George Bahto’s “The Evangelist of Golf” is the definitive work detailing the course layouts and historical contributions of two of the great masters of the craft. Charles Blair Macdonald and his protege, Seth Raynor, are widely recognized as two of the 20th century’s greatest golf course architects, and “The Evangelist of Golf” is a compelling study of their work and their lasting influence on the game. With an impressive array of stunning original images, this pictorial is as comprehensive as it is attractive.
From the Inside Flap
Charles Blair Macdonald may very well be one of the most influential persons in American golf history. He was instrumental in the establishment of the United States Golf A [Read More...]
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May 25th, 2010 at 6:34 pm
Not QUITE the usual coffee-table sized book, this rich volume taught me more about golf course architecture - really, the thought behind a thinking-player’s course - than anything else I’ve read. Yes, it’s a professional biography of one architect, with a lot about his protege, Seth Raynor, but MacDonald was the consummate perfectionist, studying the subject and contemplating his creations perhaps more deeply than anyone else.
The result of his research and reflection was a career marked by the quality rather than the quantity of his work. His courses are timeless, incorporating a similar “menu” of classic holes modified and improved to fit the local terrain and prevailing conditions.
Bahto’s account of MacDonald’s life and work is refreshingly frank and conversational. He makes no attempt to gloss over MacDonald’s cranky arrogance, perhaps because such a temperament is so often linked to genuis. In my opinion this gives the text extra credibility, as do Bahto’s wonderfully precise schematic diagrams of so many of MacDonald’s creations.
My only complaint is that the quality of the photographs is very uneven and often poor. It’s a shame that the publisher couldn’t have waited a year or two and sent a professional to shoot the holes with a high-res camera in good light. I wouldn’t have wanted to see calendar-style glossies, but I would have enjoyed higher contrast, less grainy photographs to match the clear and illuminating prose.
Despite this minor quibble I’m giving the book a top rating, for it illustrates the Purpose behind deliberate, elegant - yet always playful - golf course design at its highest level. If you can, give this to someone who loves golf and takes it seriously. It would be a wonderful way of showing them how much you appreciate their passion for the game.