Stuff Every Golfer Should Know

By Brian Bertoldo

The perfect gift for the golf lover in your life, this handbook is a pocket-sized companion ready to go out on the green.

Tips and tricks include:

· How to Calculate Your Handicap_x000B_
· How to Play in the Rain_x000B_
· How to Keep Fit for Golfing_x000B_
· Games to Play within the Game_x000B_
· The Best Golf Travel Destinations

• Language: English
• Publisher: Quirk Books
• Release date: May 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9781594748004

Book preview

weekend.

ABOUT THE GAME

How Old Is the Game?

Here’s a thorny question to start things off. It is generally accepted that the game we recognize as golf has been around for at least 600 years. As with any centuries-old game, however, its true origin is shrouded in mystery.

Ancient Roots

Dating back at least to the Roman era, people have been playing stick-and-ball games. Over time, most if not all such early sports have faded from the playing fields. Today, we have plenty of other stick-and-ball games—baseball, softball, hockey, even billiards, to name just a few. And, of course, there’s our beloved game of golf. It seems that folks have always enjoyed whacking something around with a stick!

Popular Enough to Ban

But let’s try to stick (no pun intended) with the few facts we do have. King James II made the first written reference to golf in 1457, when he banned the game in the Scottish Act of Parliament. It seems the Scots were spending too much time playing their favorite game instead of focusing on archery practice. Those archers were mighty important in the days when the longbow dominated the battlefield. Many believe the game was being played in Scotland a century or more before the ban, plenty of time to become popular enough to warrant its interdiction in the mid-15th century.

Further evidence of Scottish heritage can be seen with sand bunkers. It’s believed that Scottish shepherds brought these elements into the game, much to the dismay of golfers across the ages. The first bunker shot probably occurred when a shepherd’s ball fell into one of the hollows where sheep had burrowed through the grass into the sand underneath, most likely to seek shelter from the famous coastal Scottish gales. Thanks to these seaside golfers of yore, we also have links golf—open, mostly treeless courses laid out along the ocean. But, of course, many hated bunkers come with beloved links golf.

Other Possible Origins

So, that’s why the Scots have come to be so closely associated with golf’s origin. However, it’s worth mentioning that the Dutch, with their game of kolven, and the Chinese, with a game called chuiwan, have also claimed to be originators of the game.

Key Dates in Golf History

Reviews for Stuff Every Golfer Should Know

[whitmelb · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Definitely a pocket sized book, one a golfer could put in his golf bag and use as a handy reference at the 19th Hole to settle bets. A treasure trove of historical fact and fanciful fiction. After all don’t you want to know why there are 18 holes on the modern golf course? And it is not because there are 18 shots in a bottle of scotch despite all you might hear or hope. A short primer on exercises to keep fit during those long winter months when, despite all you may want to, there is not a course open anywhere within reason. A list of five movies to entertain you, golf bag essentials to carry. Finally a section of what to do out on the course, from etiquette to health tips to first aid for both the body and your game.Finally there are a few jokes to lighten your mood after perhaps a not so wonderful round and all your buddies have made their personal best score and refuse to understand your melancholia. Wretched though you may feel take heart; it is all behind you and your little pocketbook will assuage your hurts and comfort you.

[cal8769 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A typical Father's Day type present book filled with golfing tidbits that can be found in a hundred other similar books. This small book is filled with topics including history, style, Majors, calculaing your handicap, winter activities and much more.

[nevans1972 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a really cute pocket book for golfers and it comes in handy for the novice player like me. Since I don't play to much golf I was able to give it to my father as a Father's Day gift. It has a lot of good information about the history of golf and an essential guide on the must-haves when you are on the golf course. It basically has all the information you need to playing golf. I really like the fact that it is a pocket size book so you can take it on-the-go with you.

[ponder_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love golf. I am terrible at golf. This book is going to be a stocking stuffer for all of my friends who love golf whether they are good or not. It has some fun facts for those that like trivia; advice for the novice and some tips even that frequent golfers can benefit from reading. I especially think the etiquette is beneficial for novices or corporate cogs who are put into a forced march out on the course.

[dlynch-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a fun pocket size book that is great for any golf enthusiast. It has a little about everything you need to know about the game.

[nelliemc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For what it is, this is an excellent book. It's a stocking stuffer book—small (6" x 3") with short, pithy chapters on all sorts of golf trivia. Lots of little facts that I think any avid golfer would like to have easy access to. The variety is good - everything from best golf movies to different ways of betting to the history of the golf ball. None of this is in depth, but it's certainly a fast read. Would make a fun book as a small gift, table handout at a golf outing, etc. Would have liked a slightly better copy edit - the page on Pebble Beach (one of my all time favorite courses) had two errors, but hopefully that will be fixed.

[coachtim30 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In "Stuff Every Golfer Should Know", author Brian Bertoldo compiles a large amount of information in a small book (literally). The book has a very attractive tartan cover, "weighs in" at 143 pages and is the size of small notepad. If you're a novice or starting to think about picking up the game of golf, don't let the small size of the book deter you from reading it. It covers a wide variety of information that makes it true to its title. Areas like golf etiquette, apparel, playing in bad weather, history of the ball, golf exercises, best golf movies and jokes, how to read greens, and how to calculate your handicap are just a few of the dozens of topics covered. As I mentioned earlier, the book is designed with the beginning golfer in mind, so veteran players won't find much new information here. In addition, those looking for swing help or suggestions about golf strategy won't find that here either. That's ok, though, because what the book does offer will be of great use to those just starting out in the game.I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[phillies-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book would make a good gift for a beginner golfer who would like to learn more about the game of golf than just learning how to play. I have been a golfer for eight years yet I found several things very informative, I enjoyed sections on: different types of grass found on a golf course, descriptions of major tournaments both men's and women's, and explanations of golf games such as scramble and skins. It has a good summary of the complex method of calculating a handicap.There were a few sections that I thought obvious like playing golf with children, whether to walk or ride a cart, and playing in rain. The book could have been strengthened by more information about the rules of play and also include more stories about the famous players.Overall, it was a quick and sometimes interesting read, but, again, probably only useful for the novice golfer.