Imagine the first crisp breath of wind off the sea while lining up your shot to a still-distant, postage-stamp green. Or the funny caddie whose advice more often steers you to his favorite local pub than to the proper iron. Or the brilliant sunset as you relax on the clubhouse terrace after an inspiring round. For the true golf enthusiast, the perfect golf vacation is not just about yardage and tee-off times. "Golf Travel's Guide to the World's Greatest Golf Destinations takes you on an intimate journey through every aspect of the golfing experience, including the glories and glitches of course design, the condition of the greens and fairways, and the quality of services both on and off the course. In addition, this unique guide details the lodging, dining and non-golfing options for each destination, making this the one truly complete travel guide for your golf vacation. Enjoy!

A stunning, in-depth guide to fifty of the world’s greatest golf courses, selected by people deeply connected to the sport. There’s an incredible similarity between the mechanics of a fly cast and the swing of a golf club. Perhaps that's why Chris Santella, author of Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die, can be found on the links when he’s not on the stream. With Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die, Santella gives voice to his other sporting passion, interviewing 50 people intimately connected to the sport about some of their favorite courses around the world. For both passionate golfers and armchair travelers, this gorgeous full-color book presents the world’s greatest golf venues, the personal favorites of renowned players, course architects, and other experts in the sport. From Ballyliffin, Ireland’s northernmost course, whose rumpled fairways wander along the North Sea in the shadows of Glashedy Rock, to New Zealand's Cape Kidnappers, perched atop dramatic cliffs some 500 feet above the ocean, the book’s beautiful photographs capture the architecture, noteworthy holes, location, and ambiance that make these courses standouts for ardent golfers. A brief history of each course, an experiential account-filled with local color-from the person recommending the venue, and trip-planning advice provide adventurous readers with all the information they need to chip and putt their way around the globe. A close-up look at golf’s top courses around the world, recommended by such experts as Nick Faldo and Christie Kerr (pro golfers), Pete Dye and Tom Doak (course architects), and Brian McCallen (editor and author). With breathtaking color photographs of each site, this is a great gift for avid golfers and armchair travelers alike.

From Turtle Bay on Oahu's famous North Shore to the once royal estate of Vidago Palace Hotel near Portugal's famous port-making Douro Valley region, Golf Resorts of the World is a fascinating guide to the most outstanding golf courses and resorts that are open to the public. Whether it is teeing off at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina, which has hosted more championships than any other course in the United States, or playing a marathon four rounds at Oregon's links golf paradise of Bandon Dunes, you'll find a great variety of unforgettable golfing destinations to explore. Some of the most respected golf writers, golf professionals and course architects in the world have come together to select the worlds' top golf resorts. With a mix of history, course architecture, tips on how to play each course, fine dining and luxury features, as well as other resort activities such as scuba diving and fishing, the reviews combine to provide a comprehensive guide to the world's best luxury golf destinations.

This lavishly illustrated coffee-table book presents a diverse array of South African golf courses, from Gauteng’s Blair Atholl and Royal Johannesburg & Kensington to Arabella and Erinvale in the winelands of the Western Cape, from Beachwood and Zimbali in KwaZulu-Natal to the bushveld splendour of Leopard Creek on the edge of the Kruger National Park, which comes with unique water hazards that are home to hippos and crocodiles. Specialist golf course photographer Jamie Thom and Golf Digest South Africa editor Stuart McLean, both passionate golfers, have chosen the top thirty courses in South Africa and another twenty-eight quality and scenic courses that hold particular appeal for golfers and visitors. The text explores why these courses are so exciting to play, what prestigious tournaments they have hosted, and which illustrious players have competed there. It also records some of the most dramatic and memorable moments in tournament golf. Special features include a list of some of the best golf holes in South Africa, an overview of the most influential golf course architects in the country, and notes about the challenges of photographing golf courses. Jamie Thom set out as a mechanical engineer before indulging his passion for the outdoors and photography, and he has won a number of photography awards. He is a regular contributor to Golf Digest South Africa and Compleat Golfer magazines and also manages the marketing and advertising for Matkovich & Hayes Golf Estate Solutions. His images have been published in magazines, calendars and books worldwide. Stuart McLean has been editor of Golf Digest South Africa since 1997. The magazine publishes an annual list of the Top 100 courses in South Africa, which he initiated in 1997, and he has played each and every one of them since then. He is also the author of South African Golf Courses: A Portrait of the Best, published by Random House Struik.

