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The Anatomy of a Golf Course: The Art of Golf Architecture
Behind every golf hole lies an influence on every golfer's game that few golfers ever the course architect. Why a hole dog-legs left and not right, why bunkers end up where they are, the length of a hole, the view from the tee--all these factors and many more are the result of choices made by the golf architect to challenge, and sometimes intimidate, any golfer's game. Tom Doak, one of America's youngest and most successful golf architects, here discusses his craft and explains the strategies behind a golf architect's decisions. Knowing why a course is laid out is critical to how the course should be played. Knowledgeable golfers and beginners alike will find The Anatomy of a Golf Course fascinating--and stroke saving--reading.
- GenresSportsNonfictionEssays
265 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 1992
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680 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
March 23, 2023
First book read on the kindle. This book makes me want to change careers, though I think I’ll stay as an armchair architect. There is not much that comes close to reading, or hearing, someone with years of experience teach and share about something they thoroughly enjoy. I am a big Doak fan.
January 31, 2020
Loved it, very informative.
It's really going to help with the golf hole doodles I'm constantly drawing.
It's really going to help with the golf hole doodles I'm constantly drawing.
March 25, 2020
Worth reading for those interested in golf architecture
It was a pretty quick read and generally well written. I was hoping for more examples of common architectural troupes and how they affect the strategic thinking of the average golfer or the pro, though admittedly Doak did include some of that content.
It was a pretty quick read and generally well written. I was hoping for more examples of common architectural troupes and how they affect the strategic thinking of the average golfer or the pro, though admittedly Doak did include some of that content.
August 25, 2020
I’ve been a golf nut for some time but it’s only been in the last five years or so that I thought much about the course designers and Golf Course Architecture (GCA). Tom Doak is one of the very best, especially because he tries to design courses that challenge the best players but create ways for average golfers to still have a great time.
What’s mildly insane is that he wrote this book almost 25 years ago when he was really just getting started. Courses like Pacific Dunes and a Streamsong Blue - two of his gems that I love - didn’t exist. I bought this because I’d heard some folks say it’s not just interesting to learn more about GCA, but it can also help you as a golfer to think more about what the designer had in mind, what he is trying to tempt you into doing or what safe route he’s leaving for you. (I say “he” because I’m not sure of any female golf course architects though that obviously should change.)
It’s a fun book with lots of simple but clear drawings of the holes he’s referencing (fun fact - many if not all drawings were done by Gil Hanse, another amazing course architect.) It is a very quick read and assuredly only for golf nerds like me but probably something I’ll go back and leaf through for years to come.
What’s mildly insane is that he wrote this book almost 25 years ago when he was really just getting started. Courses like Pacific Dunes and a Streamsong Blue - two of his gems that I love - didn’t exist. I bought this because I’d heard some folks say it’s not just interesting to learn more about GCA, but it can also help you as a golfer to think more about what the designer had in mind, what he is trying to tempt you into doing or what safe route he’s leaving for you. (I say “he” because I’m not sure of any female golf course architects though that obviously should change.)
It’s a fun book with lots of simple but clear drawings of the holes he’s referencing (fun fact - many if not all drawings were done by Gil Hanse, another amazing course architect.) It is a very quick read and assuredly only for golf nerds like me but probably something I’ll go back and leaf through for years to come.
March 4, 2016
What can I say. This book would probably only appeal to died in the wool golfers.
Tom Doak shares his knowledge, and perspective on course design in a personal way.
For those players that want to get into the head of an architect, to better understand the decisions
they make, and to hopefully give them insight as to how to approach a given course, this is a must
read. But this is not a very large audience.
Tom Doak shares his knowledge, and perspective on course design in a personal way.
For those players that want to get into the head of an architect, to better understand the decisions
they make, and to hopefully give them insight as to how to approach a given course, this is a must
read. But this is not a very large audience.
