Having captured images from most of the golf courses in Australia and New Zealand over the last 15 years, and having released three books celebrating the region’s great golf (titled Great Golf Down Under), my attention turned to a long-held desire of publishing a book showcasing the diversity of golf courses from around the world.
In 2022, I had an amazing opportunity to visit and photograph a great number of courses (89 in total) across Europe. From this trip, a selection of images was selected and considered for inclusion in an ambitious project that was titled Great Golf Courses of the World (GGCW). When we sent the book to press, the final number of images was over 400 – many of which have never been published before – from over 100 courses that I have photographed over the years, covering more than 20 countries.
The publication aims to showcase the best of golf that isn’t in the USA. To aid the reader’s navigation, the book groups courses into regions and countries, with each region introduced by an essay I have penned. Also, there are comprehensive maps highlighting the location of each course on a worldwide scale.
The photographic representation is broad – covering Scandinavia and courses that can be played under the midnight sun; the dry, hard and firm links of the United Kingdom and Ireland; Australia’s famous Melbourne Sandbelt region is featured in all its glory; plus, the contemporary and truly spectacular New Zealand beachside courses. Mainland Europe is highlighted with representation from France, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain; and so is Asia, with the best from China, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam featured; and locations like Mauritius and South Africa are also covered. Quite simply, GGCW shows the diverse nature of golf around the world.
The book does not profess to showcase just the best golf courses in the world, rather my desire was to put together a selection of images I had captured that would get readers excited about a course, its setting, the location and how all of that compares to other courses in different parts of the world. The work of a myriad of golf course architects is captured in this book.
One unique feature is the panoramic shape of the book. It folds upwards in an almost tentlike fashion so the reader can see the full extent of the image without any ugly crease lines down the middle of the shot. We have had numerous comments from readers already about what a good idea this was. The other good thing about this shape is that it does not easily fit on a bookshelf, meaning it is likely to always be on display!
The front cover image is of Lofoten Links, a course in northern Norway that my wife Maureen and I visited in September 2022. At that time, it was not a well-known course in a country not known for great golf, but the course’s awareness (and reputation) has exploded in the last 12 months, and I like to think I had a small part to play here!
Great Golf Courses of the World, with photography by Gary Lisbon and a foreword by Ian Baker-Finch, is available to buy now.