A Course Called America: Fifty States, Five Thousand Fairways, and the Search for the Great American Golf Course
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- Create Date：2021-07-06 06:15:56
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Tom Coyne
- ISBN：1982128054
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Summary
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。 He discovers his long-awaited answer in the most unlikely of places！
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。 He discovers his long-awaited answer in the most unlikely of places！
Reviews
Tony
，
I was not a country club kid。 My father didn't play golf; in fact， no one in my family played golf。 It was a rich people's sport and that we were surely not。 But my best friend learned to play （he had a rich uncle） and once we had our driver's licenses we'd work all day and then play par-3 courses till they closed。 I became obsessed， and remain so to this day。But I was not a country club kid。Tom Coyne was a country club kid。 His father played， and so did young Tom。 He worked， but as a caddy at h I was not a country club kid。 My father didn't play golf; in fact， no one in my family played golf。 It was a rich people's sport and that we were surely not。 But my best friend learned to play （he had a rich uncle） and once we had our driver's licenses we'd work all day and then play par-3 courses till they closed。 I became obsessed， and remain so to this day。But I was not a country club kid。Tom Coyne was a country club kid。 His father played， and so did young Tom。 He worked， but as a caddy at his father's club。 So he learned proper technique， actual golf etiquette。 In short， he learned where to change his shoes。See， at fancy golf clubs you may not change into your golf shoes in the parking lot。 I did not know this， even a few years ago when I joined a golf club， one that was obviously non-exclusive。 I mean， they allowed me in。 So I did what I always had done and changed into my golf shoes in the parking lot。 The club sent out a blast email eventually reminding all golfers that it was Club policy not to change into golf shoes in the parking lot。 I think this is a stupid rule。 In lieu of getting a locker （they would like me to change clothes inside too， even though I pretty much leave the house already dressed to play golf） they would have me carry my golf shoes inside in order to put them on。 I asked a nice member why they would have such a rule and he said， "Because we don't want to be like some public course，" meaning， "Because we don't want to be like them。" But， see， I am one of them。 So I continue to violate this proscription， despite occasional admonishments。 I always think they must be kidding。 But they're dead serious。----- ----- ----- ----- -----Tom Coyne eventually went to college， and a really good one。 He played on the golf team there。 He became a professional writer， and a good one。 He wrote articles for GOLF Magazine， Golfweek， and Sports Illustrated。 Now he's a podcast host for something called Golfer's Journal。 He has written four books， one a novel about Golf。 The other three are books about golf courses in different countries: Scotland， Ireland and （this one） America。 This takes a lot of research。 For this book， he played， in one year， 295 courses （301 rounds of golf）， playing in every state of the Union。 He credits his wife for her understanding。 His daughters， too。 He is already planning his golfing sojourns for next year， with golfing buddies， several in the United States and Ireland， surely。 This book was highly entertaining， the writing fine。 I was amazed at the number of exclusive clubs he was able to schmooze his way onto。 He played some Munis （public courses） too。 A lot of the courses he was able to get to via invitations from his followers on Facebook。 In all the rounds， at all those courses， he says， he only met one asshole， a man who over lunch told some gay joke and a story insensitive to African-Americans。Coyne meant this， in part， to be an exploration of America， not just Golf。 And it was useful to that point。 Still， it was America in a bubble， a Golf bubble。One thing Coyne is very careful to tell， at whatever course， is where he changed into his golf shoes。 Apparently it's a thing。----- ----- ----- ----- -----Have you noticed that children who did not grow up on country clubs can get prickly about those that did？----- ----- ----- ----- -----The highest praise I think one can give about an author， having read one of his books is that you want to read more by the same author。 Which I will do with Tom Coyne。----- ----- ----- ----- -----Far be it of me to be a member of the Woke Police。 I can't even begin to tell the number the times things have come out of my mouth which I wish I could reel back in。 That I think I have been nevertheless well-intentioned is no defense， though it might mitigate the sentence。 I'm still learning。Tom Coyne， too， is well-intentioned; I do not doubt that。 But sometimes we do not hear what we speak。 Coyne made sure to make it to a traditionally African-American golf course and to a course on an Indian reservation as well。 It is well that he did and it may be unfair of me to feel that a little clumsy。 And he says all the right things。 Still 。 。 。Coyne is playing Bethpage Black， a notoriously difficult New York course， one with warning signs at the first hole that only good golfers should try it。 Coyne's round took six hours。 Let me explain to non-golfers that the worst thing about golf is a slow round。 Three hours is ideal， four is acceptable。 Anything beyond that is torture。 （It's one of the reasons golfers will join a Club， where the pace of play tends to be more brisk）。 And when you like to play quick and there are slow golfers in front of you， you can tend to be judgmental， and not your better self。 You might even tend to stereotype by race， ethnicity or gender。 So， at Bethpage， Tom Coyne says this:We were stuck behind a foursome of Asian gentlemen who were well out of position with the foursome ahead。 。 。 。 