"Golf Bibles" are Good Books

You've seen books before that offer "comprehensive" information about a particular state's golf courses. You know, all 940-something courses in Texas. Those books are usually dry lists of bulleted information that provide little flavor, less opinion and no context. Not so the Golf Bibles. These good books are just what the golf junkie ordered.

"Colorado Golf Bible" Second in Series

The "Colorado Golf Bible" debuted in Spring, 2004, written by David Holland. The book covers every golf course in Colorado, with Holland, a longtime Colorado resident and a great golf writer, offering insights on each.

With the "Colorado Golf Bible," readers get far more than lists of yardages and golf course fax numbers. Holland provides readers with plenty of honest opinions - the good, the bad, the ugly and the unusual about Colorado golf courses. And he does so with the flair that has made him one of the best travel golf writers in the U.S.

Holland also provides readers with much that simply can't be found in any other golf book: recommended restaurants and lodging close to every course in Colorado; a introductory sketch on each region and city included that provides local flavor; plus such handy features as mileage charts, regional maps, lists of driving ranges and par-3s and much more.

The "Colorado Golf Bible" offers 416 pages of such information, covering 121 golf towns.

"Texas Golf Bible" Tees Off Series

The "Golf Bibles" are the brainchild of Dallas publisher Jason Stone, who wrote the first book in the series, the "Texas Golf Bible," and launched a publishing company, Fandango Publishing, to produce and market the book.

Stone's book was a massive project, covering nearly 1,000 golf courses across Texas. "This was such a massive project," Stone said, "that you have to be a lunatic to actually try to do it."

Crazy or not, Stone pulled it off. It's the idea of the golf road trip that got Stone thinking about this type of golf travel guide.

"I'm originally from West Texas and to get anywhere from West Texas you have to travel a lot," Stone said. "So growing up I was always traveling all over the state."

Family travels turned into road trips with buddies, many in search of great fishing or hunting - or golf. "Any small town that we would roll through, we'd take notes on. And even if we didn't play golf, we'd stop off (at a course) and take some photos."

Stone estimates he has played or visited around 250 Texas golf courses. Family, friends and other associates helped compile the information for the remainder of the state's courses.

And it's good information. Where else, for example, can a golfer learn about the pasture course in Thorndale (near Austin) that features sand pits instead of holes and where horses roam the course? "Leave your putter in the truck," Stone writes, "but bring some apples for the horses."

In the notes on remote Stratford (pop. 2,033), following the entry on the local 9-holer, Stone recommends against dining in the town. Instead, he sends readers down the road to an even smaller town where unexpected delectables await. The restaurant's owner, Stone writes, "attended the Institute of Culinary Arts ... and serves up a mean lobster tail."

More on the Way

Speaking of his "Texas Golf Bible," Stone said, "There are some crazy golfers around the state who’ve played 400-500 courses, who’ve sent me emails saying, ‘Hey, you gotta add this place.' "

Books in the "Golf Bibles" series will be updated periodically to add new courses or to update old listings.

Stone said that Fandango Publishing is interested in bringing out more "Golf Bibles." The key is finding people like Holland, whose writing is as good as his expertise is broad.

Those interested in the "Golf Bibles" concept can watch for updates at www.golfbibles.com. If you're interested in ordering a copy of the Texas or Colorado books, visit www.texasgolfbible.com or www.coloradogolfbible.com, respectively.