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A Course Called America: Fifty States, Five Thousand Fairways, and the Search for the Great American Golf Course
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Globe-trotting golfer Tom Coyne has finally come home. And he’s ready to play all of it.
After playing hundreds of courses overseas in the birthplace of golf, Coyne, the bestselling author of A Course Called Ireland and A Course Called Scotland , returns to his own birthplace and delivers a “heartfelt, rollicking ode to golf…[as he] describes playing golf in every state of the union, including 295 courses, 5,182 holes, 1.7 million total yards” ( The Wall Street Journal ).
In the span of one unforgettable year, Coyne crisscrosses the country in search of its greatest golf experience, playing every course to ever host a US Open, along with more than two hundred hidden gems and heavyweights, visiting all fifty states to find a better understanding of his home country and countrymen.
Coyne’s journey begins where the US Open and US Amateur got their start, historic Newport Country Club in Rhode Island. As he travels from the oldest and most elite of links to the newest and most democratic, Coyne finagles his way onto coveted first tees (Shinnecock, Oakmont, Chicago GC) between rounds at off-the-map revelations, like ranch golf in Eastern Oregon and homemade golf in the Navajo Nation. He marvels at the golf miracle hidden in the sand hills of Nebraska and plays an unforgettable midnight game under bright sunshine on the summer solstice in Fairbanks, Alaska.
More than just a tour of the best golf the United States has to offer, Coyne’s quest connects him with hundreds of American golfers, each from a different background but all with one thing in pride in welcoming Coyne to their course. Trading stories and swing tips with caddies, pros, and golf buddies for the day, Coyne adopts the wisdom of one of his hosts in the best courses are the ones you play with the best people.
But, in the end, only one stop on Coyne’s journey can be ranked the Great American Golf Course. Throughout his travels, he invites golfers to debate and help shape his criteria for judging the quintessential American course. Should it be charmingly traditional or daringly experimental? An architectural showpiece or a natural wonder? Countless conversations and gut instinct lead him to seek out a course that feels bold and idealistic, welcoming yet imperfect, with a little revolutionary spirit and a damn good hot dog at the turn. He discovers his long-awaited answer in the most unlikely of places.
Packed with fascinating tales from American golf history, comic road misadventures, illuminating insights into course design, and many a memorable round with local golfers and celebrity guests alike, A Course Called America is “a delightful, entertaining book even nongolfers can enjoy” ( Kirkus Reviews ).
Globe-trotting golfer Tom Coyne has finally come home. And he’s ready to play all of it.
After playing hundreds of courses overseas in the birthplace of golf, Coyne, the bestselling author of A Course Called Ireland and A Course Called Scotland , returns to his own birthplace and delivers a “heartfelt, rollicking ode to golf…[as he] describes playing golf in every state of the union, including 295 courses, 5,182 holes, 1.7 million total yards” ( The Wall Street Journal ).
In the span of one unforgettable year, Coyne crisscrosses the country in search of its greatest golf experience, playing every course to ever host a US Open, along with more than two hundred hidden gems and heavyweights, visiting all fifty states to find a better understanding of his home country and countrymen.
Coyne’s journey begins where the US Open and US Amateur got their start, historic Newport Country Club in Rhode Island. As he travels from the oldest and most elite of links to the newest and most democratic, Coyne finagles his way onto coveted first tees (Shinnecock, Oakmont, Chicago GC) between rounds at off-the-map revelations, like ranch golf in Eastern Oregon and homemade golf in the Navajo Nation. He marvels at the golf miracle hidden in the sand hills of Nebraska and plays an unforgettable midnight game under bright sunshine on the summer solstice in Fairbanks, Alaska.
More than just a tour of the best golf the United States has to offer, Coyne’s quest connects him with hundreds of American golfers, each from a different background but all with one thing in pride in welcoming Coyne to their course. Trading stories and swing tips with caddies, pros, and golf buddies for the day, Coyne adopts the wisdom of one of his hosts in the best courses are the ones you play with the best people.
But, in the end, only one stop on Coyne’s journey can be ranked the Great American Golf Course. Throughout his travels, he invites golfers to debate and help shape his criteria for judging the quintessential American course. Should it be charmingly traditional or daringly experimental? An architectural showpiece or a natural wonder? Countless conversations and gut instinct lead him to seek out a course that feels bold and idealistic, welcoming yet imperfect, with a little revolutionary spirit and a damn good hot dog at the turn. He discovers his long-awaited answer in the most unlikely of places.
Packed with fascinating tales from American golf history, comic road misadventures, illuminating insights into course design, and many a memorable round with local golfers and celebrity guests alike, A Course Called America is “a delightful, entertaining book even nongolfers can enjoy” ( Kirkus Reviews ).
416 pages, Paperback
Published May 17, 2022
401 people are currently reading
1196 people want to read
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June 25, 2021
For golf junkies everywhere; this book will have you planning your next five golf trips around the US. Learning about the architecture of many of the premier courses across the US was the best part for me, but I appreciated that Coyne inserted some moving passages about golf and it's impact on those who love the game. This is not just a book about golf courses, but also about the game, the culture that surrounds it, and what it can tell us about the diverse group of people that make up this country of ours. I did get a little fatigued down the stretch, but this is still a very good book. I would only recommend it for golf fans obviously. High three stars.
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July 3, 2021I was not a country club kid. My father didn't play golf; in fact, no one in my family played golf. It was a rich people's sport and that we were surely not. But my best friend learned to play (he had a rich uncle) and once we had our driver's licenses we'd work all day and then play par-3 courses till they closed. I became obsessed, and remain so to this day.
But I was not a country club kid.
Tom Coyne was a country club kid. His father played, and so did young Tom. He worked, but as a caddy at his father's club. So he learned proper technique, actual golf etiquette. In short, he learned where to change his shoes.
