A Course Called America: Fifty States, Five Thousand Fairways, and the Search for the Great American Golf Course

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars | 834 ratings

Price: 19.68

Last update: 11-02-2024


About this item

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Globe-trotting golfer Tom Coyne has finally come home. And he’s ready to play all of it.

After playing hundreds of courses overseas in the birthplace of golf,​ Coyne, the bestselling author of A Course Called Ireland and A Course Called Scotland, returns to his own birthplace and delivers a “heartfelt, rollicking ode to golf…[as he] describes playing golf in every state of the union, including Alaska: 295 courses, 5,182 holes, 1.7 million total yards” (The Wall Street Journal).

In the span of one unforgettable year, Coyne crisscrosses the country in search of its greatest golf experience, playing every course to ever host a US Open, along with more than two hundred hidden gems and heavyweights, visiting all fifty states to find a better understanding of his home country and countrymen.

Coyne’s journey begins where the US Open and US Amateur got their start, historic Newport Country Club in Rhode Island. As he travels from the oldest and most elite of links to the newest and most democratic, Coyne finagles his way onto coveted first tees (Shinnecock, Oakmont, Chicago GC) between rounds at off-the-map revelations, like ranch golf in Eastern Oregon and homemade golf in the Navajo Nation. He marvels at the golf miracle hidden in the sand hills of Nebraska and plays an unforgettable midnight game under bright sunshine on the summer solstice in Fairbanks, Alaska.

More than just a tour of the best golf the United States has to offer, Coyne’s quest connects him with hundreds of American golfers, each from a different background but all with one thing in common: pride in welcoming Coyne to their course. Trading stories and swing tips with caddies, pros, and golf buddies for the day, Coyne adopts the wisdom of one of his hosts in Minnesota: the best courses are the ones you play with the best people.

But, in the end, only one stop on Coyne’s journey can be ranked the Great American Golf Course. Throughout his travels, he invites golfers to debate and help shape his criteria for judging the quintessential American course. Should it be charmingly traditional or daringly experimental? An architectural showpiece or a natural wonder? Countless conversations and gut instinct lead him to seek out a course that feels bold and idealistic, welcoming yet imperfect, with a little revolutionary spirit and a damn good hot dog at the turn. He discovers his long-awaited answer in the most unlikely of places.

Packed with fascinating tales from American golf history, comic road misadventures, illuminating insights into course design, and many a memorable round with local golfers and celebrity guests alike, A Course Called America is “a delightful, entertaining book even nongolfers can enjoy” (Kirkus Reviews).


Top reviews from the United States

Valuable Book
5.0 out of 5 stars Coyne is the best golf writer of this generation
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2021
Tom Coyne is a talented writer and golf fans should feel fortunate that he chooses to write about golf. His writing is insightful and witty and never boring. I have read his two previous books about his travels in Ireland and Scotland and while this book is a mild let down compared to those two, it is still a five star read. The only criticism I have is that he rushes through too many courses and sometimes only give the briefest of descriptions. Aside from that, it is a great story. He lives a golfers dream, playing all the U.S. Open courses and traveling to all 50 states. Along the way he plays some amazing courses like Seminole, Winged Foot, Sand Hills and the Country Club.

The best and most insightful part of the book is when he focuses on the people and personalities. His day spent playing with Jimmy Dunne at Shinnecock and the National Golf Links is worth the price of the book alone, because he gives very insightful comments about the man who is a member of something like 20 of the best private courses in the country but is still one of the nicest and most generous guys in the golf world. He provides similar insights into the pro at Oakmont and Seminole Bob Ford.

