“Hit the ball up to the hole...You meet a better class of person there.” —Ben Hogan

No one knows exactly when the first golf quotation was spoken; nonetheless, we can be very sure it was unprintable. The game is a source of endless study, endless fascination, and endless frustration—which has led to an endless pursuit of wisdom about how to play it better. In the game’s 500 years of history, it has drawn the attention of kings and commoners, pros and con men, stylists and butchers, bag-toters and sandbaggers. All have had something to say about the game, its implements, or the impossibility of ever plumbing its inner depths.

Randy Voorhees has taken on the daunting task of choosing the best, most helpful, and most entertaining quotations about the game of golf. From Penick to Trevino, from Mackenzie and Wodehouse to Updike and McLean, all the greats of the game are here, with thoughts that will enlighten, entertain, and ensure lower scores. So read, skim, dip, and savor.