“We had a grand plan. But plans, like a driver at the first, can take an unexpected turn.”

“Although seasoned hands know that a peek at the flagstick’s location can be had from a particular point in the fairway, there are times when that information simply doesn’t matter; the combination of wind and fairway position can render certain hole locations roughly as accessible as Shangri-la.”

“He has an aversion to other human beings, so he tends to shoot from off the beaten path.” —Robert Beck

“Experience as a surgeon during the Boer War led Alister MacKenzie to be appointed head of the British School of Camouflage during World War I, which is as natural a transition to golf architecture as anyone could imagine.”

“Mulligan stuck out in the crowd in both age and appearance; his tall, thin frame, sunken face and stringy gray hair were in stark contrast to the kids working alongside him. Picture Gandalf with a goatee, thin ponytail and caddie bib.”

“The amateur world was considered an acceptable place for women to compete as a hobby, but to make a living as an athlete — this transgressed the confines women were expected to occupy. The ideology of the era was that girls didn’t get paid to play and nice girls didn’t expect to.”

“Yes. Light. Travelling at 186,000 miles per second. Took millions of years to reach Boerne, Texas. Pause for effect.”

“A beautiful wasteland like San Luis Rey Downs is a particularly harsh lesson in what happens when a course struggles and its local community is unable to save it. But just because a course is threatened doesn’t mean it’s doomed.”

“It occurred to me as I watched the glitter blend into the fading sky that having a story to tell about acid golf with Hunter [Thompson] and George [Plimpton] was probably good for my career.”

“By 2 a.m., we had a game plan…We would work out the small details—transportation, food, lodging and whether the golf course still existed and was open for business—when we got there.”