August is National Golf Month—a perfect time to hit the fairway or, if you’re more of an armchair golfer, dive into a great book about the game.
Whether you’re a seasoned player looking to refine your technique, a newcomer curious about the sport, or simply a fan of golf history and legends, your library has a wide selection of books to help you celebrate. Check out these reads that capture the spirit and challenge of golf, and let them inspire your next round—or just your next quiet afternoon with a good book.
The Ball in the Air: A Golfing Adventure by Michael Bamberger
In this freewheeling and timeless book, an age-old question is posed early and answered over its pages: Why does the game cast such a spell on us? It captures golf as a way of life. You get to know a collection of golfers you won’t find elsewhere: a young woman who was raised in a maintenance shed in South Asia and now plays on a college team in Southern California; a middle-aged globe-trotting caddie who is to golf what William Finnegan is to surfing; a renowned senior amateur from Chicago, a finalist in a long-ago British Amateur in St. Andrews, who is giving competitive golf one last go. You join golf societies with members who have fallen into various golfing rabbit holes. (Golden Age architects!) You visit some exalted private courses, and a bunch of good-time-Charlie public ones, across the United States and in the United Kingdom. You hang with a legendary pro whose childlike wonder for the game makes him the ultimate amateur.
The Golf 100 : A Spirited Ranking of the Greatest Players of All Time by Michael Arkush
A rollicking ranking of the greatest golfers of all time, present and past, and a lively reading book – brimming with the intimate colorful stories and analysis only a major golf insider can muster.
Golf : Stroke by Stroke by Brian A. Crowell
This is a comprehensive guide that covers everything you need to head to the golf course with confidence. From the clubhouse to the green, golf pro Cowell will introduce you to each stage of the game and teach you how to swing a club through a series of simple lessons with full-color photos and baby-step-by-baby-step instructions.
Golf Wars : LIV and Golf’s Bitter Battle for Power and Identity by Iain Carter
The Saudi-backed organisation LIV Golf has struck at the very heart of the golfing establishment, setting up rival tournaments with enormous prize pots and pitting the game’s most famous players against each other. Led by legend Greg Norman, it has enticed the likes of Sergio García, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Jon Rahm, parking its tanks on the manicured greens of the traditional game. Its tagline: Golf but louder. BBC Golf Correspondent Carter delivers the fascinating – and ongoing – account of a sporting upheaval. He spotlights the key players, both on the course and in the boardroom, exploring how the PGA Tour and other traditional organisations are fighting back. Carter covers every twist and turn, hearing from influential figures including Rory McIlroy, Jay Monahan, Greg Norman, Keith Pelley and Tiger Woods.
Golf by Gary McCord
In this new edition, you can learn all about new golf formats and recent changes to the rulebook. Ready to play a round? Understand golf basics, perfect your swing, and master the mental game. Follow simple instructions and diagrams to improve your grips and stances. Learn how the sport of golf is changing, at the amateur and professional levels Improve your golf game with advice from a championship-winning golfer.
Golf’s Majors : From Hagen and Hogan to a Bear and a Tiger, Inside the Game’s Most Unforgettable Performances by Gary Player
From golf legend and nine-time major champion Player, a riveting history of golf’s pinnacle events, packed with dramatic moments and insider stories.
The Greatest U.S. Opens : High Drama at Golf’s Most Challenging Championship by David Barrett
Veteran golf journalist and author Barrett brings readers inside the ropes at the most dramatic tournaments since the Open’s inception in 1895. Renowned as the most challenging of the major championships, the U.S. Open has showcased the country’s greatest golf courses, including Pebble Beach, Oakmont, Merion and Shinnecock Hills. And, with notoriously long “Open rough” and super-fast greens, the U.S Open is typically the toughest challenge of the year, providing a forum for the greats of the game to test their mettle and prove their stature by winning multiple times–including Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.
The Playing Lesson : A Duffer’s Year Among the Pros by Michael Bamberger
You are cordially invited to join Bamberger on a year-long golfing adventure–playing alongside the pros of the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour, LIV Golf, and more–as he seeks to unlock golf’s most stubborn secrets in various and surprising ways, all in the name of…improvement!
Together We Roared : Alongside Tiger for his Epic Twelve-Year, Thirteen-Majors Run by Steve Williams
Williams, arguably the greatest caddie in golf history, teams up with renowned golf journalist Evin Priest to give his definitive account of his 12-year partnership with the legendary Tiger Woods, sharing personal, never-before-told moments of their friendship on and off the course.
The Year of the Tiger : The Major Run that Made Tiger Woods by Brody Miller
The inside story of legendary golfer Tiger Woods’ magnificent run, when he won all four major tournaments in a single calendar year, becoming the greatest player of his generation–a show of unparalleled dominance in the sport with which he has become synonymous. Published in time for the twenty-fifth anniversary of this remarkable event, The Year of the Tiger transports readers back in time to witness the sheer brilliance and unrelenting determination that propelled Woods to the pinnacle of his game.
You can also borrow and read several gold related magazines digitally on Libby/Overdrive
—Archana, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian