THE NATURE OF THE GAME

An avid golfer with a demanding career in the greeting card business, Mike Keiser found a new calling on the authentic links courses of Scotland and Ireland. Seized by the beauty of the landscape and the holes running through it, he determined this was how golf was meant to be: inclusive, not private; played on foot, not riding a cart; the courses natural, neither lavish nor contrived. Vowing to transplant this experience to the States, Keiser entered the golf business and, ignoring the advice of experts, built a true links course in Oregon. Bandon Dunes has redefined the game here and become a destination for golfers everywhere. Those same convictions have now produced other top-ranked courses by Keiser--in Wisconsin, Nova Scotia, Tasmania, and elsewhere--whose magical allure demonstrates what the world's most gifted golf course architects can accomplish by working on designs that hew to the natural landscape. Keiser's further commitments--to the caddies, greens crews, and staff at his resorts; to the communities in which they're located; and to deep environmental stewardship--enhance the singular appeal of these immensely popular courses. At once an account of inventing a new, life-changing business, a guide to historic course design, and a paean to the sport that has recently experienced a surge of growth, The Nature of the Game is essential reading for every golfer.