See, at fancy golf clubs you may not change into your golf shoes in the parking lot. I did not know this, even a few years ago when I joined a golf club, one that was obviously non-exclusive. I mean, they allowed me in. So I did what I always had done and changed into my golf shoes in the parking lot. The club sent out a blast email eventually reminding all golfers that it was Club policy not to change into golf shoes in the parking lot. I think this is a stupid rule. In lieu of getting a locker (they would like me to change clothes inside too, even though I pretty much leave the house already dressed to play golf) they would have me carry my golf shoes inside in order to put them on. I asked a nice member why they would have such a rule and he said, "Because we don't want to be like some public course," meaning, "Because we don't want to be like them." But, see, I am one of them. So I continue to violate this proscription, despite occasional admonishments. I always think they must be kidding. But they're dead serious.
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Tom Coyne eventually went to college, and a really good one. He played on the golf team there. He became a professional writer, and a good one. He wrote articles for GOLF Magazine, Golfweek, and Sports Illustrated. Now he's a podcast host for something called Golfer's Journal. He has written four books, one a novel about Golf. The other three are books about golf courses in different countries: Scotland, Ireland and (this one) America. This takes a lot of research. For this book, he played, in one year, 295 courses (301 rounds of golf), playing in every state of the Union. He credits his wife for her understanding. His daughters, too. He is already planning his golfing sojourns for next year, with golfing buddies, several in the United States and Ireland, surely.
This book was highly entertaining, the writing fine. I was amazed at the number of exclusive clubs he was able to schmooze his way onto. He played some Munis (public courses) too. A lot of the courses he was able to get to via invitations from his followers on Facebook. In all the rounds, at all those courses, he says, he only met one asshole, a man who over lunch told some gay joke and a story insensitive to African-Americans.
Coyne meant this, in part, to be an exploration of America, not just Golf. And it was useful to that point. Still, it was America in a bubble, a Golf bubble.
One thing Coyne is very careful to tell, at whatever course, is where he changed into his golf shoes. Apparently it's a thing.
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Have you noticed that children who did not grow up on country clubs can get prickly about those that did?
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
The highest praise I think one can give about an author, having read one of his books is that you want to read more by the same author. Which I will do with Tom Coyne.
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Far be it of me to be a member of the Woke Police. I can't even begin to tell the number the times things have come out of my mouth which I wish I could reel back in. That I think I have been nevertheless well-intentioned is no defense, though it might mitigate the sentence. I'm still learning.
Tom Coyne, too, is well-intentioned; I do not doubt that. But sometimes we do not hear what we speak.
Coyne made sure to make it to a traditionally African-American golf course and to a course on an Indian reservation as well. It is well that he did and it may be unfair of me to feel that a little clumsy. And he says all the right things. Still . . .
Coyne is playing Bethpage Black, a notoriously difficult New York course, one with warning signs at the first hole that only good golfers should try it. Coyne's round took six hours. Let me explain to non-golfers that the worst thing about golf is a slow round. Three hours is ideal, four is acceptable. Anything beyond that is torture. (It's one of the reasons golfers will join a Club, where the pace of play tends to be more brisk). And when you like to play quick and there are slow golfers in front of you, you can tend to be judgmental, and not your better self. You might even tend to stereotype by race, ethnicity or gender. So, at Bethpage, Tom Coyne says this:
We were stuck behind a foursome of Asian gentlemen who were well out of position with the foursome ahead. . . . They were playing the tips and wearing long pants and rain layers in 90-degree heat, and took desperate amounts of time over each chop in the rough. They pushed heavy tote bags, and my suspicion was confirmed when we found one dropped on a cart path: iron covers.
Pushing past the thought that the use of the word "gentlemen" is condescending, think only if Coyne might have regretted adding the foursome's race if, hypothetically, he inserted instead African-American, Jewish, or Women.
In another instance, Coyne appears at a golf course as a single and after carefully changing his shoes inside the locker room approaches the starter who tells him he will be joined by a couple of newlyweds. Unbeknownst to Coyne and the starter, the newlyweds switched with another twosome. So, as Coyne's on the first tee, a cart with two women shows up. It proves a comical moment when Coyne congratulates them on their recent same-sex marriage. Amy and Darlene are just two golfing buddies. But as they pull up, Coyne thinks this:
I thought to myself; we really had moved into the twenty-first century across America. I was eager to show off my progressive East Coast bona fides, chumming it up with my lesbian buddies and telling them about my gay friends back home.
Wince.
I was reminded of the time I got paired to play with two White golfers at my club, guys I was not at all happy to be playing with (they talked too much, especially in my backswing). An African-American member joined us. I didn't know him but he proved to be a fine golfer and good company. But on the first tee, after introductions, the one White golfer began a story about having played with a Black golfer once upon a time. Not to be outdone, the other White golfer told a story, an invented one I'm sure, about playing with a Black golfer, but he told it in dialect. The nearest sand trap was 240 yards away but I wished it had been closer, so I could dig a hole in it and hide.
But I was not a country club kid.
Tom Coyne was a country club kid. His father played, and so did young Tom. He worked, but as a caddy at his father's club. So he learned proper technique, actual golf etiquette. In short, he learned where to change his shoes.
See, at fancy golf clubs you may not change into your golf shoes in the parking lot. I did not know this, even a few years ago when I joined a golf club, one that was obviously non-exclusive. I mean, they allowed me in. So I did what I always had done and changed into my golf shoes in the parking lot. The club sent out a blast email eventually reminding all golfers that it was Club policy not to change into golf shoes in the parking lot. I think this is a stupid rule. In lieu of getting a locker (they would like me to change clothes inside too, even though I pretty much leave the house already dressed to play golf) they would have me carry my golf shoes inside in order to put them on. I asked a nice member why they would have such a rule and he said, "Because we don't want to be like some public course," meaning, "Because we don't want to be like them." But, see, I am one of them. So I continue to violate this proscription, despite occasional admonishments. I always think they must be kidding. But they're dead serious.
