Golf: The Marvelous Mania

On a fateful day in 1964, legendary journalist Alistair Cooke was dragged into Van Cortlandt Park in New York City to play his first game of golf and was immediately hooked. Golf became his greatest passion, even though he called it “a method of self-torture, disguised as a game.” Few have written more brilliantly or more lovingly about golf than he does here in this collection.

For the first time, Golf gathers together the best of Cooke’s writing on what he called “the marvelous mania.” This stunning collection showcases the incomparable wit and mischievous charm that made Cooke one of the greatest journalists and broadcasters and “one of the most effective interpreters of the American way of life to the world” (New York Times) of the twentieth century. Whether it is Arnold Palmer playing in 102-degree heat in San Antonio; dapper Gary Player winning the US Open at Creve Coeur, Missouri; or Jack Nicklaus playing—and winning—almost everywhere, Alistair Cooke on his favorite sport is a rare and constant pleasure. This is a book no golfer—pro or amateur—should go without.