CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Ground Games: An Inside Look at Golf Course Design — a book by Zinkand Golf Design’s David Zinkand about his personal and professional experiences exploring golf course architecture — is now available for pre-sale.
Published by Back Nine Press, Ground Games is a richly layered exploration of golf course architecture, history and philosophy through the eyes of a modern-day designer navigating both the land and the people who play upon it.
Blending memoir with insight, it traces the evolution of the game from its early strategic roots to today’s modern challenges. From the disruptive arrival of the Haskell ball to the enduring influence of golf’s “Golden Age,” Ground Games reveals how innovation has continually reshaped not only how the game is played, but how courses are conceived. At its heart lies a compelling argument — and the foundation of Zinkand Golf Design’s approach to its work — that the most engaging golf is not dictated through rigid punishment, but discovered through options, angles and imagination.
“These personal stories trace my journey in golf course design and beyond, reflecting on the people I met, the courses and projects that shaped me, and the lessons I learned early in my career — some easily, others the hard way,” said Zinkand. “I wrote Ground Games to feel like a conversation; an approachable exploration of course design for those already passionate about the field, as well as anyone simply curious to learn what it entails. My hope is the stories help readers to see golf courses in a new light.”
“There are plenty of books that explain what makes a great golf course,” said Jim Sitar, founder and publisher of Back Nine Press. “They celebrate the architects, trace the influences, and help us understand why a bunker belongs here or a green tilts there. David Zinkand’s Ground Games: An Inside Look at Golf Course Design takes us somewhere else: into the work itself. Into the dirt, the decisions, the disagreements, and the discoveries that turn an idea into a place where people play golf. It’s hard to think of another golf architecture book quite like it.”
Bill Coore, whom Zinkand worked with on projects around the world for more than a decade, offers this praise:
“Dave’s journey has been interesting and unique, and in Ground Games he shares insights and lessons learned, highlighting the personal and professional rewards and frustrations that are so a part of this profession. His descriptions of working within the politics and personalities of private club memberships and their design and project committees are particularly insightful and take the reader into a process of golf course design seldom talked about but very real. Numerous books on golf course architecture have been dedicated to its history and the principles of design. Ground Games gives us a personalized perspective of those principles and the process and challenges of bringing them into reality.”
To order Ground Games, visit https://back9press.com/products/ground-games.
And for more information about Zinkand Golf Design, go to zinkandgolfdesign.com or @zinkandgolfdesign on Instagram.
About Zinkand Golf Design
Zinkand Golf Design stresses three overarching principles — Strategic Options, Sense of Adventure and Genius Loci — to strategically guide clients through project completion. Adapting these principles to each client’s ambitions in a site-specific manner enables the firm to produce results that cost less while elevating artistry and emphasizing realistic upkeep. This perspective was adopted when principal designer David Zinkand, PLA, ASLA, was studying the great golf courses of Great Britain and Ireland as a recipient of the Dreer Award, and then crystallized during his 14 years working for Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. Some of Zinkand’s recent clients include Old Elm Club (IL), Monterey Peninsula C.C. (CA), Sharon Golf Club (OH) and Chechessee Creek Club (SC).
Media Contact:
Stephen Reynolds
Reynolds Media Group
stephen@reynoldsmediagrp.com
703-344-6031
