To The 14th Tee |
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To The 14th Tee
ISBN: 0-9618291-4-1
Library of Congress: 00-136572
Pages: 194
Graphics: 24 photos imprinted on end sheets, one map of the courses
Published in 2001
Binding: Hardbound with a two-color glossy dust jacket imprinted with a photo of vintage golf at the Old Course. Mist gray endsheets display 24 photographs, depicting both trips the author and his sons took in 1999 and 2000. Classic colored headbands and slate gray linen boards stamped in platinum foil. Printed by Thomson-Shore.
Limited edition: Hardbound edition limited to 750 copies, of which the first 195 are leather-bound.
Leather-bound edition: The Collector’s Edition is limited to 195 copies. This handsome volume is bound in deep forest green bison-embossed leather with cloth boards stamped with golf foil on spine and cover. Aspen green endsheets are imprinted with photos from the 1897 British Golf Links. Each book is encased in an attractive hand-made matching linen slipcase. Green and white headbands add another fine touch to this handsome edition that will fit nicely into any golf bibliophile’s library.
Highlights:
From the author: In the summers of 1999 and 2000, two of my sons accompanied me on a Scottish pilgrimage. I wanted to see them discover the soul of Scottish golf, to smell the crispness of a Scottish morning on a seaside links, to hit that ever-intriguing blind shot over a sand dune. Jon, Rob, and I played matches on 37 courses – some against each other and some against club members. Honestly, although I’ve played on over 300 courses in the UK and Eire, my most treasured memories are of those matches I played with my sons against club members.
Most of the courses we played are unknown to the average golfer. And that’s good because they’re generally not crowded and a three-hour round is the norm, not the exception. Join us as we walk down the fairways, some in glens, some beneath snow-covered peaks, and some bordering seaside cliffs. Feel the excitement as we battle in our matches. Revel in our birdies and cringe at our double bogeys. Applaud our victories, mourn our losses, and share our laughter. I hope that someday you and yours can make the trip. I am a lucky man.
Reviews:
“A wonderful book for golfing fathers.” Pete Dye, golf course architect, golfer, and father of two sons
“The evocative descriptions of Scottish links in To The 14th Tee are enough to make the stay-at-home golfer call his travel agent. The touching stories of the author’s adventures with his two sons give the ‘too busy’ parent a gentle reminder that time spent with family is always the most rewarding.” Wayne DeFrancesco, Director of Instruction, Woodmont Country Club, Maryland, founder of the Wayne Defrancesco Golf Learning Center, and former playing editor, Washington Golf Monthly
“I enjoyed reading about the travels of this father and his two sons as they played golf in Scotland. I laughed at some of their experiences with the weather: it sure must be windy over there. I also enjoyed reading about the courses they played and the matches they had with the Scottish people. It made me feel like going to Scotland with my own father ... someday.” Amazon review
“Bob Kroeger is a man on a mission, gathering delightful bits of life and lore and weaving them into an engaging tale of one family’s love of the game. If you’re seeking both the famous and the obscure, the Royal and the remote charm of Scottish golf, look no further than To The 14th Tee.” Jim Dodson, author of Final Rounds and other award-winning golf books.
Excerpt:
Tarbat Golf Club: To the connoisseur of golf history, it was ancient golf at its best form and took us back a hundred years. So, it was this rare example of 19th century golf that I wanted to show my son Rob so that he could savor the atmosphere that Old Tom Morris and Willie Park played in a century earlier.
When Rob and I arrived here around 6:30 P.M. [after playing two rounds earlier – at Brora and Royal Dornoch], we read a notice that the course was closed for the finals of the club championship. As we looked around the course, we saw a few matches progressing, one where a wee lassie was tugging a rather large pull cart as she caddied for a lady. We noticed some men on a distant tee with a half dozen spectators huddled together, watching the match. Then a local member approached us and told us that the matches would be finished in another hour or so and that we could play after that time. He suggested that we drive into Portmahomack for dinner and mentioned two restaurants.
The owner of the hotel [where we ate], Donald Urquhart, told us that his club, “Royal” Tarbat, as he called it, had built a new clubhouse and had eliminated the honesty box, which I was hoping to show Rob. … Before we started, Rob asked me if he could play in his tennis shoes. At first I hesitated but when he selected only four clubs out of his bag, I knew he had the right idea. We both struck irons off the first tee, hoping to find the balls after they sailed over a ridge in the distance ... the green was hidden in a slight hollow … The final hole … skirts the edge of another cemetery, daring the long hitter to hit over the edge of the graveyard. As we walked along the humps and hollows, the cries of seagulls and nearby sheep provided a fitting symphony to end out round … and our day. Rob made a four-footer for par to win the bye on this delightfully sculptured green that looked more like a miniature roller coaster.
After the round, as shadows began to stretch down the fairways, I stopped in to thank club members who, packed around tables inside the clubhouse, had been making merry for quite a while. Feeling even more hospitable, they invited us in to help them celebrate with their newly crowned champions. It was hard to pass up this offer of genuine Scottish hospitality …
For information on purchase and shipping, please visit our ordering page.
ISBN: 0-9618291-4-1
Library of Congress: 00-136572
Pages: 194
Graphics: 24 photos imprinted on end sheets, one map of the courses
Published in 2001
Binding: Hardbound with a two-color glossy dust jacket imprinted with a photo of vintage golf at the Old Course. Mist gray endsheets display 24 photographs, depicting both trips the author and his sons took in 1999 and 2000. Classic colored headbands and slate gray linen boards stamped in platinum foil. Printed by Thomson-Shore.
