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To the Nines
To the Nines will introduce you to a whole new golfing experience by sharing the stories of fourteen layouts across the country. Fenwick, Katherine Hepburn's playground, dates back the 1890's. Just before a hurricane destroyed her the family home in 1938, Hepburn aced Fenwick's ninth hole and shot even par. Prairie Dunes, in Hutchinson, Kansas, began as a nine-holer, and represents some of Perry Maxwell's finest work. Rolling Rock, by Donald Ross, rivals any of his eighteen-hole creations. Long before Mike Keiser set out to turn a chunk of Oregon coast into one of the world's great golf destinations, he built The Dunes Club, easily the finest nine-hole course of the modern era. To the Nines will send you on a mission to discover the roots of the game, and to seek out your won unique and unheralded courses.
143 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
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January 26, 2022
A lot like Pioppi's The Finest Nines. Perhaps more similar than I expected it to be. There is a little more discussion on the background of courses in this book than in The Finest Nines, especially considering there are several courses profiled that no longer exist. The chapters covering the history of Ocean Links and the hunt for remains of it today are entertaining, and probably the highlight of the book.
The book suffers a bit from being dated. In the early 2000s, a course like Northwood was probably a hidden gem, but in the golf architecture internet days, it's quite well known, along with places like The Dunes Club.
The biggest downfall of the book is something that plagues The Finest Nines, as well. There are few pictures in the book, and the ones that are included are small, grainy, and black and white (at least in the paperback version). Read alone, or in bed, there are a lot of bland play-by-plays of the course ("Hole 1 is a 384 yard dogleg left, with a bunker guarding the left side of the green", etc.). It's hard to get much out of the book without keeping Google Earth and an image search of the course open next to you while you read. Not that I am opposed in any way to doing that. It simply limits your reading options.
The book suffers a bit from being dated. In the early 2000s, a course like Northwood was probably a hidden gem, but in the golf architecture internet days, it's quite well known, along with places like The Dunes Club.
The biggest downfall of the book is something that plagues The Finest Nines, as well. There are few pictures in the book, and the ones that are included are small, grainy, and black and white (at least in the paperback version). Read alone, or in bed, there are a lot of bland play-by-plays of the course ("Hole 1 is a 384 yard dogleg left, with a bunker guarding the left side of the green", etc.). It's hard to get much out of the book without keeping Google Earth and an image search of the course open next to you while you read. Not that I am opposed in any way to doing that. It simply limits your reading options.
Displaying 1 of 1 review