If there is one book that influenced me the most on appreciating good golf course design it is this aptly named book, which I got in high school. The generously illustrated book describes a good hundred courses around the world in depth, with history, course and hole descriptions, photographs and all-important aerial layouts that are lovingly rendered and set at a low angle so as to make contours and shadows pop; in the age of Google Earth, this approach is outdated but that much easier to appreciate. Even though golf courses, like any landscape, or even a building, undergo changes over time, I grab this book from the shelf whenever the U.S. Open, British Open or PGA Championship stops at one of the courses; the insight in the words and images makes watching a tournament on TV that much more rewarding.

One of my favorite parts of the book is the section, "Elements of greatness – a classic course," which assembles 18 holes from 18 courses. It starts with the first from Royal St. George's and ends with the 18th at Pebble Beach, with classic holes like the 12th from Augusta National and 14th at St. Andrew's in between. It's a feature that was omitted in subsequent updates of the Atlas, which is a shame, as it would be great to see how the authors would incorporate newer holes and consider the mainstays as they change over time. ( )