The Cookie Jar Library
Ocean’s Thirty Eight – The 38th Walker Cup at Ocean Forest
Following our recent podcast with Walker Cup legend Nigel Edwards, our very own Walker Cup correspondent and self-proclaimed Professor of Pace Putting - Dr Darragh Garrahy - took to his library and did some more digging on the 38th playing of The Walker Cup at Ocean Forest. 'Ocean's Thirty Eight' words by Darragh Garrahy A.K.A 'Dr Lag' Table of Contents The Lindy Effect Something called the Lindy Effect theorizes that the longer a non-perishable item is around, the more sure their future is- if a golf course has been around 50 years it is likely to survive another 50. Maybe The Old Course at St. Andrews is the best example of this- it doesn’t feel like the land will be returned to grazing anytime soon. The most celebrated championship sites in golf are also the most venerable. The [...]
253 – Kenny Reid: ‘Touch of Class’
We sat down with friend of the jar - Kenny Reid - to talk about his second book, 'Touch of Class'. The book charts the story of the 1984 Open Championship and in the process, capture the essence of Seve Ballesteros and why he captured the hearts of so many. To get hold of a copy of his newly released book, click here. Available from all good bookshops! Latest Products
161 – ‘The Uncorrupted Pleasure of an Old Bladed Putter’: James Ellis-Caird
‘Creating space to play more freely’, is an economical but potent way to describe this professional turned author and his approach to the game. James Ellis-Caird (aka @rewildingthegolfer) debut book after a career coaching and working as a PGA professional; ‘The Uncorrupted Pleasure of an Old Bladed Putter’ is not just beautifully put together and well illustrated, but nostalgic, thought provoking and helpful in equal measure. His series of golfing fables bring to life so many of the game’s pitfalls and help us take a refreshing look at things through the eyes of his clients….Make sure you get a copy of this book for Christmas! hello and welcome back to another episode of the cookie jar golf podcast earlier on today we managed to sit down with James Ellis cared who's a PGA professional and author of the uncorrupted pleasure of an old bladed putter a new book that's just [...]
146 – Author Michael Morrison
In our recent trip to St. Andrews, we met up with author Michael Morrison. Mike has just released his fourth book The Great English Golf Boom 1864 - 1914. Intriguing conclusions come through the book and a fascinating insight into the birth of the English Golf Club. If you are interested in purchasing this book you can email Mike on mike.morrison57@outlook.com Latest Products
137 – Stephen Proctor: The Long Golden Afternoon
Historian, writer and Herbert Warren-Wind shortlisted author Stephen Proctor joins the podcast this week to talk about the release of his second book - The Long Golden Afternoon. Charting the events around golfs ultimate boom period following the death of Young Tommy Morris right through to the advent of WWI, the book is a fascinating read to really understand one of the most significant (and often much less talked about) periods in history. Starting with John Ball jr of Hoylake becoming the first Englishman and Amateur to win The Open in 1890, right through to the Great Triumverate and the success of many others, it's a cracking book. I firm recommendation from The Jar to add this to your golf library - the link can be found below. Stephen is a fabulous guest, incredibly knowledgeable and articulates history in such a captivating way! AMAZON: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Long-Golden-Afternoon-Golfs-1864-1914/dp/1913759040 Latest [...]
Mark Broadie: Every Shot Counts
It’s hard to find a seminal book on the ancient game, written in the modern era, but Mark Broadie’s book, ‘Every Shot Counts’, is exactly that. As we moved into the ‘shotlink’ era from 2004, it shows the true power of data in the modern game and how it provides clearer insight and better management of the game for tour professionals, but also the amateur golfer. The concept of strokes gained is known to most golfers, but what it truly means is not always clear. Our guest of the pod, Lou Stagner put it best, when he said that it’s like asking someone how far they live from work. People usually answer with time taken, as opposed to kilometres or miles, and therefore if they take a 15 minute drive and it actually takes 20, there is a negative impact. That same thought process can be used with strokes [...]
The Golfer’s Journal
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 [...]
Tony Dear: The Story of Golf in Fifty Holes
I first came across this book by chance on Twitter, and quite quickly pulled the trigger on Amazon, and it’s become a firm favourite on the bookshelf. Tony’s Twitter profile states he is an Englishman in the US, and this book is a great account of golf across both sides of the Atlantic. Tony also writes for the links magazine as well as Golf World, making the book a very easy read, broken into small bitesize chapters. This is a beautiful narration of the holes and courses that have shaped the game of golf throughout time, from where it all began at places, St Andrews Prestwick and Rathbo Farm (google it), through the golden age designs, products of post war architecture such as Torrey Pines and The Belfry, and into the new age designs like Bandon Dunes. This is superbly researched, and walks the fine line, balancing between course [...]
Gio Valiante: Fearless Golf
Dr Gio Valiante burst onto the scene after writing his masters thesis on psychology in golf that spread around the professional circuit like wildfire. After reading his thesis players were applying his principles and winning - a lot! After the success of his thesis, Gio sat down to create Fearless Golf, a book that documents the motivations of people who play golf. After reading the different characterisations of player I quickly established what camp I as in, and it was truly an eye opener into the world of my own golf psychology. Dr Gio goes through the classic characteristics of the winners in golf and mechanisms for coping with your own psychological motivations. He chronicles stories from past champions and how they approached the game from differing points of view, from training to winning on the big stage. The mechanisms taught here will certainly be of use to nearly [...]
Tom Coyne: A Course Called Scotland
Sequel to his much celebrated book ‘A Course Called Ireland’, Coyne takes another adventure to the shores of the British Isles with this epic journey in search of the greatest links in Scotland, the essence of Golf, and qualification to The Open among much else. While this book sees Tom take a breather from walking between courses and electing to drive (to which no one can criticise him), the purpose of book is very different in a number of ways, with the trip culminating in a shot at qualification for The Open, requiring him to hone his skills back in Philly before heading over requiring a handicap of scratch to secure a tee time in Scotland several months later. The adventure begins with an ethereal friend (Robert) pitching to trip to Tom, and once planning and preparation is complete they begin on the south coast at courses like Royal [...]