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Tom Coyne eventually went to college, and a really good one. He played on the golf team there. He became a professional writer, and a good one. He wrote articles for GOLF Magazine, Golfweek, and Sports Illustrated. Now he's a podcast host for something called Golfer's Journal. He has written four books, one a novel about Golf. The other three are books about golf courses in different countries: Scotland, Ireland and (this one) America. This takes a lot of research. For this book, he played, in one year, 295 courses (301 rounds of golf), playing in every state of the Union. He credits his wife for her understanding. His daughters, too. He is already planning his golfing sojourns for next year, with golfing buddies, several in the United States and Ireland, surely.
This book was highly entertaining, the writing fine. I was amazed at the number of exclusive clubs he was able to schmooze his way onto. He played some Munis (public courses) too. A lot of the courses he was able to get to via invitations from his followers on Facebook. In all the rounds, at all those courses, he says, he only met one asshole, a man who over lunch told some gay joke and a story insensitive to African-Americans.
Coyne meant this, in part, to be an exploration of America, not just Golf. And it was useful to that point. Still, it was America in a bubble, a Golf bubble.
One thing Coyne is very careful to tell, at whatever course, is where he changed into his golf shoes. Apparently it's a thing.
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Have you noticed that children who did not grow up on country clubs can get prickly about those that did?
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
The highest praise I think one can give about an author, having read one of his books is that you want to read more by the same author. Which I will do with Tom Coyne.
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Far be it of me to be a member of the Woke Police. I can't even begin to tell the number the times things have come out of my mouth which I wish I could reel back in. That I think I have been nevertheless well-intentioned is no defense, though it might mitigate the sentence. I'm still learning.
Tom Coyne, too, is well-intentioned; I do not doubt that. But sometimes we do not hear what we speak.
Coyne made sure to make it to a traditionally African-American golf course and to a course on an Indian reservation as well. It is well that he did and it may be unfair of me to feel that a little clumsy. And he says all the right things. Still . . .
Coyne is playing Bethpage Black, a notoriously difficult New York course, one with warning signs at the first hole that only good golfers should try it. Coyne's round took six hours. Let me explain to non-golfers that the worst thing about golf is a slow round. Three hours is ideal, four is acceptable. Anything beyond that is torture. (It's one of the reasons golfers will join a Club, where the pace of play tends to be more brisk). And when you like to play quick and there are slow golfers in front of you, you can tend to be judgmental, and not your better self. You might even tend to stereotype by race, ethnicity or gender. So, at Bethpage, Tom Coyne says this:
We were stuck behind a foursome of Asian gentlemen who were well out of position with the foursome ahead. . . . They were playing the tips and wearing long pants and rain layers in 90-degree heat, and took desperate amounts of time over each chop in the rough. They pushed heavy tote bags, and my suspicion was confirmed when we found one dropped on a cart path: iron covers.
Pushing past the thought that the use of the word "gentlemen" is condescending, think only if Coyne might have regretted adding the foursome's race if, hypothetically, he inserted instead African-American, Jewish, or Women.
In another instance, Coyne appears at a golf course as a single and after carefully changing his shoes inside the locker room approaches the starter who tells him he will be joined by a couple of newlyweds. Unbeknownst to Coyne and the starter, the newlyweds switched with another twosome. So, as Coyne's on the first tee, a cart with two women shows up. It proves a comical moment when Coyne congratulates them on their recent same-sex marriage. Amy and Darlene are just two golfing buddies. But as they pull up, Coyne thinks this:
I thought to myself; we really had moved into the twenty-first century across America. I was eager to show off my progressive East Coast bona fides, chumming it up with my lesbian buddies and telling them about my gay friends back home.
Wince.
I was reminded of the time I got paired to play with two White golfers at my club, guys I was not at all happy to be playing with (they talked too much, especially in my backswing). An African-American member joined us. I didn't know him but he proved to be a fine golfer and good company. But on the first tee, after introductions, the one White golfer began a story about having played with a Black golfer once upon a time. Not to be outdone, the other White golfer told a story, an invented one I'm sure, about playing with a Black golfer, but he told it in dialect. The nearest sand trap was 240 yards away but I wished it had been closer, so I could dig a hole in it and hide.
July 9, 2021
A must read for any golfer. Tom Coyne shares more than just tales of his journey across all 50 states. He brings you through his psyche on the course, his relationships with all sorts of people, and his feelings alone on his quest to find the true American golf course.
September 15, 2022
There were two similar books that came before this one (A Course Called Ireland and A Course Called Scotland) but I've never been to Scotland or Ireland, so I didn't feel led to read about their golf scenes.
This book, though. Tom Coyne searches for what makes a golf course truly great in touring hundreds of courses across the country. He links up with all kinds of strangers on their home courses, asking them what makes theirs, or any, course great. One golfer had a pretty memorable answer:
"I know a course is great if I get to the fourteenth hole and don't want it to end. On some courses, most courses, you get to fourteen and you're kind of ready for it to be over. But when you're approaching the end and you don't want it to come, then you know you're somewhere special."
Golf courses might be similar to books in that way. Because I didn't want to stop reading about Coyne's adventures, and that's how I know I really liked this one.
This book, though. Tom Coyne searches for what makes a golf course truly great in touring hundreds of courses across the country. He links up with all kinds of strangers on their home courses, asking them what makes theirs, or any, course great. One golfer had a pretty memorable answer:
"I know a course is great if I get to the fourteenth hole and don't want it to end. On some courses, most courses, you get to fourteen and you're kind of ready for it to be over. But when you're approaching the end and you don't want it to come, then you know you're somewhere special."
Golf courses might be similar to books in that way. Because I didn't want to stop reading about Coyne's adventures, and that's how I know I really liked this one.
November 5, 2021
This will add quite a few spots to your vacation wish list. But the golf courses are just the path to the real story. The second best parts of the book are how his adventures connect him with so many types of Americans, most of them the people that make us proud of our country, from all walks (or cart rides) of life. The best part of the story is the father-son story and memories.
