I do own this book.

I love links golf as much as anyone, but Jim Finnegan is like Will Rogers, he never met a golf course he could criticize. Larry Lambrecht's photographs are spectacular and many of the recommendations for lodging and outside activities are only safe at best. This is a fine and wonderful even feel good book, but know its limitations.

This book is lovely to look at but don't expect any critical reviews here. Jim is quite a passionate fellow but take the writings with as a starting point. Those with real experience will recognize that the book is written to highlight the highs and ignore the quirks and exacerbates the American golfer's tendency to go and notch the belt by visiting "only the best" golf courses often at astronomical prices.

There is a lot to be learned by visiting many "little" golf courses in the UK and Ireland to truly understand how links golf is a such a treasure and how it is part of local life. Links is not just some eccentricity that one must do to complete one's golf life. There is so much to be gained by just traveling willy-nilly to the "little" places such as going the 5 miles to Girvan to play the odd little half-links course there while on your Tour Bus trip to Turnberry. As an example, the book almost excludes the fine Kintyre course which Mr. Finnegan merely gives a third of a page coverage. Girvan, what Girvan? There you can meet and play with locals on their course while playing 8 of the best par 3's you will ever play and not approach the wee par of 64.

Indeed, this is where golf is great, but the book offers an incomplete elitist view of the American obsession with only the best. I do admit that for most, this is probably all they ever really wanted in the first place.

As a Scot who has played most of the courses Jim Finegan has reviewed in this and his previous books, there's very little to dispute, and the pictures do convey the wonderful beauty of many of them, especially Machrie, Boat of Garten and others. However he seems to have toned down the criticisms of some courses he made in the prose books, and I find his Damascene conversion to Carnoustie a little strange; it hasn't changed THAT much since he was pretty scathing (unjustly, IMO) about it in the other book. Despite all that, Jim clearly knows what he is talking about, and I loved flicking through this so much I bought a copy for me and my golf-mad uncle.

If you're planning a golf trip to the United Kingdom and Ireland, check out the courses in this book. Full-color photographs will whet your appetite before you go.

Mr. Finegan has produced another in his very successful series of books about the pleasures offered by the golf courses in Great Britain and Ireland. The text is of the same high quality as the photographs by Messrs. Lambrecht and Thompson. The result is an elegant book which stimulates happy memories for those that have played the courses and which should whet the appetites of those who have not.

The photographs alone make this book a bargain. All the right courses are featured along with considerable coverage of those lesser known. For anyone considering a golf excursion to Ireland or Scotland this book will show you which courses to play and help with your planning. My thanks to Mr. Finegan.

Mr. Finegan has produced another in his very successful series of books about the pleasures offered by the golf courses in Great Britain and Ireland. The text is of the same high quality as the photographs by Messrs. Lambrecht and Thompson. The result is an elegant book which stimulates happy memories for those that have played the courses and which should whet the appetites of those who have not.

Very good coffee table book with numerous large photographs of the great golf courses of Scotland and Ireland, many of which are unique. Instead of using existing very recognizable stock photos, the author has composed photos of well known holes from some very interesting perspectives - that give new insights. The narative is equally strong and worthy. Where Golf is Great is well worth having as part of any golf library.

Golf is truly great and this book show you how beautiful golfcources can be by the most georgeous pictures I have ever seen. The book is huge and heavy, but the best cources in Scotland/Irland are mentioned. The reason for not getting 5 stars is that such a huge book should really have covered much more. There are just too few courses discribed. The one in it though are probably the best and if you have enough cash when travelling here you are ok.

I bought this book as a Christmas present for my step-day. He loves to golf and has been wanting to explore Scotland and Ireland for as long as I can remember. The book is hefty and the pictures are glorious so you feel like it's an attainable destination. I hope it inspires him to go.

An update of Finegan's classic travel guides, the present volume is extremely well written in Mr. Finegan's breezy style. Great photographs. Excellent travel advice. My only complaint is that the book is to big to carry around, or even read in bed!

Beautiful book, complete with eye candy pictures and related content.

But very BIG ! You will need adequate storage and reading space.

This isn't the perfect coffee table, travel and reference book for golf in Scotland and Ireland, but then Tiger Woods isn't the perfect golfer either. If you've golfed in Scotland and Ireland, if you're planning to play in Scotland and Ireland, or if you're only dreaming of playing in Scotland and Ireland, this is absolutely one book that you must have. It's a steal at Amazon's $37.80. The book includes text about and photos of a selection to top flight golf courses in Scotland and Ireland. James Finegan is a long-time newspaper golf writer and one-time low handicap golfer. He gives you his perspective on the quality of each of the courses, and describes places to stay, eat and visit in the vicinity of each course. You may recognize some of the text, paraphrased a bit, from Finegan's 1996 "Blasted Heaths and Blessed Greens" [Scotland], and "Emerald Fairways and Foam-Flecked Seas" [Ireland], but this large format book is in no way a duplicate of those little gems. What can I say? Finegan's prose sparkles as ever, a joy to read regardless of whether you agree with him. The "arty" golf course photography by Laurence Lambrecht is spectacular. I say "arty" because the photography is really landscape photography taken on golf courses. It is not intended to show you exactly how the golf holes would look, for example, from straight overhead or to a golfer on the tee. Any negatives? Sometimes, I think, Finegan goes a little over the top in his enthusiasm for some of the courses (e.g., Carnoustie), maybe even a lot over the top. But who cares? Caution: this is not a book you are going to curl up with -- note the size of the book in pages, dimensions and weight.

This isn't the perfect coffee table, travel and reference book for golf in Scotland and Ireland, but then Tiger Woods isn't the perfect golfer either. If you've golfed in Scotland and Ireland, if you're planning to play in Scotland and Ireland, or if you're only dreaming of playing in Scotland and Ireland, this is absolutely one book that you must have. It's a steal at Amazon's $37.80. You may recognize some of the text, paraphrased a bit, from Finegan's 1996 "Blasted Heaths and Blessed Greens" [Scotland], and "Emerald Fairways and Foam-Flecked Seas" [Ireland], but this large format book is in no way a duplicate of those little gems. What can I say? The "arty" golf course photography by Laurence Lambrecht is spectacular. Finegan's prose sparkles as ever, a joy to read regardless of whether you agree with him. Any negatives? Sometimes, I think, Finegan goes a little over the top, maybe even a lot over the top. But who cares? Caution: this is not a book you are going to curl up with -- note the size of the book in pages, dimensions and weight.

This isn't the perfect coffee-table-travel-reference book for golf in Scotland and Ireland, but then Tiger Woods isn't the perfect golfer either. If you've golfed in Scotland and Ireland, if you're planning to play in Scotland and Ireland, or if you're only dreaming of playing in Scotland and Ireland, this is absolutely one book that you must have. It's a steal at Amazon's $37.80. You may recognize some of the text, paraphrased a bit, from Finegan's 1996 "Blasted Heaths and Blessed Greens" [Scotland], and "Emerald Fairways and Foam-Flecked Seas" [Ireland], but this large format book is in no way a duplicate. What can I say? The golf course photography by Laurence Lambrecht is spectacular. Finegan's prose sparkles as ever. Any negatives? Sometimes, I think, Finegan goes a little over the top, maybe even a lot over the top. But who cares?