To the Linksland (30th Anniversary Edition)

(Hardback)

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A 30th anniversary edition of Michael Bambergers widely beloved golf classic recounting his honeymoon adventures as a caddie in Europeincluding a new introduction by Golf in the Kingdom author Michael Murphy, a new afterword, and never-before-seen photographs.

Thirty years (and counting!) after publication, To the Linksland still enthralls readers who pick it up for the first time or who return to this timeless book for the sheer pleasure of it.

In 1991, Michael Bamberger, a newspaper sportswriter, gave up his apartment, took a leave-of-absence from his job and his life, and, joined by his newlywed wife, set off to explore the wide world of golf.

Bambergers first step in this madcap golfing adventure was to become a caddie on the European golf tour. On it, and up close and personal, the author encountered the games most dynamic players, including golfs greatest artist, Seve Ballesteros. Crisscrossing the Continent with his bride, Bamberger caddied for a true original, Peter Teravainen, a Yale-educated golfer with a workingmans spirit, capable of making brilliant, on-the-spot observations about the game. (Good shots must come in groups of two.) Over the course of one unforgettable year, Bamberger caddied in the national championships of Portugal, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Ireland, and, finally, Scotland, golfs ancestral home. Once there, Bamberger fell under the spell of one of golfs great teachers and thinkers, Mr. John Stark.

To the Linksland is the captivating memoir of Bambergers golfing pilgrimage. From an all-night caddie bus on the back roads of southern Europe to Starks secret six-hole course in the Scottish Highlands, Bamberger takes you on a journey into the heart of golf.

To the Linksland is a lyrical tale of discovery. It is a classic. This thirtieth-anniversary edition is bookended with a new introduction by Michael Murphy and a new afterword by Bamberger. In between them are a trove of new photographs. Triumphantly back in print, To the Linksland is a great book for your golfing soul (Golf Monthly).

Reviews

One of the best golf travel books ever written . . . The book reminds us that the game of golf has many treasures yet to be discovered.
Michael Murphy, author ofGolf in the Kingdom

Lyrical and inspired . . . A lovely book that will stand with the classics of the game.
Kirkus Reviews

For those who like golf, this adventure may bring happy tears to their eyes. Bambergers a great partner throughout an incredible tour.
The Seattle Times

His was a marvelous journey, and we are privileged to share it. . . . [The book] deserves not only recognition but sustained praise.
The Sporting News

There are writers who reduce ideas and there are writers who expand them. [Bamberger] is one of the latter.
Golf Digest

Enormously appealing . . . a diamond.
The Madison Courier (Wisconsin)

A great book for your golfing soul from a journalist who remains at the top of his game to this day.
Golf Monthly

Reading Michael Bambergers To the Linksland was gloriously refreshing and joyously reflective of why and how we play the game of golf. If one cannot journey to the Fountainheadthe links of Scotland themselvesthen absorb the true and happy golf experience through this book.
Ben Crenshaw
PRAISE FOR OTHER BOOKS BY MICHAEL BAMBERGER

*The Ball in the Air*

I just finished this one from Michael Bamberger in a day, and its a work of art. My love for golf comes from the challenge of playing as an amateur, not from winning tournaments or collecting prize money. 99% of you have this same relationship with the game. Thats who this book is for.
Tom Brady on Instagram

The Ball in the Airtells the golf-related tales of three decidedly non-high-profile figures . . . Linking these tales is Mr. Bambergers own story and his conviction that golf has much to teach when we open ourselves to the games deepest, most subtle naturethe unexpected emotions, the odd and beautiful playing fields, the intimate bonds that form among both friends and strangers. The pleasure ofThe Ball in the Airis like that of an ordinary golf round. . . . Mr. Bambergers abiding love is for golf as it is experienced by everyday people.
John Paul Newport,Wall Street Journal

*The Second Life of Tiger Woods*

ReadingThe Second Life of Tiger Woodsis like playing a great golf course without prior knowledge of the holes that lie ahead. You know theyre going to be good, and in the end, they add up to something special. To the extent that its possible to know whats in Tigers mind, Bamberger delivers. . . . A terrific book.
Gary D'Amato,Wisconsin Golf

This may be the most insightful and evenhanded book written yet about one of the signature athletes of the last twenty-five years.
Booklist(starred review)

* Men in Green *

Maybe the best golf book Ive ever read.
Bill Reynolds,Providence Journal

I wishMen in Greenwere about four hundred pages longer than it is.
Jeffrey Toobin,New York Times Book Review

* The Swinger *

An entertaining, revealing, thought-provoking, and cautionary tale . . . It provides invaluable insight into the life and times of Woods.
Bill Pennington,The New York Times

* This Golfing Life *

The ultimate insiders view [from] one of the modern games brightest observers and finest writers.
Geoff Shackelford,Golf Observer

Author Bio

Michael Bamberger was born in Patchogue, New York, in 1960. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982, hespent a more than a decade as a newspaper reporter, followed by twenty-two years atSports Illustrated. He has written nine books, including theNew York TimesbestsellerMen in Green,The Ball in the Air,The Second Life of Tiger Woods,To the Linksland,as well asa play,Bart & Fay.His work has appeared inThe Best American Sports Writingand other anthologies. In 2022, Bamberger received the Memorial Golf Journalism Award at Jack Nicklauss annual tournament.