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

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.

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

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).