May 31, 2021
Man, I love Tom Coyne's books. From Paper Tiger: An Obsessed Golfer's Quest to Play with the Pros where he tries to make a professional tour, to his travel books (A Course Called Ireland: A Long Walk in Search of a Country, a Pint, and the Next Tee and A Course Called Scotland: Searching the Home of Golf for the Secret to Its Game) I gobble up whatever he writes. He doesn't bore you with his shot-by-shot recaps of the rounds he plays, but talks about the journey, what each course feels like and whatever he's going through during his travel. For a golf nut like myself, this is like crack cocaine. (I assume.)
I haven't anticipated a book as much as A Course Called America in quite some time. Through social media I was aware of his travels - and like many, unsuccessfully tried to play a round with him on those trips - and wondered how it would roll up into a book. Little did I know he'd finish his travels just before COVID-19 hit, which adds a whole other wrinkle to this.
So much of what Tom Coyne writes is relatable to me. I'm not in recovery, and my golf game has never been as good as his is even when his game is in the tank, but he writes so well it feels totally relatable. Having seen him interviewed and in videos like the No Laying Up Tourist Sauce series, he also comes across as a just incredibly nice, thoughtful guy.
And here's one of the earliest parts of the book that just floored me (just after saying his father calls him "Tom boy" which hit home as my father, and only my father, calls me "Matt boy"):
Sheesh. That feels entirely right.
As far as him traveling and discovering new courses, I love that Coyne LOVED the North Carolina course Tobacco Road as much as I did, and like me favored Pinehurst #4 over Pinehurst #2. And I loved that while he didn't rip apart any courses for being overrated, etc., and many of his favorites were ragged 9-hole affairs, he expressed almost my exact thoughts about some of the type of golf courses I hate (in this case, "The Judge" in Alabama):
Part of the conceit of the book is his goal to find the truly American golf course, and I won't spoil what he selects but it's pretty damn wonderful for every possible reason.
Tom Coyne is a great writer and this book completely delivered. Moments that were truly moving, a few very funny moments and I raced through it. I'm a bit worried that this is the last of his "A Course Called" books since his wife can't possibly have the patience to let him do this nonsense again.
Can she?
I haven't anticipated a book as much as A Course Called America in quite some time. Through social media I was aware of his travels - and like many, unsuccessfully tried to play a round with him on those trips - and wondered how it would roll up into a book. Little did I know he'd finish his travels just before COVID-19 hit, which adds a whole other wrinkle to this.
So much of what Tom Coyne writes is relatable to me. I'm not in recovery, and my golf game has never been as good as his is even when his game is in the tank, but he writes so well it feels totally relatable. Having seen him interviewed and in videos like the No Laying Up Tourist Sauce series, he also comes across as a just incredibly nice, thoughtful guy.
And here's one of the earliest parts of the book that just floored me (just after saying his father calls him "Tom boy" which hit home as my father, and only my father, calls me "Matt boy"):
People who don't play golf grow to envy their golfing neighbors, admiring it as a nifty game you can play to a ripe old age. What they don't understand is that we don't keep playing because we can; we play because we don't know how to stop. It lands in our hands for just a moment before slipping through our fingers, and we grab for it again and again. It's a shell game, a music man, a three-card monte from which we can't walk away. Once in a while it glances back at us, and it is achingly beautiful. A siren? Perhaps. But those sailors at least got the closure of wrecking on the rocks. Golfers find the rocks and just drop another ball.
Sheesh. That feels entirely right.
As far as him traveling and discovering new courses, I love that Coyne LOVED the North Carolina course Tobacco Road as much as I did, and like me favored Pinehurst #4 over Pinehurst #2. And I loved that while he didn't rip apart any courses for being overrated, etc., and many of his favorites were ragged 9-hole affairs, he expressed almost my exact thoughts about some of the type of golf courses I hate (in this case, "The Judge" in Alabama):
I woke up early the next morning, ready to lose golf balls at a Robert Trent Jones course called The Judge. It was an anchor on the RTJ Trail of courses that stretched across 'Bama, and a plaque by its first tee read PREPARE TO BE JUDGED. It was an absurd opening golf-shot, from a vaulted tee down to a sliver of fairway enveloped by bass-rich waters, and though I found dry ground, I quickly decided I wasn't in the mood to be judged. Hard for hard's sake was not only boring but idle architecture. Any novice with a pencil could draw an impossible golf hole, so I checked it off the list and moved on to Mississippi...
Part of the conceit of the book is his goal to find the truly American golf course, and I won't spoil what he selects but it's pretty damn wonderful for every possible reason.
Tom Coyne is a great writer and this book completely delivered. Moments that were truly moving, a few very funny moments and I raced through it. I'm a bit worried that this is the last of his "A Course Called" books since his wife can't possibly have the patience to let him do this nonsense again.
Can she?
May 2, 2023
Tom Coyne is a terrific golf writer who had previously done books about playing in Ireland, and then Scotland. In this one, Tom decides he needs to play America.
His ambitious itinerary takes him to all fifty states in search of the greatest golf experience found in our country. The talk within the book is heavy on golf course design and the architects who make it all happen. But there are lots of interesting anecdotes about the people he meets and the courses he plays along the way. He plays every course that has hosted a U.S. Open championship, tons of blue-blood venues, but also surprising locales, such as golf on a dusty Navajo reservation, and a course that a guy basically carved out of the back of his property. His journey leads him to interesting discoveries and insight.
One great observation he makes is that when we imported golf to America, we screwed up the intent of the creators of the game. In Scotland and Ireland anyone can play any course, including the most prestigious of them, which is to say some of the greatest courses in the world. The venues, with very few exceptions, are open to all. Here in the States, the greatest golf courses are closed off to almost all except their very exclusive membership. My only chance to play places like Cypress Point, Pine Valley, or Augusta National would be if I was friends with some descendant of the Carnegie family or the like. I consider that to be very unfortunate.