January 8, 2022
Great book to read to learn about golf architecture. Well written with lots of illustrations (by Gil Hanse). Highly recommended.
xi) Colt & Co Golf Course Architects
xiii) Scotland's Gift, Golf: Reminiscences by Charles Blair Macdonald
Golf Course Architecture in America
The Architectural Side of Golf
Golf Architecture (Annotated): Economy in Course Construction and Green-Keeping
3) Four best books from the Golden Age of Architecture:
Mackenzie
Thomas
Wethered & Simpson
The Links
43) "The difference between a good course and a mediocre one can't be blamed on the construction budget but rather the lack of attention to detail on the part of the architect."
44) "A balanced course should be arranged to allow all players the chance to demonstrate particular golfing skills, and to force them to confront their weaknesses; the course should have enough variety that no player is unduly favored."
52) "The only hole rightly judged as unfair is one the poorer golfer may never finish, because it calls for a forced carry beyond his beans over an unplayable hazard, such as water."
64) "Golf architects understand this mental trap all too well; it disturbs their own golf games. When they see a hole they think is poorly designed, they become distracted, and play it poorly as a result. While it is hoped that those who read this book will be enlightened in the mysteries of design, they are forewarned to reserve their criticisms of the course until the 19th hole, lest they fall into the same trap."
65) "Three distinct styles or schools have emerged: the penal, the strategic, and the heroic."
100) "One of my least favorite trends in modern design is the unusually shaped green."
109) "Most modern architects seem unable to design a great par-3 hole without water, precisely because they are not building beautiful bunkers."
119) "The best designers subordinate their style to the landscape when necessary."
121) "Whenever a golfer has no recourse but to play a lay-up shot to a specific point so he can get back into the flow of the hole, the hole needs modification."
131-3) "The most important change to be made in America golf is not to reduce the acreage of fairways needing maintenance, but to reduce the standard of maintenance expected on the fairway so the average golfer is provided with a reasonable target for his drive."
135) "Getting in a water hazard is like being in a plane crash--the result is final. Landing in a bunker is similar to an automobile accident--there is a chance of recovery." - Bobby Jones
140) "Once the fundamentals are mastered, the ability to recover from the sand is perhaps the most important skill separating low and high handicappers; it is impossible to play a good shot while worrying about the consequences of a bad one into a bunker."
154) "In bunker placement as in every other aspect of golf architecture, variety is the key."
156) "Florida ultimately gave us the island 17th hole on the TPC at Sawgrass (not a bad hole for the 71st of a major championship, for which it was designed, but in every other respect the germ starting the plague of island greens), the Old Marsh Golf Club, where water comes into play on 27 of the regulation 36 shots through the green."
171) "The very best par-5 hole i have seen, the 8th at Crystal Downs, is another fine example of how ground contours can be used to full effect."
174) Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club, England, features a fine course without bunkers
176) "Trees are fluky and obnoxious form of hazard" - H.S. Colt
190) Putting Course at Desert Highlands, designed by Gary Panks
199) The Golf Course: Planning, Design, Construction and Management
201) Golf: The Passion and the Challenge
208) "The Rules of Golf make no distinction between "fairway" and "rough", because on the links the line of demarcation is fuzzy at best."
209) "A real golfer doesn't complain about the conditions; he allows for them."
xi) Colt & Co Golf Course Architects
xiii) Scotland's Gift, Golf: Reminiscences by Charles Blair Macdonald
Golf Course Architecture in America
The Architectural Side of Golf
Golf Architecture (Annotated): Economy in Course Construction and Green-Keeping
3) Four best books from the Golden Age of Architecture:
Mackenzie
Thomas
Wethered & Simpson
The Links
43) "The difference between a good course and a mediocre one can't be blamed on the construction budget but rather the lack of attention to detail on the part of the architect."
44) "A balanced course should be arranged to allow all players the chance to demonstrate particular golfing skills, and to force them to confront their weaknesses; the course should have enough variety that no player is unduly favored."
52) "The only hole rightly judged as unfair is one the poorer golfer may never finish, because it calls for a forced carry beyond his beans over an unplayable hazard, such as water."
