Holiday Gift Guide: Books

For me, the next best thing to playing golf is reading about it. Here are a few suggestions for holiday gifts for the golfer in your life. I have read and enjoyed all of these.

Miracle at Merion: The Inspiring Story of Ben Hogan’s Amazing Comeback and Victory at the 1950 U.S. Open

Grade: A

Teacher’s Comments: A solid tale of one of the classic moments in golf history.

The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever

Grade A

Teacher’s Comments: An account of one of the great mythological events in golf history: a round at Cypress Point that matched Harvie Ward and Ken Venturi against Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson.

A Swing for Life: Revised and Updated (with embedded videos)

Grade: A

Teacher’s Comments: Sir Nick has a knack for explaining things. Unlike many other golf lesson books I have read, I was immediately able to grasp Faldo’s instructions. He writes in a language that the less talented can understand.

The Caddie Who Won The Masters

by John Coyne

Grade: A

Teachers’ Comments: A good fantasy read, even if there are a couple of holes

The Timeless Swing

Grade: A

Teacher’s Comments: Timeless advice from a seemingly timeless player

To Win and Die in Dixie: The Birth of the Modern Golf Swing and the Mysterious Death of Its Creator

Grade: A

Teacher’s Comments: Terrific read. A true life murder mystery at the heart of golf.

King of Clubs: The Great Golf Marathon of 1938

By Jim Ducibella

Grade A

Teachers comments: One of the strangest golf stories ever, entertainingly told: that of the 1938 four-day, coast-to-coast, eight-city, 600-hole golf marathon of J Smith Ferebee.

The Mysterious Montague: A True Tale of Hollywood, Golf, and Armed Robbery

Grade: B

Teacher’s Comments: A good read, as much a true crime story as it is about golf.