The Erie Canal: Great Destinations is the first comprehensive travel guide to New York State Canals and the communities and attractions found along them. Each chapter covers one canal, providing historical background as well as information on wineries, canal museums, restaurants, lodging, canal cruises and bike paths in all the major cities, many of the small towns and villages, and the two biggest Finger Lakes. The guide offers separate sections on Buffalo, Albany, Syracuse, Utica, and Rochester and their outlying areas, as well as a chapter on Niagara Falls. With coverage of three smaller canals in the region (the Oswego, Champlain, and Cayuga-Seneca) this is undoubtedly the most extensive guide to the canalways of the state.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Globe-trotting golfer Tom Coyne has finally come home. And he’s ready to play all of it. After playing hundreds of courses overseas in the birthplace of golf,​ Coyne, the bestselling author of A Course Called Ireland and A Course Called Scotland, returns to his own birthplace and delivers a “heartfelt, rollicking ode to golf…[as he] describes playing golf in every state of the union, including Alaska: 295 courses, 5,182 holes, 1.7 million total yards” (The Wall Street Journal). In the span of one unforgettable year, Coyne crisscrosses the country in search of its greatest golf experience, playing every course to ever host a US Open, along with more than two hundred hidden gems and heavyweights, visiting all fifty states to find a better understanding of his home country and countrymen. Coyne’s journey begins where the US Open and US Amateur got their start, historic Newport Country Club in Rhode Island. As he travels from the oldest and most elite of links to the newest and most democratic, Coyne finagles his way onto coveted first tees (Shinnecock, Oakmont, Chicago GC) between rounds at off-the-map revelations, like ranch golf in Eastern Oregon and homemade golf in the Navajo Nation. He marvels at the golf miracle hidden in the sand hills of Nebraska and plays an unforgettable midnight game under bright sunshine on the summer solstice in Fairbanks, Alaska. More than just a tour of the best golf the United States has to offer, Coyne’s quest connects him with hundreds of American golfers, each from a different background but all with one thing in common: pride in welcoming Coyne to their course. Trading stories and swing tips with caddies, pros, and golf buddies for the day, Coyne adopts the wisdom of one of his hosts in Minnesota: the best courses are the ones you play with the best people. But, in the end, only one stop on Coyne’s journey can be ranked the Great American Golf Course. Throughout his travels, he invites golfers to debate and help shape his criteria for judging the quintessential American course. Should it be charmingly traditional or daringly experimental? An architectural showpiece or a natural wonder? Countless conversations and gut instinct lead him to seek out a course that feels bold and idealistic, welcoming yet imperfect, with a little revolutionary spirit and a damn good hot dog at the turn. He discovers his long-awaited answer in the most unlikely of places. Packed with fascinating tales from American golf history, comic road misadventures, illuminating insights into course design, and many a memorable round with local golfers and celebrity guests alike, A Course Called America is “a delightful, entertaining book even nongolfers can enjoy” (Kirkus Reviews).

Let this guide show you why the Outer Banks is one of the most unique and interesting places in the U.S. to visit. The Outer Banks preserves history and traditions lost to more urban areas of the eastern U.S. Whether it’s wild Banker ponies, historic Kitty Hawk, or hidden beaches that visitors would otherwise never find, author Renee Wright leads you to her Wright Choices.”

When the European sport of golf found its way to Long Island and took root in the Hamptons at Shinnecock Hills in 1891, its journey across the Atlantic served as the opening drive of a recreational era that now spans three centuries. Home to more than 130 golf courses, the area boasts prestigious American clubs overlooking picturesque Atlantic bays and inlets, along with public layouts climbing and descending the region's sloping terrain. Long Island is home to the most popular municipal golf facility in the country, the centerpiece of which is Bethpage Black, "the People's Country Club." Celebrated architects like A.W. Tillinghast, Devereux Emmet, Seth Raynor, and C.B. Macdonald built many of Long Island's famous courses, which have challenged the brightest of golf's stars. International tournaments and star-studded exhibitions have all been decided on Long Island turf, helping it grow into one of the world's most prominent golf settings.