A Course Called America

Fifty States, Five Thousand Fairways, and the Search for the Great American Golf Course

By: Tom Coyne

Narrated by: Jacques Roy

Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's Summary

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).

©2021 Links Life, Inc. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Golf was good but I could’ve done without the liberal preachiness.

The premise of the book was fantastic, and as a wandering golf vagabond myself it was very entertaining hearing about many places I’ve played and discovering new ones I have not. However, unfortunately like most northeastern liberals the author couldn’t resist every opportunity to interject his politics.
Whether it was casually downgrading Oregon because the state contained too many “gun nuts” pr feeling the need to point out that a conservative guy he played with actually at one point had done something nice for a person of color (as though that were some kind of revelation)! And while I enjoyed the story about the course in South Texas, I’m not sure what railing against Trump building a wall on the southern border has to do with golf.
If your students can clearly tell the political leanings of their teacher, the teacher is not doing their job. I feel the same way about the readers clearly knowing the political leanings of an author when that’s not the subject of the book.
Overall I still enjoyed the book, but it could have been much more with a little restraint.

No better golf writer in the world right now

The best things in life feel familiar and new at the same time, this book falls right into that category.

This installment in the vein of A Course Call Ireland and A Course Called Scotland has some of the familiar call backs, and covers so much new ground. These aren't just golf books. It's a look into a man taking a journey both literal and philosophical.

By the end of this, I feel like I NEED to go to these courses and experience American golf in the same ways Tom did.

Enjoyable

A worthwhile listen, entertaining story and characters, covers the breadth of the American golf experience. I saved at least a dozen courses from the book in Google Maps to knock out in future travels. A minor gripe is with so many courses played, some don’t even get mentioned, or barely mentioned. Hawaii is over and done with in 10 minutes. I would have liked to have heard more. I recommend downloading the companion pdf to this audio book, it contains the best of lists, the ratings for each course played, and interesting short bios on influential course architects.

I don’t love the narration on this book or A Course Called Scotland. When Tom Coyne steps in to read the Epilogue of this book, it’s instantly more animated and interesting. Start narrating your own books Tom!

Treasure Map of American Golf

Inspirational in so many ways, but mostly to play golf. Gives insight on what the golf culture of America looks like. He covers the beautiful and ugly, the fun and the challenge (sometimes one in the same), and the expensive and cheap (sometimes not indicative of the experience). To me this book is my American golf experience. Knowing that I will realistically not be able to come close to playing all the mentioned course; this book gives me the opportunity to imagine myself playing at Pebble Beach or Torrey Pines. Also, he confirms that #4 is better than #2 ifykyk

Loving American Golf

How it took me so long to discover Tom and his writings is baffling. But I have and I enjoy his journeys to places I’ll likely never see or be fortunate to golf. But it was neat to hear his thoughts on courses I have played and how they compared to mine and also to hear about the courses I have planned out. It was a fantastic listen and now I am off to Scotland with Ireland after!

Big Coyne fan

Great book. cool stories, and just a gift to read. Allison deserves a medal too! Didn’t expect to cry at the end, but I certainly did

Another Gem

Tom Coyne is the luckiest man alive. He is married to a saint and can paint a picture with words. One more trip to go for me. Ireland.

The perfect golf book

This was easily my favorite golf book i have come across. It’s familiar and aspirational all at once. Tom finds appreciation in everything he does and it creates a story of an optimistic voyager. Even the critiques he presents are done so tactfully.

A Reminder of What Makes This Game So Great

This book is about so much more than a few rounds of golf. Highly recommended for anyone to check it out!

Great Listen, but voice didn’t match aesthetic.

I love Tom’s books, and America is a welcome addition to his bibliography.

I’m not sure how to describe it but the voice of the narrator, although very smooth, doesn’t seem to fit for Tom.

Obviously it doesn’t help that I’ve heard Tom speak on podcasts and videos.

The tone and quality seemed upper class where Tom is more down to earth. It wasn’t believable to me and I’m almost at the point where I will purchase the book instead.

Probably a very personal criticism and I’m sure this narrator is awesome for other works, just didn’t fit for me.