Fifty States, Five Thousand Fairways, and the Search for the Great American Golf Course
March 15, 2021
Hitting balls across America, state by state. Sportswriter Coyne's latest completes a trilogy of travelogues begun with golf courses in Ireland and Scotland. His goal was to play golf in every state in two-to-three week stretches for a year, in search of the mythical "Great American Golf Course." Besides oozing with rich golf history and lore, Coyne's heartfelt anecdotes about people he meets and the joys of companionship are appealing. After getting his wife's permission, creating a beginning itinerary and securing tee times, Coyne began his adventure near his home, at "Dad's home course of LuLu, a curiously named and underrated Donald Ross [course] outside of Philadelphia that was founded by a group of Shriners back in 1912." Next up was the historic Newport Country Club. Seeking the benevolence of friends (he has many), the author gained access to America's most exclusive courses. On Long Island, he visited the grave of C.B. Macdonald, who designed the course he had just played: the National Golf Links of America ("It was easy to appreciate its holes as perhaps golf's most fascinating ensemble, in both shape and style"). Coyne played Bethpage Black two weeks after it hosted the PGA Championship. In Washington state, the author played Meadow Park with classic hickory-shafted clubs and enjoyed the greens at Chambers Bay, "smooth as poker tables." On a remote southern strip of Oregon's seaside cliffs, he took on Bandon Dunes, a "true hold-my-calls experience," and he completed a round at Chena Bend, a central Alaska military base course, at 1 a.m. Playing Nebraska's Sand Hills felt like "sailing a vast sea of grassy swells." From Hawaii to a dusty Navajo Nation course in northern Arizona, Coyne tallied 300 rounds over 294 courses. A good player, his average score was an impressive 6 over par. Although bumpy to start, once underway, the narrative settles into a smooth, welcoming flow. Even if you just thumb through, this is a delightful, entertaining book even nongolfers can enjoy.
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April 12, 2021
Golf writer Coyne (A Course Called Scotland) traverses fairways and putting greens across America in this entertaining blend of travelogue, memoir, and sports writing. Determined to learn the history of golf in America, he set out to play the 51 courses that have hosted a U.S. Open, sprinkling in existential reflections along the way. After playing the Flying Goat on Shelter Island, for example, he muses that maybe he’s looking “for a playground from which I couldn’t pull myself away.” He hits the green with poet Billy Collins and actor Bill Murray, who doesn’t play around when it comes to hitting balls. (“We were used to watching his larky play at Pebble Beach, but the truth was, Bill Murray was a grinder.”) At Florida’s famed retirement community, The Villages, he discovers 50 courses in its 32 square miles—“simply put, golf heaven”—while his round in Pinehurst, N.C., reminds him of his first time on the links in Ireland. At the end of his yearlong endeavor, Coyne concludes that his travels may not have made him a better golfer, but they did make him want to live a life that matters. Golf nuts will be tantalized by the glimpses of America’s premier courses, while those looking to book an epic post-pandemic golf trip will find plenty of inspiration. Agent: Dan Mandel, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc.