Books for the Golfer in Your Life

Augusta and Aiken boast a rich golf history.

Florida has depended on tourism since the earliest days of American ownership. Entrepreneurs, scoundrels, and visionaries flocked to the Sunshine State to take advantage of the natural resources--land, water, climate, natural beauty, flora, and fauna--to implement their schemes and dreams. The majority of these schemes depended on convincing individuals from northern states to invest in their projects or to vacation in the state. One of the attractions was golf. Every Florida resort of note included a golf course, and golf became the major attraction for winter visitors and part-time residents. This book provides a brief history of golf in Florida, focuses on the men who designed the courses, and provides a guide to the resorts that catered to the game.

The game of golf got its start in the Southeastern United States in 1892 on four holes with sand greens at Palmetto Golf Club in Aiken, South Carolina. Within five years, Palmetto had expanded to eighteen holes and the first nine-hole course in neighboring Augusta, Georgia was designed at the Hotel Bon Air. For half a century, the Augusta-Aiken area flourished as the winter destination of choice for the rich, famous, and powerful in America. Presidents Taft, Harding, and Eisenhower vacationed here. Baseball great Ty Cobb bought a home in Augusta's quaint Summerville neighborhood. It was here that Bobby Jones began the improbable journey towards a Grand Slam, then built his dream golf course. By the turn of the century, winter tourism and grand resort hotels in the Augusta-Aiken area were well established. A favorable winter climate and easy rail access drew vacationers to Highland Park Hotel (1866), Willcox Hotel (1898), and Park in the Pines (1900) in Aiken; Hotel Bon Air (1890) and Partridge Inn (1913) in Augusta; and Hampton Terrace Hotel and Golf Club (1903) in North Augusta. Resorts in Florida and the growth of the air travel industry later coupled to mark the area's decline in winter tourism, but not before Augusta-Aiken's place in golf history was secure. In this unique volume, vintage images and accompanying text recall the unfo rgettable legends, the meticulously maintained courses, and all of the grandeur associated with the game.

Gary Player's golf career will come full circle in April 2012 when he joins Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus as honorary starters at the Masters Tournament. Player rose from humble beginnings in South Africa to become an international golf superstar, and his success at Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters is the highlight of his impressive resume. His accomplishments include three Masters wins, the record for most starts at the Masters and numerous other distinctions. Player's career includes 167 worldwide wins, which includes all the Grand Slam titles on the regular tour and the senior tour. At age 76 you might think Player is ready to slow down, but in fact he is still a relevant and influential figure. His brand is thriving with business deals around the globe, and the tireless effort he put in long ago to make the game truly international is paying off as foreign-born players have dominated the majors in recent years. This book will highlight and celebrate Player's remarkable career with a special emphasis on his time in Augusta, and it also will tell how Player is an inspiration not only to his fellow South Africans but to golfers all around the globe

East Lake Golf Club was heralded as "one of the finest in the United States" when its first holes were completed in 1907. Bobby Jones called East Lake his home course, as did Alexa Stirling, Watts Gunn, and Charlie Yates. It flourished in the early 1900s as the Atlanta Athletic Club's country club. However, as Atlanta's population shifted to the northern suburbs, East Lake suffered, and in the mid-1960s the AAC sold the property and moved to Johns Creek. In the 1990s, developer Tom Cousins stepped in to restore East Lake. Today, the historical East Lake Golf Club is again considered among the finest courses in the United States and is host to tournament play. The motto adopted at its rebirth rings true: "Golf with a Purpose."

Attorney Pat Browne Jr., a star athlete at Jesuit High School and Tulane University and a New Orleans All-American golfer, was blinded in a car accident. He would go on to win twenty-three blind pro golf tournaments. Arnold Palmer nominated him for the World Golf Hall of Fame. This inspiring book is his story.