Golf Has Never Failed Me: The Lost Commentaries of Legendary Golf Architect Donald J. Ross

by Donald J. Ross, Lillian Ross Pippitt (Foreword), Ron Whitten (Introduction)

Many years before his death in 1948, legendary golf course architect Donald Ross wrote a book that was never published. Within the manuscript, Ross offered many of his thoughts on the game that he so dearly loved. In the mid-1990s, the book was miraculously rediscovered and published to great acclaim. Golf Has Never Failed Me is an insightful look at the game by one of its most famous and beloved people. And what may surprise you is that many of the astute observations that he made so long ago still hold true today.

Genres: Sports

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 29, 1996

Reviews

[A.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an interesting look into the thoughts of one of, if not the single best golf course designer of all time, but much of the book is devoted to the nuts and bolts of course construction in the first half of the 20th century. Descriptions of how to move rocks, build greens, etc. drag down much of the second half of the book.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legendary architect of Pinehurst #1...locally he designed Baltimore Forest, C.C. of Asheville, Grove Park, Hendersonville C.C., etc. Great local history

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Donald Ross is my hero in golf course architecture. Getting a view into his private writings is fascinating for me. The book is merely a compilation of his writings, so it's probably interesting to most. I loved it, but I can't imagine most people getting into how much sand Ross thought bunkers should have, etc...

[Lance Ludman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poorly written but beautifully communicated. A must read for anyone who loves great golf architecture and/or the history of the game. A necessary compendium to better understand your round at Royal Dornoch or Pinehurst #2.

[Roger Custer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a unique window into how to design a golf course, and specifically how Donald Ross would design them. I played Pinehurst recently and wanted to learn more about Donald Ross. Although highly technical at points, it was an interesting read and I learned a lot about golf course design.

[Benny]

loved it