Limited edition: Hardbound edition limited to 750 copies, of which the first 195 are leather-bound.
Leather-bound edition: The Collector’s Edition is limited to 195 copies. This handsome volume is bound in deep forest green bison-embossed leather with cloth boards stamped with golf foil on spine and cover. Aspen green endsheets are imprinted with photos from the 1897 British Golf Links. Each book is encased in an attractive hand-made matching linen slipcase. Green and white headbands add another fine touch to this handsome edition that will fit nicely into any golf bibliophile’s library.
Highlights:
- Reflections on raising sons
- Two trips to the courses of central, eastern, and northern Scotland
- Father-son matches with Scottish golf club members
- Reviews of 37 courses played, including Turnberry, Royal Dornoch, Luffness New, Gullane, Old Musselburgh, Lundin Links, Pitlochry, Cruden Bay, Murcar, Kilmalcolm, Boat of Garten, Brora, Duff House Royal, and Bridge of Allan
- Child-rearing tips from a father and mother of five
- Commentaries on father-son relationships
- Tips on arranging matches with club members
- Elegant 70-pound Fortune Matte, a distinctive acid-free paper
From the author: In the summers of 1999 and 2000, two of my sons accompanied me on a Scottish pilgrimage. I wanted to see them discover the soul of Scottish golf, to smell the crispness of a Scottish morning on a seaside links, to hit that ever-intriguing blind shot over a sand dune. Jon, Rob, and I played matches on 37 courses – some against each other and some against club members. Honestly, although I’ve played on over 300 courses in the UK and Eire, my most treasured memories are of those matches I played with my sons against club members.
Most of the courses we played are unknown to the average golfer. And that’s good because they’re generally not crowded and a three-hour round is the norm, not the exception. Join us as we walk down the fairways, some in glens, some beneath snow-covered peaks, and some bordering seaside cliffs. Feel the excitement as we battle in our matches. Revel in our birdies and cringe at our double bogeys. Applaud our victories, mourn our losses, and share our laughter. I hope that someday you and yours can make the trip. I am a lucky man.
Reviews:
“A wonderful book for golfing fathers.” Pete Dye, golf course architect, golfer, and father of two sons
“The evocative descriptions of Scottish links in To The 14th Tee are enough to make the stay-at-home golfer call his travel agent. The touching stories of the author’s adventures with his two sons give the ‘too busy’ parent a gentle reminder that time spent with family is always the most rewarding.” Wayne DeFrancesco, Director of Instruction, Woodmont Country Club, Maryland, founder of the Wayne Defrancesco Golf Learning Center, and former playing editor, Washington Golf Monthly
“I enjoyed reading about the travels of this father and his two sons as they played golf in Scotland. I laughed at some of their experiences with the weather: it sure must be windy over there. I also enjoyed reading about the courses they played and the matches they had with the Scottish people. It made me feel like going to Scotland with my own father ... someday.” Amazon review
“Bob Kroeger is a man on a mission, gathering delightful bits of life and lore and weaving them into an engaging tale of one family’s love of the game. If you’re seeking both the famous and the obscure, the Royal and the remote charm of Scottish golf, look no further than To The 14th Tee.” Jim Dodson, author of Final Rounds and other award-winning golf books.
Excerpt:
Tarbat Golf Club: To the connoisseur of golf history, it was ancient golf at its best form and took us back a hundred years. So, it was this rare example of 19th century golf that I wanted to show my son Rob so that he could savor the atmosphere that Old Tom Morris and Willie Park played in a century earlier.
When Rob and I arrived here around 6:30 P.M. [after playing two rounds earlier – at Brora and Royal Dornoch], we read a notice that the course was closed for the finals of the club championship. As we looked around the course, we saw a few matches progressing, one where a wee lassie was tugging a rather large pull cart as she caddied for a lady. We noticed some men on a distant tee with a half dozen spectators huddled together, watching the match. Then a local member approached us and told us that the matches would be finished in another hour or so and that we could play after that time. He suggested that we drive into Portmahomack for dinner and mentioned two restaurants.
The owner of the hotel [where we ate], Donald Urquhart, told us that his club, “Royal” Tarbat, as he called it, had built a new clubhouse and had eliminated the honesty box, which I was hoping to show Rob. … Before we started, Rob asked me if he could play in his tennis shoes. At first I hesitated but when he selected only four clubs out of his bag, I knew he had the right idea. We both struck irons off the first tee, hoping to find the balls after they sailed over a ridge in the distance ... the green was hidden in a slight hollow … The final hole … skirts the edge of another cemetery, daring the long hitter to hit over the edge of the graveyard. As we walked along the humps and hollows, the cries of seagulls and nearby sheep provided a fitting symphony to end out round … and our day. Rob made a four-footer for par to win the bye on this delightfully sculptured green that looked more like a miniature roller coaster.
After the round, as shadows began to stretch down the fairways, I stopped in to thank club members who, packed around tables inside the clubhouse, had been making merry for quite a while. Feeling even more hospitable, they invited us in to help them celebrate with their newly crowned champions. It was hard to pass up this offer of genuine Scottish hospitality …
For information on purchase and shipping, please visit our ordering page.