuable tool for writers and researchers, and a tremendous education for anyone interested in the development of the profession of golf architecture. Classic Golf Hole Design, published by John Wiley, takes a closer look at specific golf holes and explores the inspiration for their design.

Harry Vardon is coming!