Looking for some good reading material for your next overseas trip or long flight? Your answer might lie in a few recommendations from our very own David Jones.
When putting together his top 10 favourite golf books, David stayed away from swing instruction, as finding your own swing guru can be an intensely personal thing. Instead, these picks focus more on course architecture, travel, history, and good old-fashioned storytelling.
Whether you are packing your bag for a links trip or just looking for something to read on the weekend, hopefully there is something here that piques your interest.
This devastating story of Old Tom and Young Tommy Morris reads like a novel rather than a history book. Cook turns 19th-century St Andrews into a living place – his writing really brings the characters and atmosphere of Scotland to life. If you are looking for an introduction to understanding the impact that the Morrises had on the game, not just in Scotland but around the world, this is a great place to start.
Coyne walked the entire Irish coast – 1,100 miles of rain, generosity and links golf – playing every course he could reach on foot. This book really launched Tom Coyne as a golf travel writer and many have been inspired to make their own trip to the Emerald Isle on the back of it. Tom brings the characters and places to life and the stories will stick in your mind long after you’ve finished the book.
When Doak first published his guide, nothing like it existed. Candid, sharp-eyed and unafraid to call things as he sees them, he shifted how golfers talk about architecture. The series now spans most of the world, and even the briefest entries contain a thought or angle that changes how you look at a hole.
Donegan spent a season caddying for journeyman pro Ross Drummond, and the result is a wonderfully honest look at life far from the glamour of tour trucks and courtesy cars. Long car journeys, cheap motels, endless qualifiers – he finds wit and grace in the grind. Decades on, it remains one of the funniest books ever written about golf, but also brings great insight into life on tour.
Set in the heart of the early nineties PGA Tour, Feinstein’s reporting reveals a circuit where talent, tension and television money are beginning to collide in new ways. He travels with players through long weeks of qualifiers, practice rounds and hotel corridors and captures the mix of confidence and doubt that defines professional golf.
Francis Ouimet’s 1913 US Open upset is well known; Frost makes it feel alive again. The clash of classes, the pressure, the brilliance of Vardon and Ray – it all builds into a genuinely gripping narrative. It’s richer and more textured than the film adaptation that was made and is one of the great page-turners in golf literature.
After a serious illness, Scottish poet Andrew Greig returns to golf and wanders through the quieter corners of his homeland. The result is a reflective, beautifully written meditation on friendship, memory and the small, healing routines of the game.
This novel (you’ll soon realise it is definitely fiction!) is a dark, gleefully unhinged Scottish comedy set on the Ayrshire coast. A hopeless golfer, a few poor decisions and a group of increasingly violent criminals make for a fantastic read. However, it may not be for everyone – Niven’s use of profanity is always appropriate, but very liberal!
Rotella distils decades of work with elite players into short, practical lessons that we can all take something from. His stories about the likes of Nick Price, Davis Love and Tom Kite reveal the mental patterns behind great golf, and his core message – manage your game rather than perfect it – is something we would all benefit from remembering more often!
For anyone curious about why certain holes sing and others fall flat, Shackelford is a wonderful guide. This is an approachable introduction to golf architecture, full of well explained examples, humour and affection for the old masters. Shackelford has updated this classic with a new edition in 2026 which features insights relevant to the game as it is evolving today.
By David Jones
Managing Director, Outpost Overseas
David is the founder and Managing Director of Outpost Overseas, leading the team and working directly with clients to build bespoke itineraries from the ground up. Having played more than 600 courses globally and previously created the trusted UK Golf Guy site, David draws on a deep well of course knowledge and planning experience to help golfers craft their ultimate journey.