So while guys like me lust after the majestic golf courses that we'll never be able to play, one of Coyne's major takeaways is from some advice he received from one of his playing partners. That is that the best golf is where you play with the best people.
So while I didn't love this as much as I loved his books about his time in Scotland and in Ireland, I still found this highly enjoyable. His powers of observation are remarkable, and he has much to say about the state of our country.
His ambitious itinerary takes him to all fifty states in search of the greatest golf experience found in our country. The talk within the book is heavy on golf course design and the architects who make it all happen. But there are lots of interesting anecdotes about the people he meets and the courses he plays along the way. He plays every course that has hosted a U.S. Open championship, tons of blue-blood venues, but also surprising locales, such as golf on a dusty Navajo reservation, and a course that a guy basically carved out of the back of his property. His journey leads him to interesting discoveries and insight.
One great observation he makes is that when we imported golf to America, we screwed up the intent of the creators of the game. In Scotland and Ireland anyone can play any course, including the most prestigious of them, which is to say some of the greatest courses in the world. The venues, with very few exceptions, are open to all. Here in the States, the greatest golf courses are closed off to almost all except their very exclusive membership. My only chance to play places like Cypress Point, Pine Valley, or Augusta National would be if I was friends with some descendant of the Carnegie family or the like. I consider that to be very unfortunate.
So while guys like me lust after the majestic golf courses that we'll never be able to play, one of Coyne's major takeaways is from some advice he received from one of his playing partners. That is that the best golf is where you play with the best people.
So while I didn't love this as much as I loved his books about his time in Scotland and in Ireland, I still found this highly enjoyable. His powers of observation are remarkable, and he has much to say about the state of our country.
June 22, 2025
So after reading this I definitely want to plan my next golf trip, because to say there are some amazing courses outlined in this one. I also loved the idea of finding the truest American golf course, and the people around you being a huge part of that.
I also think this outlined a bigger problem with American golf (especially in comparison to Scottish and Irish which he’s also an authority on), that so many of the courses we see on tv and in articles on top 100 lists are unreachable. Whether they’re private (the vast majority of them are), or resorts with an exorbitant cost to even think about teeing it up (Pebble Beach).
I also think this outlined a bigger problem with American golf (especially in comparison to Scottish and Irish which he’s also an authority on), that so many of the courses we see on tv and in articles on top 100 lists are unreachable. Whether they’re private (the vast majority of them are), or resorts with an exorbitant cost to even think about teeing it up (Pebble Beach).
March 27, 2025
Great read! Makes you appreciate the friendly people you can find all across this country while getting a description of many of the beautiful courses! Great!
March 4, 2021
This is the third book by golf writer Tom Coyne that could be described as the ultimate road trip for golf fanatics. After previously writing similar books on golf courses in Ireland and Scotland, Coyne returns to his native country and embarks on a criss-cross journey of the United States and plays on courses in all 50 states and at every course that has hosted at least one U.S. Open.
While on this journey, Coyne absorbed much information on the courses. He writes about course designs and the people who made some of the courses the magnificent sections of real estate that they are reputed to be. He also writes about some of the culture that makes up some of these courses or villages – I thought the best one in both terms of humor and the information was about The Villages in central Florida. He writes with knowledge of these courses and while at times it does get a little dry, the human aspect of the stories behind the courses are what make them good.
The writing about the golf played by Coyne on these courses is much the same way. He doesn't delve too much into describing each shot. Instead, he includes those shots and rounds that also have an extra helping of human interaction and humor. The best one of these came when he needed to hit a shot to the left to reach the fairway and didn't hit far enough left. The response by one of his playing partners is not fit for printing here but was so funny it left me in tears.
Any golf fan or player will enjoy this book that takes a look at many courses and is a fun trip across the country that readers will want to experience, even if it has to be vicariously.
I wish to thank Avid Reader Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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While on this journey, Coyne absorbed much information on the courses. He writes about course designs and the people who made some of the courses the magnificent sections of real estate that they are reputed to be. He also writes about some of the culture that makes up some of these courses or villages – I thought the best one in both terms of humor and the information was about The Villages in central Florida. He writes with knowledge of these courses and while at times it does get a little dry, the human aspect of the stories behind the courses are what make them good.
The writing about the golf played by Coyne on these courses is much the same way. He doesn't delve too much into describing each shot. Instead, he includes those shots and rounds that also have an extra helping of human interaction and humor. The best one of these came when he needed to hit a shot to the left to reach the fairway and didn't hit far enough left. The response by one of his playing partners is not fit for printing here but was so funny it left me in tears.
Any golf fan or player will enjoy this book that takes a look at many courses and is a fun trip across the country that readers will want to experience, even if it has to be vicariously.
I wish to thank Avid Reader Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
October 15, 2025
This should have been called “The diary of an arrogant whiny man child who only wants to golf with his friends and avoid all real adult responsibilities.” I went in thinking it would be an interesting telling of golf courses and people in all fifty states. While some states like PA and NY get various chapters, other states get one sentence. He spends an excessive amount of time on his personal life, travel time (nothing to do with the courses), old friends, and political opinions. He claims not to mix politics and golf but his liberal beliefs oozed from every page. If you haven’t read his other book, don’t worry. He takes every opportunity to plug it. There were a few interesting chapters but not enough to recommend this book to anyone. Absolute no need for over 15 f-bombs!
July 1, 2022
This was a fun and interesting read although it got slightly repetitive (understandable).
My only issue was that the author completely glossed over Ohio besides a few paragraphs about Canterbury and his caddy there. Ohio has a disproportionate number of top 100 golf courses and is consistently listed as one of the best golf states (especially when you consider it does not have the topography of other contenders like California, New York, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Michigan). The omission of any mention of courses like Inverness, The Golf Club, Moraine, Camargo, Brookside, Firestone, Muirfield, Double Eagle, and especially Scioto was bizarre. A course founded by George Bush's great-grandfather and designed by Donald Ross, which has hosted a Ryder Cup, US Open (won by Bobby Jones), Senior US Open, US Amateur, and PGA Championship, while also being the childhood course of Jack Nicklaus seems like it warrants a mention in a book about "The Great American Golf Course." I would have been curious to hear more about any of these places with deep roots in American golf and feel the author could have accommodated this by cutting several of the Long Island courses described.
