I’ll start this review with a few caveats – firstly this is not a golf book. It is a series of quarterly golfing publications that arrive every season. Secondly, it’s certainly not a magazine. That would be a complete insult to the work Golfers Journal do and the quality of the journals themselves, or perhaps an undeserved compliment for the glossy magazines that are littered with adverts for swing training aids, discounted green fee’s at overpriced corporate golfing locations and articles written by people who think The Belfry is the finest example of inland golf in the UK. Finally, I must confess I did not initially purchase The Golfers Journal for the quality of their articles (although I had heard they were fantastic). I purchased the back catalogue and took a year’s subscription with them for the artwork (how shallow of me…I know!).
They not only look absolutely stunning on the bookshelf, beautifully arranged with coloured spines signifying each and every issue, but the contributors for the journal include some fantastic photography and artwork of golf courses, golf merchandise, paraphernalia and much else.
Now I’ve cleared all that up, let me talk about what the Golfers Journal IS! These are journals (no kidding!), and that best explains the stories that feature throughout each issue. Whilst the stories range from the moderately obscure (the launch of Silves Ranch and reversible golf course routings, or the launch of a putting tour championship in Las Vegas) to the completely wacky left-field (the stories of the underground society of Golden-Tee enthusiasts – yeah it’s an arcade game that was very popular in the 1990’s. These articles are a welcome breath of fresh air from the traditional well reported and over-reported stories from the professional ranks or the course architecture world.
With Tom Coyne as a senior editor bringing his own flair (among other regular contributors including the boys from No Laying Up), the articles flow nicely from one article to the next offering the reader a completely fresh dimension on the game, considering the life of an equipment fitter on the LPGA. This ‘behind the scenes, but inside the ropes’ approach to golf journalism is not for the occasional golf fan however, who are usually far more interested in the club head speed generated by Bryson, but for everyone from the completely obsessed to the Grade 8 nerd, they are an essential purchase, dare I say investment.
I say investment, because the cost of the back catalogue (currently at 12) is not cheap weighing in at $240 for the full set, and a $75 annual subscription. That said they are an investment in your golf life, and as well as being highly educational are also a great bitesize read, and something you can leisurely flick through once complete. Investment or otherwise, if you sit on the right side of the sliding scale of golf obsession, then it’s a cost of doing business.
More recently, TGJ (initialism) have invested in their online platform and subscribers can also now enjoy audio versions of the articles, narrated by the authors themselves, offering subscribers a more comprehensive service.
This publication is a must have for the obsessed golfer!
5*