They were playing the tips and wearing long pants and rain layers in 90-degree heat， and took desperate amounts of time over each chop in the rough。 They pushed heavy tote bags， and my suspicion was confirmed when we found one dropped on a cart path: iron covers。Pushing past the thought that the use of the word "gentlemen" is condescending， think only if Coyne might have regretted adding the foursome's race if， hypothetically， he inserted instead African-American， Jewish， or Women。In another instance， Coyne appears at a golf course as a single and after carefully changing his shoes inside the locker room approaches the starter who tells him he will be joined by a couple of newlyweds。 Unbeknownst to Coyne and the starter， the newlyweds switched with another twosome。 So， as Coyne's on the first tee， a cart with two women shows up。 It proves a comical moment when Coyne congratulates them on their recent same-sex marriage。 Amy and Darlene are just two golfing buddies。 But as they pull up， Coyne thinks this:I thought to myself; we really had moved into the twenty-first century across America。 I was eager to show off my progressive East Coast bona fides， chumming it up with my lesbian buddies and telling them about my gay friends back home。Wince。I was reminded of the time I got paired to play with two White golfers at my club， guys I was not at all happy to be playing with （they talked too much， especially in my backswing）。 An African-American member joined us。 I didn't know him but he proved to be a fine golfer and good company。 But on the first tee， after introductions， the one White golfer began a story about having played with a Black golfer once upon a time。 Not to be outdone， the other White golfer told a story， an invented one I'm sure， about playing with a Black golfer， but he told it in dialect。 The nearest sand trap was 240 yards away but I wished it had been closer， so I could dig a hole in it and hide。 。。。more
Bryan McCullick
，
Fantastic。 Wish it had even more pages。 I’ve loved all of Tom Coyne’s books and look forward to more of his work at The Golfer’s Journal。
Todd
，
Tom Coyne is simply a great storyteller。 While his books are centered around golf and his golf travels， this one in particular is much more about telling the stories of the people he meets along the way as he golfs his way across America。 This book isn't just a recitation of the top， most luxurious courses in the country either - Coyne plays all kinds of courses and finds a story to tell at each。 His writing captures the soul and charm of this weird game， and how it can bring people together and Tom Coyne is simply a great storyteller。 While his books are centered around golf and his golf travels， this one in particular is much more about telling the stories of the people he meets along the way as he golfs his way across America。 This book isn't just a recitation of the top， most luxurious courses in the country either - Coyne plays all kinds of courses and finds a story to tell at each。 His writing captures the soul and charm of this weird game， and how it can bring people together and make an incredible memory。 Along the way， Coyne explores how he originally got into the game because of his father， and how that relationship shaped who he is today。 This book will leave you with a smile on your face and an itch to go play as soon as possible。 A fantastic read for any golf fan out there。 。。。more
Dax
，
For golf junkies everywhere; this book will have you planning your next five golf trips around the US。 Learning about the architecture of many of the premier courses across the US was the best part for me， but I appreciated that Coyne inserted some moving passages about golf and it's impact on those who love the game。 This is not just a book about golf courses， but also about the game， the culture that surrounds it， and what it can tell us about the diverse group of people that make up this coun For golf junkies everywhere; this book will have you planning your next five golf trips around the US。 Learning about the architecture of many of the premier courses across the US was the best part for me， but I appreciated that Coyne inserted some moving passages about golf and it's impact on those who love the game。 This is not just a book about golf courses， but also about the game， the culture that surrounds it， and what it can tell us about the diverse group of people that make up this country of ours。 I did get a little fatigued down the stretch， but this is still a very good book。 I would only recommend it for golf fans obviously。 High three stars。 。。。more
Mike Hearne
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Fantastic read for every golfer / non golfer。 Perfect present for Fathers Day！ Thanks for sacrificing time with your family for a year on the road golfing across the country。
Craig LeVasseur
，
Even with so much to cover in so few pages， I enjoyed this one about as much as I enjoyed Ireland。 Perhaps it was familiarity with so many courses？ More likely it was probably trying to find within Tom's journey what kind of American courses appeal the most to me。 Even with so much to cover in so few pages， I enjoyed this one about as much as I enjoyed Ireland。 Perhaps it was familiarity with so many courses？ More likely it was probably trying to find within Tom's journey what kind of American courses appeal the most to me。 。。。more
James
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I'm an unabashed fan of Tom Coyne and a golf tragic so this may not be the most unbiased of reviews。Coyne manages to write another book that is centered around the game of golf while simultaneously being anything but another golf book。 His style of writing， coupled with reflections on life， family and friendship make this a fantastic read for anyone， whether or not you've ever swung a five iron in anger。 I'm an unabashed fan of Tom Coyne and a golf tragic so this may not be the most unbiased of reviews。Coyne manages to write another book that is centered around the game of golf while simultaneously being anything but another golf book。 His style of writing， coupled with reflections on life， family and friendship make this a fantastic read for anyone， whether or not you've ever swung a five iron in anger。 。。。more