My only issue was that the author completely glossed over Ohio besides a few paragraphs about Canterbury and his caddy there. Ohio has a disproportionate number of top 100 golf courses and is consistently listed as one of the best golf states (especially when you consider it does not have the topography of other contenders like California, New York, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Michigan). The omission of any mention of courses like Inverness, The Golf Club, Moraine, Camargo, Brookside, Firestone, Muirfield, Double Eagle, and especially Scioto was bizarre. A course founded by George Bush's great-grandfather and designed by Donald Ross, which has hosted a Ryder Cup, US Open (won by Bobby Jones), Senior US Open, US Amateur, and PGA Championship, while also being the childhood course of Jack Nicklaus seems like it warrants a mention in a book about "The Great American Golf Course." I would have been curious to hear more about any of these places with deep roots in American golf and feel the author could have accommodated this by cutting several of the Long Island courses described.
June 22, 2021
Tom Coyne is simply a great storyteller. While his books are centered around golf and his golf travels, this one in particular is much more about telling the stories of the people he meets along the way as he golfs his way across America. This book isn't just a recitation of the top, most luxurious courses in the country either - Coyne plays all kinds of courses and finds a story to tell at each.
His writing captures the soul and charm of this weird game, and how it can bring people together and make an incredible memory. Along the way, Coyne explores how he originally got into the game because of his father, and how that relationship shaped who he is today. This book will leave you with a smile on your face and an itch to go play as soon as possible. A fantastic read for any golf fan out there.
His writing captures the soul and charm of this weird game, and how it can bring people together and make an incredible memory. Along the way, Coyne explores how he originally got into the game because of his father, and how that relationship shaped who he is today. This book will leave you with a smile on your face and an itch to go play as soon as possible. A fantastic read for any golf fan out there.
September 12, 2024
I would give this book a four-star rating. I gave this book four stars because the author did a great job of telling us his point of view in the book. This book is intended for adults in their early forties, to late fifties. Some younger kids like ages fourteen to twenty-one would like this book, but you definitely have to understand golf and have a knowledge of courses all around America to read this book. People that want a fun book and a hard book about the sport they love, this book is for them. This book uses great word choice through the story, and the author does a great job explaining his adventures along his journey. One thing that I enjoyed about this book was how much it related to me. The author was talking about how he was a young boy in high school getting some practice before golf tryouts next week. This author did a great job explaining about his journey across America and all the ups and downs he had along the way.
January 5, 2025
I will definitely use this book as a guide to plan my next golf trip. Tom Coyne explains his yearlong journey, playing 295 courses, while covering at least one in every US state. He highlights the relationships he created and maintained throughout the year, and emphasizes how the game of golf serves as a way to bring people together. Tom also has great stories and insight on golf course history and famous architects.
Overall, this book helped me to further appreciate the game and not solely focus on the number at the end of my scorecard. Realizing how I spend my time on the golf course, and whom I spend it with is my biggest takeaway.
If you’re a golf junkie, check this one out.
Overall, this book helped me to further appreciate the game and not solely focus on the number at the end of my scorecard. Realizing how I spend my time on the golf course, and whom I spend it with is my biggest takeaway.
If you’re a golf junkie, check this one out.
February 2, 2022
Reflective writing illuminates all sorts of new corners of Golf in America.
September 21, 2022
Enjoyed learning about the history golf and some of the top courses in America but thought it was a bit boring overall
December 7, 2025
Heartfelt short chapters from courses and experiences across all 50 states. The great American golf odyssey…
September 24, 2025
Great stim. Makes me pumped to travel to flyover states, explore America, and reconnect with pops
May 1, 2024
Cute story with a nice message overall, but the travel details were a bit overly detailed for my taste!
June 4, 2021
There were a lot of great vignettes in this book. Coyne is such an excellent writer. But his journey got repetitive so fast. I think his editors failed to organize this book in any meaningful way. Pictures and scores were shoved to the back (at least in the Ebook) It was a mishmash of tales as Coyne hopscotched from 1 golf course to the next searching for what exactly? I never really got the true nature of his trip, other then to leave his family for 8 months. Did he find what he was searching for? I skipped to the epilogue and was still left wondering. I do thank him for giving me a few courses to put on my bucket list.
May 27, 2022
Of Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called…” books, this was the hardest one for me to finish. I think that stems from this book feeling less organized than the others. But let’s be honest, it was a monumental task, much grander in scale than the first two books (and why not, America is a much larger scale country). From that standpoint, I wish there’s been a little more set up to begin with, or scattered periodically through the pages.
But that aside, this was another five star book for me. I do appreciate Tom Coyne’s vulnerability in his writing and the introspection he brings readers along for.I might have shed some tears during the moments he shared with his dad (blaming that one on pregnancy hormones).
Another thing I appreciate about the author is that though he grew up with a home club of his own, he has a sincere appreciation of public courses and the rough-and-tumble folks he encounters there. For me, golf is special because there are so many different ways to play it, and I think that is often lost in the constant pursuit of bucket list courses, top of the line gear and the next milestone on our scorecards.
A few days after I finished this book, my husband and I came across what might now be my favorite course ever. We were traveling the Lake Michigan coast of Wisconsin for our babymoon and he had just shot a (mildly disappointing, to him) 86 in 30 mph winds at Whistling Straits days before. We were on our last morning of the trip, and got too early of a start, finding ourselves with a little over an hour to kill before the Milwaukee Art Museum would open. We’d passed some golf flags while driving around the day before, so we shrugged and headed toward them.
