Blasted Heaths and Blessed Green - by James W Finegan (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Every golfer alive knows that he or she has two ancestral homes: one's own, and Scotland. On her rolling shores the game of golf had its origins, and to walk the links of St. Andrews is to feel at one with the shepherd who decided one day to see how far he could whack a stone with his crook. Most serious golfers will make the pilgrimage to Scotland, to try to hit the Postage Stamp green at Troon, to trace the footsteps of Ben Hogan at Carnoustie, and to brave the challenge of the Road Hole at St. Andrews; all golfers dream of taking such a trip.

For the tourist or the dreamer, there can be no better guide than James W. Finegan. A passionate advocate of the game that's played on the links between land and sea, Finegan combines a writer's eye, a historian's knowledge, and a golfer's sense of wonder and apprehension to provide an impossibly ambitious grand tour of golf's native land.

In a loop of a thousand miles that begins in Edinburgh and ends across the Firth of Forth in St. Andrews, Finegan covers some sixty courses, visiting the true shrines of the game, the courses that are well known and respected, and the little-known gems you might otherwise pass right by. He shares the history of the courses, both of their creation and of the most famous matches played there; he also writes marvelously about the scenic and strategic charms to be found as you play them yourself. And he provides all the information you need to make your arrangements to do just that -- because, unlike most championship courses in the United States, the great courses of Scotland are available to the public.

In addition to his delightful descriptions of the golf to be found there, Finegan gives us his recommendations for places to stay, ranging from the most modest bed-and-breakfast to the most magnificent castle hotel. He describes the pleasures to be found off the beaten track: the spectacular views from a country road, or the ancient cathedral that's worth a stop on the way to the first tee. And because all the travel within the country is done by car, he spells out the actual routes from town to town and course to course.

Blasted Heaths and Blessed Greens is a book to be read, to be savored, and to be tucked away in your suitcase when you finally undertake the journey of your dreams.

Review Quotes

George Peper "Editor-in-chief, "Golf" Magazine Few men know the golf courses of Scotland and Ireland better than Jim Finegan, and no one writes of them more movingly. On one level, this is an indispensable guidebook; on another -- in the tradition of Bernard Darwin -- it is simply a great read.

Michael Bamberger "Author of "To the Linksland" and "The Green Road Home" Some years ago, when I was planning a Scottish golfing pilgrimage, Jim Finegan, over the course of a long and pleasant dinner conversation, told me where to go and what to do. The resulting trip changed my life. In all of golfdom, Finegan is unique in his passion, his insight, and his ability to bring the game to life in words. With the publication of "Blasted Heaths and Blessed Greens, " the Jim Finegan experience is widely available. It should not be missed.

George Peper

"Editor-in-chief, "Golf" Magazine

Few men know the golf courses of Scotland and Ireland better than Jim Finegan, and no one writes of them more movingly. On one level, this is an indispensable guidebook; on another -- in the tradition of Bernard Darwin -- it is simply a great read.

Michael Bamberger

"Author of "To the Linksland" and "The Green Road Home"

Some years ago, when I was planning a Scottish golfing pilgrimage, Jim Finegan, over the course of a long and pleasant dinner conversation, told me where to go and what to do. The resulting trip changed my life. In all of golfdom, Finegan is unique in his passion, his insight, and his ability to bring the game to life in words. With the publication of "Blasted Heaths and Blessed Greens," the Jim Finegan experience is widely available. It should not be missed.

Michael Bamberger

"Author of "To the Linksland and "The Green Road Home

Some years ago, when I was planning a Scottish golfing pilgrimage, Jim Finegan, over the course of a long and pleasant dinner conversation, told me where to go and what to do. The resulting trip changed my life. In all of golfdom, Finegan is unique in his passion, his insight, and his ability to bring the game to life in words. With the publication of "Blasted Heaths and Blessed Greens," the Jim Finegan experience is widely available. It should not be missed.

About the Author

James W. Finegan has made more than forty trips to the United Kingdom and Ireland since 1971, always with his golf clubs in tow. He has written extensively about the pleasures of links golf for Golf Magazine, Golf Journal, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and a variety of other publications. He lives in Villanova, Pennsylvani