Brian Ayres
，
There were a lot of great vignettes in this book。 Coyne is such an excellent writer。 But his journey got repetitive so fast。 I think his editors failed to organize this book in any meaningful way。 Pictures and scores were shoved to the back （at least in the Ebook） It was a mishmash of tales as Coyne hopscotched from 1 golf course to the next searching for what exactly？ I never really got the true nature of his trip， other then to leave his family for 8 months。 Did he find what he was searching f There were a lot of great vignettes in this book。 Coyne is such an excellent writer。 But his journey got repetitive so fast。 I think his editors failed to organize this book in any meaningful way。 Pictures and scores were shoved to the back （at least in the Ebook） It was a mishmash of tales as Coyne hopscotched from 1 golf course to the next searching for what exactly？ I never really got the true nature of his trip， other then to leave his family for 8 months。 Did he find what he was searching for？ I skipped to the epilogue and was still left wondering。 I do thank him for giving me a few courses to put on my bucket list。 。。。more
Richard
，
Tom’s story telling is engaging and easy going。 It’s a delightful read that leaves you wanting to embark on a similar journey。 Not because you want to cross off the same courses Tom visited off a list， but because you want to better know the place you live and the people that live there。 A country-wide journey is an unlikely near-term plan for most。 But exploring communities closest to me， using golf courses as guide posts （and as an excuse to play）， is a likely and worthwhile endeavor。
Matthew
，
Man， I love Tom Coyne's books。 From Paper Tiger: An Obsessed Golfer's Quest to Play with the Pros where he tries to make a professional tour， to his travel books （A Course Called Ireland: A Long Walk in Search of a Country， a Pint， and the Next Tee and A Course Called Scotland: Searching the Home of Golf for the Secret to Its Game） I gobble up whatever he writes。 He doesn't bore you with his shot-by-shot recaps of the rounds he plays， but talks about the journey， what each course feels like and Man， I love Tom Coyne's books。 From Paper Tiger: An Obsessed Golfer's Quest to Play with the Pros where he tries to make a professional tour， to his travel books （A Course Called Ireland: A Long Walk in Search of a Country， a Pint， and the Next Tee and A Course Called Scotland: Searching the Home of Golf for the Secret to Its Game） I gobble up whatever he writes。 He doesn't bore you with his shot-by-shot recaps of the rounds he plays， but talks about the journey， what each course feels like and whatever he's going through during his travel。 For a golf nut like myself， this is like crack cocaine。 （I assume。） I haven't anticipated a book as much as A Course Called America in quite some time。 Through social media I was aware of his travels - and like many， unsuccessfully tried to play a round with him on those trips - and wondered how it would roll up into a book。 Little did I know he'd finish his travels just before COVID-19 hit， which adds a whole other wrinkle to this。 So much of what Tom Coyne writes is relatable to me。 I'm not in recovery， and my golf game has never been as good as his is even when his game is in the tank， but he writes so well it feels totally relatable。 Having seen him interviewed and in videos like the No Laying Up Tourist Sauce series， he also comes across as a just incredibly nice， thoughtful guy。 And here's one of the earliest parts of the book that just floored me （just after saying his father calls him "Tom boy" which hit home as my father， and only my father， calls me "Matt boy"）:People who don't play golf grow to envy their golfing neighbors， admiring it as a nifty game you can play to a ripe old age。 What they don't understand is that we don't keep playing because we can; we play because we don't know how to stop。 It lands in our hands for just a moment before slipping through our fingers， and we grab for it again and again。 It's a shell game， a music man， a three-card monte from which we can't walk away。 Once in a while it glances back at us， and it is achingly beautiful。 A siren？ Perhaps。 But those sailors at least got the closure of wrecking on the rocks。 Golfers find the rocks and just drop another ball。 Sheesh。 That feels entirely right。 As far as him traveling and discovering new courses， I love that Coyne LOVED the North Carolina course Tobacco Road as much as I did， and like me favored Pinehurst #4 over Pinehurst #2。 And I loved that while he didn't rip apart any courses for being overrated， etc。， and many of his favorites were ragged 9-hole affairs， he expressed almost my exact thoughts about some of the type of golf courses I hate （in this case， "The Judge" in Alabama）:I woke up early the next morning， ready to lose golf balls at a Robert Trent Jones course called The Judge。 It was an anchor on the RTJ Trail of courses that stretched across 'Bama， and a plaque by its first tee read PREPARE TO BE JUDGED。 It was an absurd opening golf-shot， from a vaulted tee down to a sliver of fairway enveloped by bass-rich waters， and though I found dry ground， I quickly decided I wasn't in the mood to be judged。 Hard for hard's sake was not only boring but idle architecture。 Any novice with a pencil could draw an impossible golf hole， so I checked it off the list and moved on to Mississippi。。。 Part of the conceit of the book is his goal to find the truly American golf course， and I won't spoil what he selects but it's pretty damn wonderful for every possible reason。 Tom Coyne is a great writer and this book completely delivered。 Moments that were truly moving， a few very funny moments and I raced through it。 I'm a bit worried that this is the last of his "A Course Called" books since his wife can't possibly have the patience to let him do this nonsense again。 Can she？ 。。。more
Lance
，