Coyne shows his own generosity in his great story about Cypress Point, which I won't spoil for the prospective reader. The book reflects what is so unique about golf in that you can bond and become lifelong friends with people you have never met before after playing golf with them. Tom does a better job explaining what makes this magic formula than I have ever read.
RBI
5.0 out of 5 stars A great golf journey
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2023
Tom Coyne takes you on a magical golf tour of the US. From classic courses known to most golfers to hidden and obscure gems, you’ll enjoy learning about unique course facets and characteristics you never thought existed. Plus, you’ll be reminded of the challenges and camaraderie that make golf so addictive and enjoyable.
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read, but not as great as his Ireland and Scotland editions
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2021
I enjoyed reading this book as I love Tom’s perspective on golf and life. He seems like a great guy to play a round with and I loved reading his stories and learning about some new courses in the US. But having read both of his books on Ireland and Scotland, I found this one lacking the sense of adventure, without a single storyline threaded throughout. In Ireland, it was to walk around the entire country to get to Ballybunion, which created tons of interesting stories. In Scotland, it was again one trip with an end goal of the Open qualifier at the end.

In this book, I’m not really sure what the common thread throughout the book was. It was more of a compilation of various mini-trips around the US, but they seemed to lack cohesion. Additionally, since he covered so many courses, it seems the detail on many of them was somewhat superficial and not too in-depth. Really great courses only received 2-3 sentences, whereas in Scotland and Ireland they received chapters. I’m sure it has to do with the breadth of courses in the US, but if he published a long-form versions of his detailed notes from his trips, I’d love to read it.

I still give it 4 stars because I consumed the book in a week and enjoyed my time reading. It just felt lacking something that the Ireland and Scotland books had.
Thomas Adams
5.0 out of 5 stars A Course Called America - More than a story about traveling golfer
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2021
Tom Coyne's latest work, "A Course Called America," became an instant companion for the first leisure read of summer. Initially intrigued because of local muni course that was featured (Grover Cleveland GC in Buffalo, NY), it proved to be so much more than book about golf courses.

People and Place
The characters in Mr. Coyne's life play a huge role in making the text flow. From his long-suffering spouse and kids, to friends like Brendan, Mike, Fairway Joe, and countless more, it's a reminder that it's not the places that matter so much, it's the intersection of people and land that make an impact. His quest to find the Great American Golf Course stirs the itch to travel and to play, and his writing about his father is a non-fiction counterpart to other father - son relationships in literature and film, like the Kinsellas in Shoeless Joe/Field of Dreams.

The courses that he finds mirror our nation. Some are pristine and closed off from much of society, while some are unkempt and open to all. Still others prove to creative, authentic, and democratic in their membership and spirit. On these varied links, our author finds, with very few exceptions, good people. People willing to share a game for four hours, with pride in their surroundings, possessing a scar tissue and empathy for their fellow travelers and pursuers of the game.

Mr. Coyne knows the game and plays it well. He's passionate about all facets: from golf architecture, to podcasts, to course designers. You'll love golf more after reading this; I think you'll see your next round with new eyes. As your own travels in the game continue, you'll appreciate the places where you next tee it up, and those who join you. More than that, I bet you'll check your home course for tee times, call up some old friends, and play where you first encountered your love for the game.
Chris Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars MUST READ!!!!
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2021
Out of all the books Coyne has written, this one hit closest to home. His prose is unmatched, at least in our niche genre of golfing vagabond adventures. The way he tells his stories always draws you in. I had a very tough time putting it down.

Scotland was always going to be hard to match, but Coyne absolutely delivers. The structure makes you feel like you’re on the adventure along side him. Meeting all of the friends he made along the way is an added plus, and as someone who picked up a golf club for the first time because of my father, that storyline in particular is close to my heart.

Well done, Tom! This one has the craic in spades! Cheers.
Wight Martindale
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Christmas Gift
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2022
This is an amusing, wonderful book— you don’t need me to tell you why it’s a best seller. What I will contribute is the idea that this will make a great Christmas gift for golfing friends—generally men for whom Christmas is usually a puzzle—belts, ties, and shot glasses no longer work.
So Merry Christmas,
from one of Tom’s friends…..
Chris Moquin
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2023
This is one of the best books I've read. Tom is a great writer and I will be reading more of his books. Great for the golf nerd

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