If you’re looking for a good book to read while relaxing by the pool this summer, you might want to pick up a copy of Tom Coyne’s latest nonfiction book “A Course Called Scotland: Searching the Home of Golf for the Secret to Its Game.”
This entertaining travel adventure recaps the author’s quest to play all of the links-style golf courses in Scotland, a country in the United Kingdom roughly the size of South Carolina. Near the book’s end, Coyne summarizes his two-month golfing adventure: Total rounds of golf: 111; total yards: 657,450; total holes played: 1,908; Total days golfing: 57; Holes per day: 33.4; Total score: 7,864, or 548 over par.
To call this man a fanatic about the game would be an understatement. He spent a great deal of time chasing a career in golf playing on various mini-tours around the globe but was never good enough to make a living at it. He was, however, good enough to make a living as a writer. He’s written for Golf Magazine, Golf Week, Sports Illustrated, and also published two other books: “Paper Tiger” and “A Course Called Ireland.”
Coyne’s writing is spot on throughout “A Course Called Scotland” as he blends storytelling, humor, history, and insight to describe his experiences. In the chapter on St. Andrews, for example, the author shares:
“You would expect that the home of golf might be only about golf pubs, golf shops, and golf museums. St. Andrews had plenty of those, but it also had culture and history and learning, with golfers blending into packs of undergrads from St. Andrews University as they hustled to and from classes in academic robes. You stay here and feel like you’ve done more than chase a ball around and that your travels are better for it.”
“A Course Called Scotland: Searching the Home of Golf for the Secret to Its Game,” is clearly more than golf course descriptions, it includes insight for travelers, too. The 336-page book is published by Simon & Schuster and is available at all bookstores and online from Amazon.
You may also like Golfing Across The Ponds by Dr. George G. Kitchens
Rick Stedman is an avid golfer, RVer, and writer who lives in Olympia, Washington. Rick writes a golf column, “The RV Golfer,” which is published every month in rvlife.com. He can be reached at rstedman@gmail.com.
Leave a Reply