Praise for: "The Evangelist of Golf: The Story of Charles Blair Macdonald"“Charles Blair Macdonald and his seminal achievement, the National Golf Links of America, in one fell swoop, inaugurated the evolution of golf course architecture in America. All of golf paused to marvel at Macdonald’s magnificent creation.”
— Ben Crenshaw, noted golf course historian and architect. About the Book: Charles Blair Macdonald may very well be one of the most influential persons in American golf history. He was instrumental in the establishment of the United States Golf Association, but more importantly, he brought into existence some of America’s greatest golf course designs; with the National Golf Links of America on Long Island, New York, being his most acclaimed work. His protégé, Seth Raynor, has also been recognized as one of America’s great architects of the twentieth century. In this visually stunning book, author George Bahto presents a compelling look into Macdonald’s, Raynor’s, and Charles Banks’s work and includes an impressive array of rare vintage photographs, detailed course layouts, and sketches of many of their most highly regarded hole designs.
For the golf architecture historian, this is a treasure trove of information that includes a composite listing of all their courses along with a detailed timeline of events that chronicles the rise and eventual decline of this group’s monumental effort in design. In the tradition of recent architectural classics, The Evangelist of Golf joins Discovering Donald Ross: The Architect and His Golf Courses and The Life and Work of Dr. Alister MacKenzie to form a rare and beautiful triumvirate. Sit back, read, and enjoy. About the Author: George Bahto was born and raised in New Jersey. He and his wife, Shirley, have four daughters. For 40 years he operated Bahto & Sons Dry Cleaning Service and while doing so, studied the golf course architecture of Charles Blair Macdonald and Seth Raynor. Now regarded as the leading expert on these two storied architects, Bahto operates his own golf course design and restoration company from his home in Pine Brook, New Jersey. His first complete design, Stonebridge Golf Links in Happauge, Long Island, New York, opened to rave reviews in 2001. He has written articles for Golfweek magazine. |