What we found can only be described as municipal course glory. Online, Milwaukee’s Lake Park Golf Course said to “bring a wedge, a putter, and leave the rest of the bag at home.” It cost $9/golfer for 18 holes, which was paid (if you felt like it) to a rusted pay station near the first tee. The longest hole was a whopping 85 yards, and the shortest was under 50. The fairways were more dandelion than grass and the tee boxes (really just random on locations where tee markers were plopped down) were mostly dirt. The greens were roller coasters of divots and too long grass and the pins played like they hadn’t been moved since last season. Putts were more nonsensical than a putt putt course.
But you know what? We played 18 holes in 75 minutes. At almost 6 months pregnant I was able to walk a round with my husband, and for once I wasn’t gasping at how much farther he hits his clubs than me. We laughed through the entire round. Neither of us kept score, and that’s saying a lot for the man who comes home and can recount every stroke from his Wednesday golf league to me (after finishing a pitcher of beer in the clubhouse). It was the type of place that made no sense and yet somehow made perfect sense. And while it doesn’t have the clot or greens fees of the fake-Irish sand dunes to the north, it would contend for America’s greatest golf course in my book.
But that aside, this was another five star book for me. I do appreciate Tom Coyne’s vulnerability in his writing and the introspection he brings readers along for.I might have shed some tears during the moments he shared with his dad (blaming that one on pregnancy hormones).
Another thing I appreciate about the author is that though he grew up with a home club of his own, he has a sincere appreciation of public courses and the rough-and-tumble folks he encounters there. For me, golf is special because there are so many different ways to play it, and I think that is often lost in the constant pursuit of bucket list courses, top of the line gear and the next milestone on our scorecards.
A few days after I finished this book, my husband and I came across what might now be my favorite course ever. We were traveling the Lake Michigan coast of Wisconsin for our babymoon and he had just shot a (mildly disappointing, to him) 86 in 30 mph winds at Whistling Straits days before. We were on our last morning of the trip, and got too early of a start, finding ourselves with a little over an hour to kill before the Milwaukee Art Museum would open. We’d passed some golf flags while driving around the day before, so we shrugged and headed toward them.
What we found can only be described as municipal course glory. Online, Milwaukee’s Lake Park Golf Course said to “bring a wedge, a putter, and leave the rest of the bag at home.” It cost $9/golfer for 18 holes, which was paid (if you felt like it) to a rusted pay station near the first tee. The longest hole was a whopping 85 yards, and the shortest was under 50. The fairways were more dandelion than grass and the tee boxes (really just random on locations where tee markers were plopped down) were mostly dirt. The greens were roller coasters of divots and too long grass and the pins played like they hadn’t been moved since last season. Putts were more nonsensical than a putt putt course.
But you know what? We played 18 holes in 75 minutes. At almost 6 months pregnant I was able to walk a round with my husband, and for once I wasn’t gasping at how much farther he hits his clubs than me. We laughed through the entire round. Neither of us kept score, and that’s saying a lot for the man who comes home and can recount every stroke from his Wednesday golf league to me (after finishing a pitcher of beer in the clubhouse). It was the type of place that made no sense and yet somehow made perfect sense. And while it doesn’t have the clot or greens fees of the fake-Irish sand dunes to the north, it would contend for America’s greatest golf course in my book.
November 2, 2023
I wanted to love this book. I was so excited to read it. I LOVED Tom's Ireland book. However, I was wildly disappointed in a Course Called America.
1. Way too many courses - way too short of coverage on the experiences at the courses he did play. I could not believe some of the best in the US, some in the world, got a couple of sentences. Not all, just some. But some were so short, I kept thinking the next paragraph would cover them and he didn't. I couldn't help but wonder how many hosts must have been extremely disappointed. They probably weren't hosting to get in a book, but they must have felt like they had a much more fun day with Tom than Tom did with them after reading the book.
2. At a certain point, it felt like Tom pressed the recovering addict and playing with recovering addicts a bit too far. It's almost as if that drove his bias towards the experience at some of the places. If it is helpful to those recovering then a big cheers to the book. I was just looking for more golf course/experience coverage because the US has the greatest depth and variety of courses of anywhere in the world.
3. Golf buddies are the best, the absolute best. But this was too much of a twitter buddy fest
4. I was bothered by his reclusiveness at times. It's fine to be shy. But some of these folks put serious time and effort into hosting Tom with a lot of pride in their town, public or private course, and local news. And it was clear that Tom fatigued on answering some of the same questions again and again and it was clear that he often just wanted to go to the first tee and just play without too much attention.
1. Way too many courses - way too short of coverage on the experiences at the courses he did play. I could not believe some of the best in the US, some in the world, got a couple of sentences. Not all, just some. But some were so short, I kept thinking the next paragraph would cover them and he didn't. I couldn't help but wonder how many hosts must have been extremely disappointed. They probably weren't hosting to get in a book, but they must have felt like they had a much more fun day with Tom than Tom did with them after reading the book.
2. At a certain point, it felt like Tom pressed the recovering addict and playing with recovering addicts a bit too far. It's almost as if that drove his bias towards the experience at some of the places. If it is helpful to those recovering then a big cheers to the book. I was just looking for more golf course/experience coverage because the US has the greatest depth and variety of courses of anywhere in the world.
3. Golf buddies are the best, the absolute best. But this was too much of a twitter buddy fest
4. I was bothered by his reclusiveness at times. It's fine to be shy. But some of these folks put serious time and effort into hosting Tom with a lot of pride in their town, public or private course, and local news. And it was clear that Tom fatigued on answering some of the same questions again and again and it was clear that he often just wanted to go to the first tee and just play without too much attention.
July 6, 2021
This is my first read of one of Tom's books so didn't really know what to expect. I was afraid of just a guy giving couple-paragraph synopsis of a laundry list of fancy courses I could never play. I was dead wrong.
Tom's character is as interesting as the courses throughout the book. His candor is mesmerizing in not only golf, but social issues, relationships, and interactions. The reviews of each golf course is well balanced between technical and cultural lenses. He profiles so many wonderful people along his journey that adds a flair I didnt expect but thoroughly enjoyed.
