Overview

One of the greatest and most beloved golf books ever written is triumphantly back in print—“a cause for celebration” (The Wall Street Journal)—with a new introduction by Golf in the Kingdom author Michael Murphy, a new afterword, and never-before-seen photographs. Thirty years (and counting!) after publication, To the Linksland still enthralls readers who pick it up for the first time—or return to the book for the sheer pleasure of it. In 1991, Michael Bamberger, a newspaper sportswriter, gave up his apartment, took a leave of absence from his job and his life, and, joined by his newlywed wife, set off to explore the wide world of golf. Bamberger’s first step in this madcap golfing adventure was to become a caddie on the European golf tour, where he encountered the game’s most dynamic players up close and personal, including golf’s greatest artist, Seve Ballesteros. Crisscrossing the Continent with his bride, Bamberger caddied for a true original, Peter Teravainen, a Yale-educated golfer with a workingman’s spirit and a knack for making brilliant, on-the-spot observations about the game (“Good shots must come in groups of two”). Over the course of one unforgettable year, Bamberger caddied in the national championships of Portugal, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Ireland, and, finally, Scotland, golf’s ancestral home. Once there, Bamberger fell under the spell of one of golf’s great teachers and thinkers, John Stark. To the Linksland is the captivating memoir of Bamberger’s golfing pilgrimage/extended honeymoon. From an all-night caddie bus on the back roads of southern Europe to Stark’s secret six-hole course in the Scottish Highlands, Bamberger takes you on a journey into the heart of golf. This thirtieth-anniversary edition of Bamberger’s classic, lyrical tale of discovery is bookended with a new introduction by Michael Murphy and a new afterword by Bamberger, with a trove of new photographs in between. Gloriously back in print, To the Linksland is a “great book for your golfing soul” (Golf Monthly).

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9781668020586

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Reviews

“This is one of those golf books that you have to read. It’ll put you under its spell, draw you into its world, and rekindle your enthusiasm for the game. It’s been doing that for the past three decades for readers, and I’m sure it will continue to do it for many more decades. . . . I highly recommend that you get yourself a copy.” —Garrett Morrison, The Fried Egg podcast “One of the best golf travel books ever written . . . The book reminds us that the game of golf has many treasures yet to be discovered.” —Michael Murphy, author of Golf in the Kingdom “Lyrical and inspired . . . A lovely book that will stand with the classics of the game.”  —Kirkus Reviews “For those who like golf, this adventure may bring happy tears to their eyes. Bamberger’s a great partner throughout an incredible tour.”  —The Seattle Times “His was a marvelous journey, and we are privileged to share it. . . . [The book] deserves not only recognition but sustained praise.”  —The Sporting News “There are writers who reduce ideas and there are writers who expand them. [Bamberger] is one of the latter.”  —Golf Digest “Enormously appealing . . . a diamond.”  —The Madison Courier (Wisconsin) “A great book for your golfing soul from a journalist who remains at the top of his game to this day.”  —Golf Monthly “Reading Michael Bamberger’s To the Linksland was gloriously refreshing and joyously reflective of why and how we play the game of golf. If one cannot journey to the Fountainhead—the links of Scotland themselves—then absorb the true and happy golf experience through this book.” —Ben Crenshaw PRAISE FOR OTHER BOOKS BY MICHAEL BAMBERGER * The Ball in the Air * “I just finished this one from Michael Bamberger in a day, and it’s a work of art. My love for golf comes from the challenge of playing as an amateur, not from winning tournaments or collecting prize money. 99% of you have this same relationship with the game. That’s who this book is for.”   —Tom Brady on Instagram “The Ball in the Air tells the golf-related tales of three decidedly non-high-profile figures . . . Linking these tales is Mr. Bamberger’s own story and his conviction that golf has much to teach when we open ourselves to the game’s deepest, most subtle nature—the unexpected emotions, the ‘odd and beautiful playing fields,’ the intimate bonds that form among both friends and strangers. The pleasure of The Ball in the Air is like that of an ordinary golf round. . . . Mr. Bamberger’s abiding love is for golf as it is experienced by everyday people.”   —John Paul Newport, Wall Street Journal * The Second Life of Tiger Woods * “Reading The Second Life of Tiger Woods is like playing a great golf course without prior knowledge of the holes that lie ahead. You know they’re going to be good, and in the end, they add up to something special. To the extent that it’s possible to know what’s in Tiger’s mind, Bamberger delivers. . . . A terrific book.”  —Gary D'Amato, Wisconsin Golf  “This may be the most insightful and evenhanded book written yet about one of the signature athletes of the last twenty-five years.” —Booklist (starred review) * Men in Green * “Maybe the best golf book I’ve ever read.” —Bill Reynolds, Providence Journal “I wish Men in Green were about four hundred pages longer than it is.” —Jeffrey Toobin, New York Times Book Review * The Swinger * “An entertaining, revealing, thought-provoking, and cautionary tale . . . It provides invaluable insight into the life and times of Woods.”  —Bill Pennington, The New York Times * This Golfing Life * “The ultimate insider’s view [from] one of the modern game’s brightest observers and finest writers.” —Geoff Shackelford, Golf Observer

