The Nature of the Game

From golf's most acclaimed course developer-a comprehensive, firsthand account of restoring the inherent satisfactions of this centuries-old gameAn avid golfer with a demanding career in the greeting card business, Mike Keiser found a new calling on the authentic links courses of Scotland and Ireland. Seized by the beauty of the landscape and the holes running through it, he determined this was how golf was meant to be: inclusive, not private; played on foot, not riding a cart; the courses natural, neither lavish nor contrived. Vowing to transplant this experience to the States, Keiser left the card business and built a course design firm from the ground up. His first project: Bandon Dunes, a links course in Oregon that has redefined the game here and become a destination for golfers everywhere. Those same convictions have now produced other top-ranked courses by Keiser-in Wisconsin, Nova Scotia, Tasmania, and elsewhere-whose magical allure demonstrates what the world's most gifted golf course architects can accomplish by working on designs that hew to the natural landscape. Keiser's further commitments-to the caddies, greens crews, and staff at his resorts; to the communities in which they're located; and to deep environmental stewardship-enhance the singular appeal of these immensely popular courses. At once an account of inventing a new, life-changing business, a guide to historic course design, and a paean to the sport that has recently experienced a surge of growth, The Nature of the Game is essential reading for every golfer.