Born on the Links: A Concise History of Golf

by John Williamson

Golf has been around for over 600 years, its origins tracing back to the links in Scotland in the fifteenth century. Since then, the game has spread worldwide, with millions of fans and players from all walks of life.

Born on the A Concise History of Golf encompasses the entire history of this popular sport, from the fifteenth century up to the present. It covers the development of golf equipment, rules, and playing fields, and shows how the game changed from a pastime exclusively for the rich to a sport that is played by millions of people of all classes, ages, and backgrounds. In addition, this book details the lives and accomplishments of the many iconic players of the game—including Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Ben Hogan, Charlie Sifford, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam, and Tiger Woods—and their greatest moments on the golf course. Additional chapters focus exclusively on the history of African Americans and women in the sport, recognizing their distinct struggles for equality and recognition, as well as their ultimate triumphs.

A comprehensive yet readable resource, Born on the Links also features a timeline of golf history, lists of the winners and runners-up of every major professional and amateur golf championship held since 1860, the winner of every major international team and cup competition held since 1922, and more. The most up-to-date history of golf, this book will entertain and inform all fans and historians of the game.

Genres: History

288 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2021

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Williamson, Music, Memoir
John Williamson, d. 1840

Reviews

[Erin Cataldi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may come as a shock to some of you, but I have never picked up a golf club in my life. Ever. I am not what you would call... athletically inclined. Hell, I can barely manage bowling. Despite not playing golf and knowing virtually nothing about it, I enjoyed this book immensely. My boyfriend is an AVID golfer. Not only does he love playing eighteen in the morning, he actually wants to watch golf on TV. Now that is a true fan. I partly wanted to read this book to see what the appeal is, but realistically, I love sports books and I knew if anything could me into golf, it would be reading about it. John Williamson did a great job outlining the early history of the sport in Scotland while detailing how it changed and evolved over the years. The book really takes off however, when golfing is introduced to the United States. America helped streamline golf and slowly began to dominate the sport. It took off like wildfire and soon thousands of golf courses were sprouting up all over the country. Honestly it was all very fascinating how different players, equipment and even policies affected the game. The author didn't shy away from early controversies though involving the clash between amateurs and pros, the limitations facing women, and the racist attitude towards African Americans. The only "golf history" left out that I could tell was information about schools incorporating it and the push to get more youth involved. Other than that, this book did a great job outlining the history of American golf. The author covers the different courses, players, tournaments, and even goes play by play in some crucial matches. There are even nice appendixes at the end outlining all the winners and locations. A must buy for any golf aficionado.

[Isac Groeteke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre/Vibes: History/Golf

Summary: it is literally just a full history of golf from its conception to the modern era. It talks about the formation and the course, the evolution of the golf ball. The formation of the PGA tour also highlights the superstars of professional golf throughout history.

Thoughts: I was a big fan of this book because of my love for the game and wanting to learn more about the game itself besides just playing it. It may be slow to read but the information it has and the knowledge you can get from it.

I would proabaly read this again, as a refresher to the game of golf's history.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

lots of background here-especially in the "olden" days... lots & lots of stats.
errors: p.89(odd cutoff of a guy's name Ne-whouser; they couldn't have fit that 'w' on the first line? seriously? ... and p.129"made him the face of professional gold" ??? um, it's a golF book!!! people! come on!!

[Thom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book served its purpose: satisfying my curiosity about the origins of the game, the equipment used in the sport, and the unique terms used while playing it. It’s a pity, though, that the writing is so dry and, at times, repetitive.