Rough Meditations: From Tour Caddie to Golf Course Critic, An Insider's Look at the Game

by Bradley S. Klein

Overview

In Rough Meditations, Golfweek Architecture Editor Bradley Klein weaves engaging and often hilarious essays as he takes readers on a tour of golf course architecture and explains the difference between good and bad golf course design. He recounts his exploits as a caddy on the PGA and LPGA tours, tells a heartwarming tale about introducing his daughter to the game, and much more. In his charming style, Bradley liberally accents his stories with personal wisdom on the game, including how to look at a green's grass and slope to judge speed, distance, and placement of a putt. system.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780471786863
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	03/21/2006
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.23(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Bradley S. Klein, PhD, is founding editor of SuperNews, architecture editor of Golfweek magazine, and a design consultant and a frequent speaker at industry and association meetings, as well as a former PGA Tour caddie. He runs Golfweek's "America's Best" national course rating system and is a member of Royal Dornoch Golf Club in Scotland. He is the author of Discovering Donald Ross: The Architect and His Golf Courses (Wiley).

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xi

1 Early Days 1

Father’s Day 3

Return to Inwood 4

2 Caddying 7

Stand by Your Man– 1981 9

A Brief History of Caddying 14

Stand by Your Woman 21

The ’96 Mid-Am: A View from the Caddie Yard 24

3 A Writer’s Game 29

Caddying for Pat Ward-Thomas at the Old Course 31

A Thousand Words to Clear His Throat: Herbert Warren Wind 35

4 Architectural Elements 39

Architectural Literacy 41

Classical, Modern, and Post-Modern 43

Cultural Links 46

Routing Is Destiny 48

Movers and Shapers 51

Who Cares About Teeing Grounds? 55

Save Us from Green Committees 57

Trees on Golf Courses: Do They Really Belong? 59

Golf Courses and Old Ballparks– 1996 62

The Incredible Shrinking Clubhouse 65

The Tyranny of Yardage 67

Don’t Make Me Ride 69

Thank Heaven for Little Four-Pars 71

Don’t Call Them Women’s Tees 73

5 Business or Art? 77

Working Landscapes 79

Golf Design Goes Ivy League 81

When Business Threatens Art 84

Oh No, It’s the PGA Show! 86

For a Good Time, Call 1-900-CONSULT 88

Lethal Links? 89

Golf and the Environment: Wildlife Refuge or Toxic Fairways? 92

Appearance and Reality in the Ratings Game 97

Architecture and the Media 100

6 Read Any Good Greens Lately? 103

The First Two Inches of Break Are Inside the Cup 105

Modern Greens Construction Demands Craftsmanship 106

Riviera’s Greens: An Autopsy 108

Brown, Not Green, Is Better 114

7 In the Beginning There Was Sand 117

Mysteries of the 14th at St. Andrews 119

The Linksland of Machrihanish 124

Scotland’s Northern Links 126

Western Ireland: The Wind, the Sea, and the Guinness 132

8 Treasure Hunting 137

Astoria: A Coastal Oregon Gem 139

The Orchards: Superintendent Revives Rundown Ross Treasure 142

The Fine Art of Restoration– 1994 146

9 Classical Tracks 153

Pine Valley 155

Augusta National: What You See and What You Don’t See 158

Speaking of Hills 161

East Lake: The Heart and Soul of a New Atlanta– 1995 165

Bethpage Black 169

Oakland Hills: Interview with ‘‘A Monster’’ 171

10 Best and Worst Awards 175

11 In Golf as in Life 199

Divot Man 201

How You Handle How You Play 203

A Golfer in the Garden 204

Those All-Important Marriage Points 206

One Divot I’ll Never Replace 208

A Sense of Security Out West 210

What’s Really Important 212

For Further Reading 215

Index 219