In the end though, the thesis of "What is the Great American Golf Course" is what brought this book over the top. I didn't really expect the book to have a strong plot line (again, with my review mindset heading in) but it is as good as it gets. Tom nails so many aspects of what golf should and shouldn't be in America. He does so in a way that touches on so many great topics revolving about the USA as well as golf and how the sport is changing.
Truly a magical book for any golf fan. Can't recommend it high enough.
Tom's character is as interesting as the courses throughout the book. His candor is mesmerizing in not only golf, but social issues, relationships, and interactions. The reviews of each golf course is well balanced between technical and cultural lenses. He profiles so many wonderful people along his journey that adds a flair I didnt expect but thoroughly enjoyed.
In the end though, the thesis of "What is the Great American Golf Course" is what brought this book over the top. I didn't really expect the book to have a strong plot line (again, with my review mindset heading in) but it is as good as it gets. Tom nails so many aspects of what golf should and shouldn't be in America. He does so in a way that touches on so many great topics revolving about the USA as well as golf and how the sport is changing.
Truly a magical book for any golf fan. Can't recommend it high enough.
July 24, 2021
(2 1/2). If you are (like me) a golf nut, a golf course architecture aficionado and a golf history enthusiast, this book is an absolute must read. Coyne's previous books on Scotland and Ireland are legends but the scope of this one is almost overwhelming. His vignettes on interactions with strangers who become friends as he travels across the U.S. to play are mostly fascinating, and only occasionally dipping to the sappy level. His histories of the land and the areas where so many of these courses are located is solid, but sometimes I feel like I am reading one of those wine or cigar magazines, where I have to remember 15 new brands every month. Either way, this was a really warm reading experience for me, as I have played many of the courses he visits and am always interested in new places to seek out and I always enjoy the quality and importance of family and the good in people that Coyne seems to seek as well. As I said, for the golf nut, really good stuff.
July 27, 2021
I have read all of Tom Coyne's books and I have watched him grow as an author and as a person. In his latest book, he sets out to play all of the US Open venues still in existence as well as identify "The Great American Golf Course". He plays and walks almost 200 golf courses in one year with most days playing two or even three rounds a day. His writing style is much more than a golf travelogue. He shares his experiences with his multitude of playing partners, most of whom he is meeting for the first time. There are many touching moments in the book and he speaks freely of his ongoing battle with sobriety. He says that this is his final chapter in golf writing, but somehow I doubt it. I highly recommend this book for golfers who love to travel and those who wish they could.
October 26, 2021
This is a generally fun book if you are interested in travel, golf some history of golf course architecture. Interesting characters and stories along the way.
The chapter on Mississippi left me a bit cold, however. The author talks about a weathy local who purchased tracts of land from “former agrarian families.” I understand that he is talking about the legal concept of heirs property, which results in “petition sales.” These practices are considered pernicious in that they allow land purchases at extreme discounts from the heirs of mostly poor folks who died without a will. This is not something to be celebrated in the history of golf course development, and the author or his editors or researchers should have researched this further.
The chapter on Mississippi left me a bit cold, however. The author talks about a weathy local who purchased tracts of land from “former agrarian families.” I understand that he is talking about the legal concept of heirs property, which results in “petition sales.” These practices are considered pernicious in that they allow land purchases at extreme discounts from the heirs of mostly poor folks who died without a will. This is not something to be celebrated in the history of golf course development, and the author or his editors or researchers should have researched this further.
July 8, 2025
No doubt, Coyne’s book can be useful for those planning their next golf vacation, with 300 courses played. For me, it was a great reminiscence of those courses I have played, but so much more. Tom is a great storyteller who used golf as a setting for stories about the history of the course or surrounding area. But I think the highlight was his description of the people that he met along the way - playing partners that traveled near and far, those who invited him to their course, golf pros, golf shop employees, caddies, etc. if youre Philly, Coyne’s hometown regularly pops up throughout the read Go Birds! 🦅 Little mention of his Alma Mater or current teaching gig, but Go Irish! ☘️ And THWND! 🦅
September 3, 2021
As a golfer, I couldn’t get enough of this. Great stories that explain exactly why I love this game.
Tom’s point of view is hard for me to reconcile with my own about what makes a great golf course, and his experiences with golf in the US are not the same as mine because of the difference in how we came into the game.
All of this being said, I would love to talk to Tom about the differences in our experiences and perhaps that’s the takeaway I think best captures both my excitement for the subject matter and my view of the book.
Worth a read for sure, but not a study in great golf. A wonderful study in exploring one’s view of a country through the lens of the game.
Tom’s point of view is hard for me to reconcile with my own about what makes a great golf course, and his experiences with golf in the US are not the same as mine because of the difference in how we came into the game.
All of this being said, I would love to talk to Tom about the differences in our experiences and perhaps that’s the takeaway I think best captures both my excitement for the subject matter and my view of the book.
Worth a read for sure, but not a study in great golf. A wonderful study in exploring one’s view of a country through the lens of the game.
September 11, 2023
If you’re an avid golfer this is a must read and a 5-star book. You’ll have played at more than a few of the courses he describes. If you share Tom Coyne’s philosophy of good golf course architecture and what make a good round of golf, it’s 6-stars.
I haven’t run across a book lately that had such a notable collection of chapters. This one did. The chapter about The Villages was the funniest thing I’ve read this year. The chapter on Prairie Dunes ranks a close second especially because of the group he played with. The chapter on Pinehurst was poignant. The chapter on Cypress Point was just plain fun.
So many courses and characters along the way makes this book a delight!
I haven’t run across a book lately that had such a notable collection of chapters. This one did. The chapter about The Villages was the funniest thing I’ve read this year. The chapter on Prairie Dunes ranks a close second especially because of the group he played with. The chapter on Pinehurst was poignant. The chapter on Cypress Point was just plain fun.
So many courses and characters along the way makes this book a delight!
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