The Story of Golf in 50 Tournaments

PRE-ORDER. SHIPS IN MARCH.

How do you write a full history of golf competition? The sheer number of years, and professional tours, and significant tournaments, make a comprehensive (yet readable) history virtually impossible. The professional men have four majors each year, and the women now have five. Beyond that, the USGA has run championships for amateurs dating back to the 1890s. And the team events: the Walker Cup, Solheim Cup, Ryder Cup, and Olympics … the list goes on and on.

There have been thousands of professional tournaments in the past century alone, but few are truly memorable, few have influenced—or even shaped—the very future of golf. That number is much smaller, perhaps 50. Tony Dear has researched the greatest competitions since the mid 1800s, and has found the 50 tournaments that best capture the history of pro golf, and that can explain the game and its development, to golfers and non-golfers alike.

Many people have heard of how Francis Ouimet’s victory in the 1913 U.S. Open helped to grow the game in America. Or Bobby Jones’ great amateur victories, including his Grand Slam in 1930. Readers may recall Nicklaus’ remarkable comeback in the 1986 Masters, and Tiger’s six consecutive USGA championships, all through rigorous match play. And the legendary duels, Watson against Nicklaus, Joyce Wethered against Glenna Collett, and Seve versus all comers. And then there are the great Ryder Cup battles: the War by the Shore in 1991, the Battle of Brookline in 1999, and the miracle at Medinah in 2012.

But there are many more performances that aren’t household memories (but should be), more that changed the rules of the game, more that announced the beginnings (or solidified the legacies) of legendary careers, more that created a new facet of pro golf. By focusing on the pivotal moments, this book lets readers dive deeper, and to develop a richer understanding of the game.

“More than 100,000 golf tournaments—tournaments of consequence—have been played over the last three centuries, but these 50, assembled and portrayed masterfully by Tony Dear, are the ones that have truly shaped the game.”
—George Peper, New York Times bestselling author, editor of LINKS Magazine 

“Has any other book on golf ever begun by invoking poet William Wordsworth’s ‘spots of time’ metaphor? Of course not, but Tony Dear’s delightful The Story of Golf in 50 Tournaments isn’t like other golf books. Tony’s Story is about the infernal game’s most indelible moments—those ‘spots of time’ that shaped golf over the past three centuries. Think there’s no connection between Rory McIlroy’s 2025 Masters triumph and the 1860 Open Championship at Prestwick? Think again, Tony tells us. His beautifully written and illustrated Story will make you marvel at the cast of characters—and their “spots of time”—that turned gowfe into golf.
—Timothy Gay (author of RORY LAND) 

“As Tony Dear aptly notes in the Introduction to The Story of Golf in 50 Tournaments, “The golfer’s ability to reminisce is strong.” Indeed, this compelling survey of select events over centuries of competition rustles the memory, providing an informative map from featheries to launch monitors. Your list wouldn’t be exactly the same as the author’s—but that’s part of the fun.”
—Bill Fields, former editor of Golf World, Recipient of 2020 PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism

“Golf tournaments are the game’s competitive arenas. They’re the stages amateur and professional golfers perform on, and the theaters people have come to see championships won and lost for hundreds of years. That is what makes The Story of Golf in 50 Tournaments a book for the ages. Tony Dear has penned a masterclass of golf history that takes readers through the events that shaped the game and the players who played leading roles in those stories.” 
—Rick Young, SCOREGolf Magazine

“How many tournaments still make you shake your head in disbelief 50 years after they happened?” The 1977 Open Championship at Turnberry, The Duel in the Sun, is one. In Tony Dear’s beautifully written and designed new book from Back Nine Press, The Story of Golf in 50 Tournaments, you can get a wonderful crash course on the history of the game as seen through the lens of tournament golf.  

Some of the choices are obvious ones—like the 1870 Open Championship at Prestwick, where Young Tom Morris made an impossible eagle three on the 578-yard 1st hole on his way to a third straight title and claiming the championship belt for his own. “It’s tough to imagine how monstrous the 1st must have seemed in 1870,” writes Dear. I walked the hole when Prestwick restored the original 12-hole layout for a few weeks in 2020, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first open held there in 1860. It is indeed a monster. The space that Dear has devoted to these early Opens at Prestwick is a highlight of the book for me. 

Sprinkled throughout the chapters are associated historical sidebar sections that make it a very enjoyable read. The story of Allan Robertson, the great French champion Arnaud Massy, the unmatched greatness of the English amateur John Ball—these nuggets of history are perfectly provided throughout the book to compliment the tournament stories. It is the type of book you want to leave by your favorite chair next to the fireplace in winter. 

It is written in a very readable, accessible and entertaining style. The justification for the selection of each event may not because of the winner, but for other historical reasons. The 1975 Masters is a tournament famously known for its incredible down the stretch duel between Nicklaus, Weiskopf and Miller. However, it is chosen by Dear, rightly, for the fact that an African American, Lee Elder, was finally allowed to compete in the elite Augusta field. 

The early days of women’s golf is wisely represented by the 1929 British Ladies Amateur held at The Old Course. It was here that the incomparable Joyce Wethered of England met the great American champion Glenna Collett in a memorable 36-hole final match. The two women battled on the world’s most famous course; trading great shot after great shot. The matchless Wethered finally prevailed on the 35th hole of the day, but women’s golf won the day. 

Landmark team golf events are also included in the top 50. Each one that is selected seems appropriate. Dear himself admits to idolizing Seve Ballesteros, but the overall list feels balanced and beautifully presents the varied history of golf as seen through the lens of competition. This book is the perfect starting point for anyone who wants to learn about how The Open Championship developed or the unreal accomplishments The Great Triumvirate. Take this lovely book and sit in your favorite chair by the fire, maybe with a wee dram, and wander through the history of golf.”
—Jim Hartsell, author of The Secret Home of Golf and When Revelation Comes