“Every so often a truly beautiful book comes along. This is one of them.” –– The Irish Times
“Ancestral Links deserves a spot on the shelf of the best golf books ever written.” — John Strawn, author of Driving the Green
“A memoir-travelogue like none other.” — Buenos Aires Herald
“A deeply soulful and personal journey.” –– Michigan Golf News
“A gem: a refreshing memoir rife with history, poignance, and good humor.” — Sports Illustrated
“MY FAVORITE OF THE YEAR … It’s a great exploration about family and golf and the way we feel about both. Very, very moving … an incredible book.” — Peter Kessler, XM Satellite Radio
“Garrity is part Irish, part Scottish, and all raconteur.” — Hole by Hole.com
“A FORMIDABLE TALENT …. After all, this is a man who, in an erstwhile series called ‘Mats Only,’ found entertaining things to write about his compulsion for beating balls at practice ranges. In Ancestral Links his themes — particularly a messy family lineage and mortality — are far weightier. Garrity is more than capable of carrying that load.”— Golfweek
Click here to view the Ancestral Links photo gallery at Golf.com.
OTHER GOLF BOOKS BY JOHN GARRITY:
TIGER 2.0: THE BEST OF JOHN GARRITY (SPORTS ILLUSTRATED BOOKS, 2008)
“Tiger 2.0 is wonderful – full of fun and charm from beginning to end.” — Golf in the Kingdom author Michael Murphy
“The man is a genius! …. Perhaps it’s the Irish in him, but it seems to me that John Garrity always seems to find a different angle in his writing. He has an ability to make his subject unconsciously comfortable, which often leads to the interrogator’s dream – the guard being dropped. If only they could fit him into one of the cages, I’m sure he’d do a great job with the boys down at the Guantanamo Bay Country Club.” – CBS golf analyst David Feherty (from his introduction to Tiger 2.0.)
“Tiger 2.0 takes the reader on a wonderful, informative, fun-filled golf journey.” — Semi-Tough author Dan Jenkins
“If there was any doubt that Garrity is the best golf writer in the business, this anthology should dispel it. Much of his most memorable work is here, from the 2000 article that ignited the Vijay Singh cheating controversy, to the 2003 close-quarters look at the tumultuous marriage of John and Sherrie Daly, to more recent, outstanding pieces on Tiger Woods and Johnny Miller. Between the profiles are offbeat pieces on, for example, driving ranges and golf schools …. It’s hard to imagine anybody doing a better job writing on golf.” – The Scorecard Always Lies author Chris Lewis
“In nearly 30 years at SI, Garrity has laid down a steady track of sharp, insightful prose. The 21 pieces in this collection confirm what Garrity readers voluntarily attest: The Great in the subtitle is no hype.” — Bernard Darwin on Golf author Jeff Silverman
“Garrity is a gold-mine find, one of the most compelling voices to appear in SI’s pages in some time.” — former USGA president Sandy Tatum
TOUR TEMPO: GOLF’S LAST SECRET FINALLY REVEALED(with John Novosel, Doubleday, 2004)
“It’s a fabulous book, and I can’t wait to put on my earphones and go to the range.” — Susan Reed, editor of Golf for Women magazine
“Tour Tempo has gone through four printings [now 11] and shows no signs of slowing down.” — Golfweek
“Tour Tempo has become something of a golf sensation. It’s quite often the No. 1 selling sports book on Amazon.com. It has sparked huge bursts of talk on golf chat boards. Comedian Larry David, the authors are told, rushed to the store to get it — could not wait for his free copy. Hughes Norton, Tiger Woods’ former agent, wrote, ‘Thank you for liberating my swing.’ The Web site http://www.tourtempo.com has gratified e-mail after e-mail, including one that looks like a T. S. Eliot poem, you know, if T. S. Eliot had been hit in the head with a golf ball.” — Joe Posnanski, The Kansas City Star
“A key focus to any golfer is to increase their distance off the tee. I use the Tour Tempo training aid to help with my tempo and know it would definitely be of help to any amateur golfer.” — Padraig Harrington, 3-time major champion and 2008 PGA Tour Player of the Year
“An amazing revelation. Here is a method to measure tempo objectively — with numbers, not vague descriptions. The data that emerges out of an analysis of the best players is unprecedented.” — 2001 PGA Club Professionals champion Wayne DeFrancesco
“In simple terms, what Novosel does is attempt to match a golfer’s tempo to that of a touring professional. This means that most players have to speed up their swings, particularly their backswings. I was astonished at how quickly I was able to adapt to a quicker tempo.” — James Achenbach, Golfweek equipment editor
