Two Years in St. Andrews; At Home on the 18th Hole
Chris Close (Jacket photograph) and Iain Lowe (Aut New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. Second printing [stated]. Hardcover. [14], 318, [2] pages. Illustrations. Maps. Index. Black mark on bottom edge. Minor moisture stain at bottom. some DJ wear and soiling. George Peper, currently editor at large for Links magazine, was editor in chief of Golf Magazine for twenty-five years has written, co-written, or edited 17 books, including Artisan’s 500 World’s Greatest Golf Holes and Greg Norman’s Shark Attack. In 1999, his script for the documentary The Story of Golf was nominated for an Emmy Award. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is one of the oldest golf clubs in the world. It is a private members-only club based in St Andrews in Scotland. It was previously known colloquially as "The R&A", but in 2004, a new organization known as The R&A was spun off, assuming the club's functions as one of the governing authorities of the game and organizer of tournaments such as The Open Championship. Despite this legal separation, one of the club's objectives remains to contribute, through its members, to the governance, championship organization, and golf development roles now carried out by The R&A. The organization was founded in 1754 as the Society of St Andrews Golfers, a local golf club playing at St Andrews Links. The club quickly grew in importance. In 1834, King William IV recognized St Andrews as Royal and Ancient and The Royal Society of St Andrews Golfers grandly proclaimed it the Home of Golf.
Later it was referred to as The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.[5] In 1897, the Society codified the rules of golf. Gradually over the next 30 years, it was invited to take control of the running of golf tournaments at other courses. The former editor-in-chief of Golf magazine and author of The Secret of Golf shares his experiences of retiring to a house alongside the venerable Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, on a personal journey during which his wife renovated their new seven-room home and he pursued a goal of breaking par. Derived from a Publishers Weekly article: Former Golf magazine editor Peper bought a townhouse beside the 18th hole of the Old Course in the Scottish village of St. Andrews and spent a few years living there and penning this pleasant homage to "golf's version of the Vatican." Peper soaks up the traditions, vistas and aura of the storied Royal and Ancient Golf Club, pokes gentle fun at the horrors of Scottish cuisine, reminisces about encounters with such celebrities as Jack Nicklaus and Sean Connery, and gives shot-by-shot recaps of some of his many confrontations with the Old Course (his goal was to shoot an under-par round). Peper writes with jaunty, understated good humor, lit with occasional flashes of exhilaration and despair depending on the vicissitudes of his game. The narrative calms down in accounts of his wife's remodeling of their townhouse or thumbnails of neighbors; often the book really feels like a story about a couple who retire to a golf course. But golf fans—devotées of one of life's thrills—will savor this walking-speed appreciation of their greatest shrine. Condition: Good / Good.
Keywords: Golf, Michael Bonallack, Bobby Jones, Jubilee Course, Old Course, Gordon Murray, Jack Nicklaus, British Open, Royal & Ancient, Tiger Woods
ISBN: 9780743262828
[Book #85585]
Price: $27.50