64) "Golf architects understand this mental trap all too well; it disturbs their own golf games. When they see a hole they think is poorly designed, they become distracted, and play it poorly as a result. While it is hoped that those who read this book will be enlightened in the mysteries of design, they are forewarned to reserve their criticisms of the course until the 19th hole, lest they fall into the same trap."
65) "Three distinct styles or schools have emerged: the penal, the strategic, and the heroic."
100) "One of my least favorite trends in modern design is the unusually shaped green."
109) "Most modern architects seem unable to design a great par-3 hole without water, precisely because they are not building beautiful bunkers."
119) "The best designers subordinate their style to the landscape when necessary."
121) "Whenever a golfer has no recourse but to play a lay-up shot to a specific point so he can get back into the flow of the hole, the hole needs modification."
131-3) "The most important change to be made in America golf is not to reduce the acreage of fairways needing maintenance, but to reduce the standard of maintenance expected on the fairway so the average golfer is provided with a reasonable target for his drive."
135) "Getting in a water hazard is like being in a plane crash--the result is final. Landing in a bunker is similar to an automobile accident--there is a chance of recovery." - Bobby Jones
140) "Once the fundamentals are mastered, the ability to recover from the sand is perhaps the most important skill separating low and high handicappers; it is impossible to play a good shot while worrying about the consequences of a bad one into a bunker."
154) "In bunker placement as in every other aspect of golf architecture, variety is the key."
156) "Florida ultimately gave us the island 17th hole on the TPC at Sawgrass (not a bad hole for the 71st of a major championship, for which it was designed, but in every other respect the germ starting the plague of island greens), the Old Marsh Golf Club, where water comes into play on 27 of the regulation 36 shots through the green."
171) "The very best par-5 hole i have seen, the 8th at Crystal Downs, is another fine example of how ground contours can be used to full effect."
174) Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club, England, features a fine course without bunkers
176) "Trees are fluky and obnoxious form of hazard" - H.S. Colt
190) Putting Course at Desert Highlands, designed by Gary Panks
199) The Golf Course: Planning, Design, Construction and Management
201) Golf: The Passion and the Challenge
208) "The Rules of Golf make no distinction between "fairway" and "rough", because on the links the line of demarcation is fuzzy at best."
209) "A real golfer doesn't complain about the conditions; he allows for them."
July 12, 2025
An unexpected gem, though obviously given the subject matter the book will appeal only to a small subset of readers. Nonetheless, for a book that had the potential to be a deathly dull and stuffy overview of what makes a golf course appealing, The Anatomy of a Golf Course is instead a treatise on the strategy of the game. In my quest to improve since I took the game up a couple years ago, I have read and watched many articles and videos on course management; none come close to Doak's analysis. Rather than general self-help guidelines, Doak instead dives into what it in chess would be called the positional characteristics and strategic considerations of each major element on a course. He does so with a view to the various trade-offs involved for players of differing skill levels (and with strengths in one area relative to others) and with sympathy and understanding of the needs of even the beginning golfer. Chapter 5, "The Psychology of Design", is worth the price of the book, alone.
The final couple chapters, in which Doak permits himself to expound upon maintenance, construction, and redesign, do not carry the same level of interest for most readers... but even here I found myself nodding along in support of his advocacy of more environmentally friendly practices which help keep costs down for regular people. Might seem obvious now, but I suspect his positions would have been semi-radical in the early 90s when he was writing. In any case, I certainly support this view and his larger philosophy of working the course into the landscape rather than driving the footprint still deeper.
Don't think I have any golfers on here, but this would make a fantastic gift for the golfer in your life. Outstanding book for the right reader.
(Plus, I shot a personal best breakthrough score my very first time out after finishing the majority of the book. Throughout, I found myself mentally referring back to its insights.)
