[.ca] The Spirit of St. Andrews (ISBN 1886947007)

From Amazon.com:
In 1933 Alister MacKenzie put on paper his considerable golfing knowledge. One of the game's most revered course designers--he conceived Augusta National, site of the Masters, and served the hallowed links of St. Andrews for years as consulting architect--MacKenzie synthesized his thoughts on golf's history, its equipment, its personalities, and his musings on what makes a great course and what makes a great hole, into a manuscript that lay hidden for more than 60 years. Finally available, it stands as one of the most courtly and cultivated treatises ever written on the royal and ancient game. His concepts of the psychology of design are as apt today as when he penned them, and his anecdotal spinnings on his own golfing trials should inspire anyone who's thought of picking up a club.

Legendary Architect on Sundry Golf Issues:
Lost manuscript now publlished for all of us to hear the thoughts of such an influential figure in our sport's history. Bob Jones wrote of him in the preface: "all his courses that I have played have been interesting; in every instance he has placed interest and enjoyment ahead of difficulty." Oh, that more modern designers would learn the lesson! He states that even the most emphatic golfer who says he's not interested in beauty is "subconsciously influenced by his surroundings." Easily the designer of some of golf's most influential hole scenes, this guy gives definite hints, e.g. Playing down fairways bordered by straight lines of trees is not only unartistic but makes tedious and uninteresting golf. Many green committees ruin one's handiwork by planting trees like rows of soldiers along the borders of the fairways." Love the poem he quotes on the analysis of paralysis: The Centipede was happy quite until a toad in fun said "Pray which leg goes over which?" This put his mind in such a pitch he lay distracted in a ditch considering how to run."

Course Architecture and Maintenance:
MacKenzie shares his timeless, and oft forgotten, philosophy on how a course should be designed - for the golfer, but not by the golfer; shaped and, when necessary reworked, by the professional architect, not by the whims of a committee; and finally, playable by all who love the game.

Buy it and read it now:
Great read and great sketches. When asked how he got such interesting, hilly, contoured greens, Dr. M once said, "Employ the biggest fool in the village and instruct him to make the greens all flat" Scary how much of the comments written in the early part of the century apply to today's game and course design. Once section about the controversy of the day re: limiting the flight of the ball is exaclt what we are hearing nearly again 70 years later

A masterpiece work from one of golf's greatest legends:
This book, written in 1933 and never published until 1995 is the greatest find in golf. Entertaining anecdotes, wonderful essays--all of which is incredibly interesting and relevant today. WSJ called it "another Dead Sea scroll" for golfers. The foreward was written by his co-designer at Augusta National Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones, Jr. An incredible discovery that you must read. A true timeless classic. On a scale of 1-10, it is a 12.