Book Details

The Spirit of Golf and How It Applies to Life

Inspirational tales from the world’s greatest game

Richard Allen

Delves into the rich folklore of the world's greatest game and recounts inspirational life stories from courses around the world.

Opinion

'The real charm and effectiveness of this book is in the sparse, elegant prose that recalls some of the great moments of the game and casts them in a refreshing new light. Its very well-written, and easily dipped into given its vignette style.'
Graem Sims
Inside Sport
August, 2010

“In his latest book, Allen delves into golf's spirit and its application in life, citing inspirational life stories from golf courses the world over and its participants”
Australian Golf Digest
September 2010

About this Title

Golfers the world over know their game is a microcosm of life.

Both golf and life require patience and courage, persistence and honesty, focus and self-belief. They present similar challenges, involve the weighing up of risk and the making of hard decisions. In both golf and life, we must learn to deal with triumph and disaster.

Golf teaches us about ego and resilience. It implores us to meet challenges and put disappointments into perspective. Crucially, we realise we should not take the game - or life - too seriously.

The Spirit of Golf and How It Applies to Life delves into the rich folklore of the world's greatest game, and recounts inspirational stories from around the world.

About the Author

Richard Allen has written about golf for more than 20 years, predominantly for The Australian Financial Review, The Age, The Sunday Age, Good Weekend magazine, Business Review Weekly and The Australian Way.

His previous books include Shimmering Spokes: One Australian's 16,000-kilometre Odyssey, Recollections of a Remarkable Age and Australia's Remarkable Trees.

Richard is a member of three golf clubs: Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Barwon Heads Golf Club, and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

Reviews

‘‘The real charm and effectiveness of this book is in the sparse, elegant prose that recalls some of the great moments of the game and casts them in a refreshing new light. It’s very well-written, and easily dipped into given its vignette style.’ ’ (GRAEME SIMS, INSIDE SPORT, 01/08/2010) Read full review

‘‘In his latest book, Allen delves into golf’s spirit and its application in life, citing inspirational life stories from golf courses the world over and its participants.’’ (AUSTRALIAN GOLF DIGEST, 01/09/2010) Read full review

‘‘A fantastic read that features incredibly detailed research interwoven with Allen’s well-crafted words that leave you without any doubt he knows his subject and has a passion for the game.’’ (GOLF AUSTRALIA, 01/08/2010) Read full review

‘Allen finds life lessons in the triumphs and the disasters of the great and the not-so-great. From Old Tom Morris to Tiger, he delivers a rich collection of stories.’ (HERALD SUN, 06/08/2011) Read full review

‘Recounting stories from the game's 600-year history, this is one for lovers of the game as much as those unfamiliar with it.’ (PAUL DONOUGHUE, SUNDAY MAIL BRISBANE, 03/07/2011) Read full review

Book Preview

978-0-522-85768-9