To the Linksland: A Golfing Adventure

by Michael Bamberger

A sportswriter recounts his experiences as a caddy in Europe and his views on the world-famous Scottish courses, including St. Andrews, Cruden Bay, and Machrinhanish, discussing landscape, players, and his own self-discovery. 25,000 first printing.

Genres: Sports, Travel, Nonfiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Michael F. Bamberger is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and the author of multiple books.

Reviews

[Craig LeVasseur]

I was really looking forward to this elusive book, and once the 30th anniversary edition became available, I bought it right away. The second half of the book, in particular, should have been in my wheelhouse. But having completed three Bamberger books now (Men in Green, The Second Life of Tiger Woods), I’m convinced that his writing style just might not be for me. It’s not that he’s a bad writer. I know he’s well-respected in the golf industry. I just find everything he writes to not be particularly captivating to me. I was never in a hurry to pick this book, or any of his other books, back up once I put them down.

[JR]

great combination of travel adventure and golf. Love this book.

[Razvan Balea-Nita]

Absolutely great book! It’s crazy to see where professional golf was 30+ years ago to where the game is today.

I feel this book captures the essence of the issues with modern golf - The lack of feel, the obsession with numbers and data, and our infatuation with scores rather than enjoyment of the game. A great reminder that golf is a game meant to be enjoyed with current friends and friends you make along the way, not just some activity you do to achieve a set goal.

The itch I have to go play links style golf is off the charts! The Old Course is a bucket list item that I dream of playing and hopefully will get the chance to in the coming years.

[Michael A.]

Even though this book was written 35 years ago it is a fine read. Bamberger (who eventually became a renowned golf writer) walked away from his Philadelphia Inquirer writing job to go overseas and become a caddie. He gives great insights Into the inner workings of the European professional golf tour, which like the US tour has changed dramatically over the last three decades. After his caddie job Bamberger and his wife travel through Scotland where he plays at St Andrew’s and discovers many other beautiful courses and meets a lot of interesting golf characters.

[Todd]

Wonderful, charming recap of the author's golf adventure in 1991, including caddying on the European Tour and rediscovering his love of pure golf in Scotland. Incredible descriptions that just make you want to go out and play - no matter what your home course looks like. Any golf fan would love this book.

[Bob Mcbobson]

This is probably the best golf book I’ve ever read. Part diary of European Tour life and part love letter to Scottish links golf. I imagine many golfers (myself included) can relate to the author’s desire to seek out some ancient wisdom buried in the game’s origins to help recover the kind of game we all seek to play.

[Tucker Burks]

Easy read from a true storyteller. Not too in the “golf weeds”, but probably does require some background on the game. Enjoyed it for what it was - just a fun story about life in the UK exploring golf. I enjoyed the first part, about caddying for Teravainen, so would have wished for a bit more on that.

[William Dury]

Amiable valentine to the game. Bamberger’s Obie Wan Kenobi has him do the swing as a breathing exercise, something I’ve been working on for the last couple of years. It’s not as easy as one might think . Welcome views regarding the downside of technical analysis and goal oriented play.

[Phil Griffin]

This is one of the books that inspired my desire to go to Scotland in golf Royal Dornach. He Bamberger’s descriptions of caddying & golfing are magical. This is a book for anyone who loves golf.

[Joe]

A unique perspective on finding the true meaning of playing golf. I could never leave my job and become a caddie for 4 months in europe. A true golfers book, inspirational.

[Trace Smith]

Beautifully written. Fun tale. A must read golf book.

[Paul]

This book spawned a lot of copycats, but this one is the original and by far the best. Superb, elegant writing.

[Ryan O’Connor]

Wow. Required reading for any golfer

[Ryan O’Connor]

Pure awesomeness for any golfer

[Traci]

A wonderful book. Has become another favorite golf book and added to my home bookshelf!

[Ryan Reid]

First time reading a golf book, interesting two part story that I enjoyed just wasn’t captivating at times

[Angus Willson]

This is a beautiful and gentle read about golf, in a different time and place.

[Blake Atwood]

The way some people write about To the Linksland: A Golfing Adventure, you might be led to believe it's a sacred text for golf readers. Adding to that allure, buying a copy of this book is challenging, which made me think those who own a copy just don't want to relinquish them.

After finding a used copy in decent shape, I finished Linksland but was only truly transported in Part Two, when Bamberger met John Stark, a quintessential Scottish golfer who believed that the game of golf was always more than just a game.

That said, the book should be in every golfer's library. And it will make you want to visit golf's home and play the fabled links courses that are so few and far between in the US.

[Amanda Pettit]

This was a short book which is a welcome departure from my average 400+ page books. I really related to it since I have extensive playing experience. I envied the author for his experiences and for his ability to find a comfort with the game that I never found. There were a lot of good quotes in the book but the one that stuck with me the most was "he had too much respect for the game to play it poorly". It's one of the reasons I hardly play anymore. I was too good once upon a time to go out there now and be a regular Joe Hacker. It was interesting to find that a lot of golfer's thoughts and superstitions and quirky behaviors are universal. It made me feel normal! All in all an enjoyable and inspiring read.

[Michael kellett]

Read this book a few years ago, with an up and coming trip to Machrihanish, i thought i would give it another bash.
Fasinating then and on the strength of that read ,a friend and i made the pilgrimage to the mythical Machrihanish.
We were not dissapointed!!!!!!!!
Anyhow back to the book, the first half is basically about a guy(recently married) who steps of the treadmill and takes up caddying for a journey man pro..sometimes hilarious,sometimes sad,sometimes nailbiting..
They try and make it back to Scotland via caddying ..
A writer in love with the game..
brilliant!!

[Peter]

Fascinating read from a bloke who clearly eats, sleeps and breathes golf. Some filler, but great insight into how one professional golfer behaves.

[Grant]

One of my favorite golf writer memoirs.

[Brettsinclair70]

Read and you will fall in love with Peter Teravainen.