“Compared with the quick-jerk artists at your neighborhood range, the best players in the world seem to swing in slow motion. But the truth is that they are completing their swings much faster than it seems. What the top pros have that you, I and the quick-jerk range rats don’t is perfect tempo. And now, thanks to the work of John Novosel, we know a lot more about what constitutes perfect tempo than we used to.” — John Paul Newport, Travel & Leisure Golf
AMERICA’S WORST GOLF COURSES: A COLLECTION OF COURSES NOT UP TO PAR (Macmillan, 1994)
“Hilarious. I wish I’d thought of it.” — Semi-Tough author Dan Jenkins
“YEAR’S BEST! It may be the most unlikely book title ever, but if you’re interested in golf courses with character, it may be the best book you read all year.” — Golfweek
“Sensational! If you’ve ever hit one golf shot, you’ve got to buy this book.” — Jack Kennedy, WGST, Atlanta
“BOOK OF THE SUMMER! … I couldn’t put it down, and that’s the first time that’s happened since I read all five volumes of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.” — Phil Kosin, Chicagoland Golf
“Thank you, Mr. Garrity. It’s about time someone cast a satirical eye at the absurd odds most golfers face when they approach the first tee … This time the hapless player gets the last laugh.” — Booklist
“Great chuckles. A very funny book.” — Kevin McKillip, KFXX, Portland
“The senior writer for Sports Illustrated plays it for serious laughs.” — Dallas Morning News
“You’ll laugh … America’s Worst Golf Courses will make you shake your head in disbelief at some of the architectural nightmares he has uncovered.” — Golf Collectors Society Bulletin
“AUGUSTA SPARED!” — Augusta Chronicle
“We got more calls for John Garrity and America’s Worst Golf Courses than for any guest we’ve had on our radio show, including some of the top touring pros.” — Jeff Rude, Dallas Morning News
“WONDERFULLY ENTERTAINING …. From the first, author John Garrity sets the tone with his caustic, informed and understated wit.” — Gary Galyean’s Golf Letter
John Garrity's Top 50 
Every so often a book comes along. This is one of them.
More praise for the book, “Tour Tempo.” The cover is extremely durable. Just thought you should know.
Just finished your book on Carne. Enjoyed it a lot. As a part time resident(In Ballyglass) and a member of Carne it was very interesting, especially your love(phobia) of the 17th.
I have been a member for almost 10 years and also remember the “old” course, especially the caravan with the notice about paying your green fees back at the pub at Bingamstown.
I would love to meet you, or even play a few holes with you when the wind is less than force 4/5.
I am a poor 20 handicap and only one year older than yourself. I think I have only parred the 17th twice.The last time was quite noteworthy, I chipped in from about 60 yards.
You are quite right, it should be played as a par 5
Regards
Michael English
Pingback: Askernish Retains Hold on Top Spot « John Garrity's Top 50
Hard to believe I’m not included in your recommended blurbs. Try these:
on Worst Courses: “I agree with Dan Jenkins. I wish he’d thought of it, too!”
on Tour Tempo: “Kevin Na told me this book has changed his life. I believe him!”
Ancestral Links: “Fascinating book–would’ve loved to read more about your playing partner, that Van Sickle guy. He sounds like a god of golf.”
Tiger 2.0: “It’s impossible to imagine that even Tiger 2.1 or 2.2 could surpass this. I think you’re looking at a quantum leap to 4.2 at the least. But what do I know? I only invented the Internet and quantum physics.”
Just wondering if maybe Aquaman has noticed any Malaysian airliners floating past in Atlantis this week? Or at least an annoying pinging sound?
Updated news on the John Garrity Library:
Tour Tempo has gone through four printings now and the publisher is confident that the latest edition will have verbs.
Ancestral Links will still carry you from New Richmond, Wis., to the wild dunes of Carne in Ireland. You will now be charged $25 for your first bag, $45 for the second and an additional $10 each time you put the book down without remembering to slip a bookmark in.
Tiger 2.0 will be reprinted now that he scored a D+ in losing that lawsuit, thus lowering his grade average. Tiger 1.875 should be out next spring unless it isn’t.
America’s Worst Golf Courses has been updated to include every course built since 1973.
Meanwhile, a Garrity novel in the works, “The Robot Who Won the Masters After World War III,” remains stuck on the third paragraph.