The final couple chapters, in which Doak permits himself to expound upon maintenance, construction, and redesign, do not carry the same level of interest for most readers... but even here I found myself nodding along in support of his advocacy of more environmentally friendly practices which help keep costs down for regular people. Might seem obvious now, but I suspect his positions would have been semi-radical in the early 90s when he was writing. In any case, I certainly support this view and his larger philosophy of working the course into the landscape rather than driving the footprint still deeper.
Don't think I have any golfers on here, but this would make a fantastic gift for the golfer in your life. Outstanding book for the right reader.
(Plus, I shot a personal best breakthrough score my very first time out after finishing the majority of the book. Throughout, I found myself mentally referring back to its insights.)
August 26, 2018
This short book gives an overview of the design considerations entertained by a golf architect in designing a course, and could be very interesting to the golfer who wants to more critically consider the courses he plays. It is probably not of much interest to the non-golfer.
The book has chapters discussing the major areas of course design (aesthetics, routing, bunkering, etc.) and uses particular holes, with accompanying diagrams, as illustrations. The goal of the book was clearly to give a short primer on each topic, but surely much more could have been said. The author, for example, discusses the importance of giving care to the choice of grass varieties, but he does not actually discuss the merits of common grasses themselves.
An interesting thread running through the book, written in 1992, is the exploration of how the ballooning popularity of golf will affect course design going forward. In the intervening years that trend has shifted, the popularity of golf is in decline, and precisely the opposite question could be asked.
The book has chapters discussing the major areas of course design (aesthetics, routing, bunkering, etc.) and uses particular holes, with accompanying diagrams, as illustrations. The goal of the book was clearly to give a short primer on each topic, but surely much more could have been said. The author, for example, discusses the importance of giving care to the choice of grass varieties, but he does not actually discuss the merits of common grasses themselves.
An interesting thread running through the book, written in 1992, is the exploration of how the ballooning popularity of golf will affect course design going forward. In the intervening years that trend has shifted, the popularity of golf is in decline, and precisely the opposite question could be asked.
September 17, 2018
This book takes a deep dive into the thought behind the whys of what one encounters on the golf course. It's probably not a book non-golfers would be interested in - the nitty gritty details of golf course architecture are explored. But it made me think of golf courses in a whole new light - I didn't realize how much thought goes into each decision and how each of those small decisions can produce big and unexpected consequences.
I first encountered Tom Doak through his series on The Fried Egg podcast, and would recommend those episodes for anyone interested in the subject. Tom has a nice disposition that makes him relatable to us lay people. It would be fun to have a beer with Tom because I suspect he has an endless supply of interesting stories to tell from his many years of design work.
May 16, 2020
There is probably a fairly limited audience for this book, but for that audience it is a good primer on the basics of golf course architecture.
Obviously Doak is one of the biggest names in GCA at present, and his name adorns some of the most acclaimed designs of the last thirty years. However, this is written early in his career, and it is interesting to consider his more recent designs in light of the ideas he presents here. In fairness to him, he has proved consistent in his philosophy and its application. Having heard Doak on The Fried Egg podcast, he seemed an eloquent advocate for minimalism, and the school of strategic design, and this book is more of the same.
A comprehensive starting point for anyone looking to understand the fundamental principles of golf course architecture.
Obviously Doak is one of the biggest names in GCA at present, and his name adorns some of the most acclaimed designs of the last thirty years. However, this is written early in his career, and it is interesting to consider his more recent designs in light of the ideas he presents here. In fairness to him, he has proved consistent in his philosophy and its application. Having heard Doak on The Fried Egg podcast, he seemed an eloquent advocate for minimalism, and the school of strategic design, and this book is more of the same.
A comprehensive starting point for anyone looking to understand the fundamental principles of golf course architecture.
February 5, 2024
Great read for a golfer. Doak advocates for a more naturalistic golf course. He says courses should ideally be designed around already existing features (a punch bowl for a green, a clearing for a fairway, etc). He also wants a less manicured course (besides the greens) in order to cut down on costs and use less fertilizer (he wants American golfers to lower their expectations of manicured holes). He’s very fond of British links, and makes frequent references to their design, beauty, and architects. This book isn’t for a golfer who wants to read about how to get around a golf course better, but for a golfer who wants to better appreciate the courses they play.