“One of the best golf travel books ever written . . . The book reminds us that the game of golf has many treasures yet to be discovered.” —Michael Murphy, author of Golf in the Kingdom “Lyrical and inspired . . . A lovely book that will stand with the classics of the game.”  —Kirkus Reviews “For those who like golf, this adventure may bring happy tears to their eyes. Bamberger’s a great partner throughout an incredible tour.”  —The Seattle Times “His was a marvelous journey, and we are privileged to share it. . . . [The book] deserves not only recognition but sustained praise.”  —The Sporting News “There are writers who reduce ideas and there are writers who expand them. [Bamberger] is one of the latter.”  —Golf Digest “Enormously appealing . . . a diamond.”  —The Madison Courier (Wisconsin) “A great book for your golfing soul from a journalist who remains at the top of his game to this day.”  —Golf Monthly “Reading Michael Bamberger’s To the Linksland was gloriously refreshing and joyously reflective of why and how we play the game of golf. If one cannot journey to the Fountainhead—the links of Scotland themselves—then absorb the true and happy golf experience through this book.” —Ben Crenshaw PRAISE FOR OTHER BOOKS BY MICHAEL BAMBERGER * The Ball in the Air * “I just finished this one from Michael Bamberger in a day, and it’s a work of art. My love for golf comes from the challenge of playing as an amateur, not from winning tournaments or collecting prize money. 99% of you have this same relationship with the game. That’s who this book is for.”   —Tom Brady on Instagram “The Ball in the Air tells the golf-related tales of three decidedly non-high-profile figures . . . Linking these tales is Mr. Bamberger’s own story and his conviction that golf has much to teach when we open ourselves to the game’s deepest, most subtle nature—the unexpected emotions, the ‘odd and beautiful playing fields,’ the intimate bonds that form among both friends and strangers. The pleasure of The Ball in the Air is like that of an ordinary golf round. . . . Mr. Bamberger’s abiding love is for golf as it is experienced by everyday people.”   —John Paul Newport, Wall Street Journal * The Second Life of Tiger Woods * “Reading The Second Life of Tiger Woods is like playing a great golf course without prior knowledge of the holes that lie ahead. You know they’re going to be good, and in the end, they add up to something special. To the extent that it’s possible to know what’s in Tiger’s mind, Bamberger delivers. . . . A terrific book.”  —Gary D'Amato, Wisconsin Golf  “This may be the most insightful and evenhanded book written yet about one of the signature athletes of the last twenty-five years.” —Booklist (starred review) * Men in Green * “Maybe the best golf book I’ve ever read.” —Bill Reynolds, Providence Journal “I wish Men in Green were about four hundred pages longer than it is.” —Jeffrey Toobin, New York Times Book Review * The Swinger * “An entertaining, revealing, thought-provoking, and cautionary tale . . . It provides invaluable insight into the life and times of Woods.”  —Bill Pennington, The New York Times * This Golfing Life * “The ultimate insider’s view [from] one of the modern game’s brightest observers and finest writers.” —Geoff Shackelford, Golf Observer

Author Information

Michael Bamberger was born in Patchogue, New York, in 1960. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982, he worked as a newspaper reporter, first for the (Martha’s) Vineyard Gazette, later for The Philadelphia Inquirer. After twenty-two years at Sports Illustrated, he is now a senior writer at Golf.com. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Christine.

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