A couple of years into my quest I started writing this blog as a way to remember the places I visited. The pilgrimage was best summed up by the simple four-word tagline I gave it: “Pursuing Golf’s Holy Grail.” Ultimately my blog has attracted a couple of million readers (which I am still amazed at), and many people along the way told me I should write a book about the experience, although I didn't give it much thought.
Now that the journey is complete, the most frequent question I am asked is, “How did you get on all these courses?” The other common query I get is, “How did you get on Augusta?” Through my journey I have come to know ten people who have completed the same challenge and they all say the same thing, everyone wants to know how they were able to play Augusta.
Writing the blog was entertaining, but the idea of a book didn’t hold much appeal to me. Several people who have played top courses in the United States self-published books, but I wasn’t attracted to the genre since no one—well, maybe my mother— wants a blow-by-blow of my trips or cares what score I shot. I didn’t want to do another me-too book, but when an experienced publisher contacted me and came up with an interesting twist, I was intrigued. Why not write the book from the perspective of the reader: What’s in it for them? How can someone else play some of these courses?
The golf world is made up of generous people who are benevolent in many ways; now, it is my turn to give back to a game that has given me so much, by passing along the methods and techniques I used to play the world’s great golf courses.
How do you play at the upper-echelon of clubs in the world? In the end, it is simple. All you need is the time, the resources and the connections; although there are exceptions, since I played several top courses for free and without connections.
The focus of the book is insights into how I gained access to the clubs, and techniques you can use if you have a desire to play some of these world-class courses. It will include some wisdom I gained from the journey, and interesting stories about others who have pursued similar journeys. A condensed and expanded version of the blog at the same time, the best stories and pictures are shared to delight the itinerant golfer.
The book is available from Barnesandnoble.com and Amazon.com. Click on the image of the book below to order on Amazon:
I hope you will find it enjoyable and entertaining.
Because the game as given so much to me, as a small way of giving back I am donating my share of the profits from the book to charities supporting children.