September 2, 2025
Doak's book provides an excellent modern update to the classics written by Golden Age architects such as Hunter, Ross, McKenzie, and MacDonald. Although now over 30 years old, many of Doak's ideals and warnings have become the standard in today's world of golf. I found myself reflecting on his words about how design can affect maintenance standards as well as his views on fairness versus playability many times during my own rounds while I was reading this book.
October 11, 2020
Provides a deeper appreciation for all the planning, design, and strategy that goes into everything between the tee box and flagstick. Agree with the key emphasis of natural design and variety. Reads as though written for professional golf course architects/ management, but still enjoyable for an average(ish) golfer.
November 28, 2021
This book was recommended to me by one of my colleagues who is quite well-versed in the golf architecture sphere.
I believe it’s a great starting point for those interested in learning more about the general concepts and ideologies found in golf architecture.
Will certainly look back on this book as a reference point.
I believe it’s a great starting point for those interested in learning more about the general concepts and ideologies found in golf architecture.
Will certainly look back on this book as a reference point.
January 17, 2024
A great first book of your looking to get your feet wet into this history of golf courses as well as understanding how and why golf courses are laid out the way in which they are.
Doak’s does a great job at talking plainly while still getting his details a crossed to help teach you something new.
Doak’s does a great job at talking plainly while still getting his details a crossed to help teach you something new.
June 25, 2024
fabulous introduction to understanding golf course layout.
Tom Doak is a master on modern gold architecture and it is fascinating as a golfer to read his philosophy of golf course architecture. I am not planning to build a course but I am happy to learn more about how golf courses are designed so that I can better understand how to develop my playing strategy.
Tom Doak is a master on modern gold architecture and it is fascinating as a golfer to read his philosophy of golf course architecture. I am not planning to build a course but I am happy to learn more about how golf courses are designed so that I can better understand how to develop my playing strategy.
February 7, 2023
As a golf enthusiast, this book made me appreciate the finer details of the architects. The authors comparison of the original gems to many of our tracks was powerful. I was painfully reminded of a Willie Parks re-do done wrong as I completed this read...........'if it aint broke, dont fix it'.....
August 28, 2025
There’s really not another book like it. A super cool and unique perspective on the art of golf architecture. From routing, to hazard placement, to redesign philosophy, it touches on almost anything related to golf course design.
September 8, 2025
Had never read any golf or architecture books. Found this one to be an interesting and informative read. Feel like when I play courses I will be more mindful of all the different aspects now. Went into a lot of detail, which was cool.
March 5, 2018
Good introduction to golf course architecture written by Tom Doak early in his career. Provides a nice overview of the basics and has good image examples from some of the classic courses.
October 5, 2018
Good overview. Doesn't go into too much depth.
April 11, 2019
I really enjoyed learning about the various aspects of golf design, and it'll help me understand why they're laid out the way they are as I play.
July 2, 2019
Really great read, makes me appreciate the courses I play more.
April 11, 2020
If you like golf and have any interest in it beyond being a weekend hack, this book will help appreciate the game in a new way and may even help improve your game
April 28, 2025
Not the most riveting book I’ve ever read, but for an avid golfer it was interesting. Worth a read to understand quality golf course architecture.
June 20, 2025
4. Interesting and informative, didn’t love the writing style which was excessively formal.
July 5, 2025
Great insight for the avid golfer about how complex courses are.
November 2, 2021
An Invaluable resource, and quite possibly the best book available on golf course design and construction. Superbly written and approachable, even to those just interested in improving their golf game. Tom really takes you into the mind of an architect and sheds light on things you never knew that you needed to know about.
August 8, 2022
Tom is a lot smarter than me
October 12, 2010
Yes, I read a lot of golf books, but this is one of the best. Doak is a golf course architect that can write. A terrific technical overview of what goes into the design of a golf hole and golf course. No self respecting golf nerd can live without it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews