READING ON THE GREENS.

Byline: Mike Stahlberg The Register-Guard

Reading greens is something every golfer must do to score well.

But many golfers read much more than greens - they delve into the huge bag of available links literature, containing countless volumes on every conceivable aspect of the game, past and present.

Indeed, golf boasts one of the richest bodies of writings in all of modern sports - perhaps because its history is one of the longest. The challenge, camaraderie and lore of the links have inspired three centuries of writers - from early Scottish poets to authors of modern tomes on techniques and biographies of players famous and infamous.

Some people enjoy reading about the game almost as much as they do playing it. For example, Jim Gibbons, executive director of the Oregon Golf Association, says he has "nearly 900" golf books in his personal library. That may sound like a lot, but Gibbons focuses his collecting on pre-World War II golf books.

"I tend to stay away from the modern stuff, unless it's just a fun novel," Gibbons said.

Otherwise, Gibbons said, he'd be "overwhelmed" by the thousands of titles on golf published so far- with dozens more issued every year.

One need not be a collector, or even a gentleman, to enjoy reading about the "gentlemen's game." With more distinct types of golf books available than there are clubs in your bag, there's something for everyone.

Instructional books proliferate, of course, but there are also "all the different categories," Gibbons said, "including annuals and histories. ... Then there's a tremendous amount of books on architecture and the designing of courses. Then you get into books about certain individuals - biographies - and books about certain events, like the Ryders Cup or the Masters."

Not to mention psychological books and looks "inside the ropes."

Even novelists find golf courses to be worthy backdrops for fiction - as in Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Links" and Ian Flemming's "Goldfinger," in which James Bond matches strokes with his chief adversary with $10,000 at risk.

No matter what your reading taste, now's a good time to stock up on good books so they'll be available on those days when it really is too cold or wet to play. (Books also make good holiday gifts for golfers).

But golf books are like balls found in a water hazard - some of them are keepers and some are flawed or too dated to be of much use. And there are so very many to choose from. (Query the online book vender Amazon.com on the subject of golf and you'll get in excess of 95,000 "hits.")

To help guide readers, Golf Extra asked local golfers to tell us about a book or books they'd recommend to their friends.

The OGA's Gibbons cited a half-dozen books from his huge collection, starting with "Dream Golf, The Making of Bandon Dunes" (by Stephen Goodwin), which he termed "a must read" for Oregonians.

The OGA director also recommends "Missing Links" by Rick Reilly, a novel about the worst municipal course in the world and the golfers who play there. "I was laughing out loud while reading it," Gibbons said.

"The Greatest Player Who Never Lived" by J. Michael Veron "is a story that is fascinating and weaves the Bobby Jones legacy with the current times in a manner that leaves the reader wondering if this is fiction or fact," he said.

Also recommended is "The Clicking of Cuthbert" or any other golfing stories by P.G. Wodehouse, whom Gibbons describes as "a fine English writer, with a light humorous touch, from the early part of the 20th century."

Al Mundle, director of golf instruction at RiverRidge Golf Complex in Eugene, named a half-dozen books that would be worthwhile additions to a golfer's library.

He likes "Munie: The Jitterbug Collection" by Bobby Steiner because it's "a fun and easy-reading book, one that when you get started you don't want to put it down."

The book's characters provide "some tips that are simple but fundamentally sound, and you don't feel that you are being taught. Good for all levels of golfers - even teaching professionals," Mundle said. "A great book!"

Bob Hope's "Confessions of a Hooker" is also high on Mundle's "must-read" list.

"As you can imagine, it has a great deal of humor and is an enjoyable book," he said, but it also reveals much about a man who "contributed so much to the PGA Tour, to golf in general and to many charities through golf - he was a beacon of light and loved by all."

Mundle's other nominees include: "The Flat Stick" by Noah Lieberman and "Every Shot Must Have A Purpose" by Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott. Lieberman's is "a fun book" that delves into "the history of putters, some of the greatest all-time putts, stories of hilarious parting of the ways between the players and their putters."

Nilsson and Marriott, known for their work with Annika Sorenstam, write about a program that integrates the mental, physical, technical, emotional and social parts of a player's game, with less emphasis on the mechanics.

RiverRidge co-owner Ric Jeffries recommends "Hogan" by Curt Sampson, a biography that is "very, very good." Jeffries is also high on two books by Mark Frost: "The Greatest Game Ever Played" and "Bobby Jones, America, and the Story of Golf."

Mark Keating of Keating's School of Golf at Fiddler's Green was among other golfers who also mentioned "The Greatest Game," calling it "a fantastic story and full of history."

Keating's instructional favorites include "Five Days to Golfing Excellence" by Chuck Hogan ("This book shares skills and tools that can reshape anyone's game.") and "Extraordinary Golf" by Fred Shoemaker ("Terrific insight and perspective. I always refer to this one when I 'lose the plot' on the course.")

For entertainment, "'Dead Solid Perfect' by Dan Jenkins is just plain funny," Keating said

A funny non-fiction book is "Who's Your Caddy?: Looping for the Great, Near Great, and Reprobates of Golf," by Rick Reilly, according to Birk Nelson, head pro at Diamond Woods Golf Course.

"Wasn't that hilarious?" he said. "It's a fun one that I really liked."

Nelson says he's always enjoyed reading golf instruction books. "Tiger Woods' 'How I Play Golf' is a great book, as is Jack Nicklaus' 'Golf My Way,'" he said. "As far as leisure reading, I enjoyed 'Legends of Bagger Vance' (by Steven Pressfield ), 'Golf In the Kingdom' (by Michael Murphy), and 'A Good Walk Spoiled' (by John Feinstein)."

Mark Sivara, head pro at Eugene Country Club, mentioned Arnold Palmer's autobiography, "A Golfer's Life" written by James Dodson, "A Walk in the Park" by Bradley Klein, and "Dream Golf."

Dan King, head pro at Tokatee Golf Club, said "Golf My Way" by Jack Nicklaus is the book "I got brought up on, and later I used to teach off it.

"But what I've given my son is the Bob Rotella series of books. I think they are fantastic - excellent to help a person get beyond that leveling-off point."

Books focusing on the mental aspect of the game by Dr. Bob Rotella ("Golf is Not a Game of Perfect," "Golf is a Game of Confidence," etc.) were mentioned by several others golfers, including Todd O'Neal, general manager of Emerald Valley Golf Course, and Casey Martin, University of Oregon men's golf coach.

"I don't think you'll get a better book than 'Golf is Not a Game of Perfect,' " O'Neal said.

O'Neal also recommends two John Feinstein books, "A Good Walk Spoiled: Days and Nights on the PGA Tour" and "The Majors - In Pursuit of Golf's Holy Grail."

Martin, who has played on both the Nationwide and PGA Tours, and who consulted Rotella during his competitive career, says Rotella's works and the classic Ben Hogan book, "Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf," highlight his small library, which consists of 10 to 15 "mental" and "swing" books.

"Golfers buy a lot of books," Martin said during the recent Oregon Classic at Shadow Hills Country Club. "It's unbelievable. My attorney, Bill Wiswall, he has every book."

(Asked for recommendations, Wiswall rattled off Hogan's "Five Lessons," "The Short Way to Lower Scoring" by PGA putting and chipping whiz Paul Runyan, and "Golf Begins at 50" by Gary Player.)

Martin said Wiswall is always trying to give him golf books.

"I say I read them," Martin said, "but ... "

Which brings up the obvious fact that not all golfers are interested in reading about their sport.

Based on a random survey of touring pros at the Nationwide Tour event, golfers who play the sport for a living are not the ones buying all those books on the shelves of Borders and Barnes & Noble.

Jeff Quinney, the South Eugene High grad who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., said he owns "like three" golf books. He's read the books of lessons by Harvey Penick, and some of the Rotella books, but not much beyond that. "I've never been a golf fan as far as books go," Quinney said.

Not even veteran golfer Steve Pate, a six-time PGA Tour winner and two-time member of the U.S. Ryder Cup, seems to have much of a collection.

"Less than 10," said Pate, who admits his favorite golf book is "Dead Solid Perfect," the humorous golf novel by Dan Jenkins. "Most of the rest is pretty boring," he said.

Former U.S. Amateur champion Matt Kuchar said he's read some of Rotella's books, but has only a few golf books at home.

"Maybe golfers like getting away from golf," Kuchar said. "You live it every day, and when I'm home, it's nice to get away from the game."

Fellow Nationwide Tour pro Ryan Armour agreed.

"I tend to read everything not about golf," Armour said. "I'm around this so much. My caddie reads more (golf books) than I do. I probably have two or three laying around."

Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect by Robert J. Rotella "I don't think you'll get a better book ... John Q. Public needs to understand you don't have to be perfect to play well."- TODD O'NEAL, head pro and general manager of Emerald Valley Golf Course

Dream Golf: The Making of Bandon Dunes by Stephen Goodwin "For Oregonians, a must-read ... It is an accurate story of how the Oregon golf resort came to be. And it is interesting."- JIM GIBBONS, Executive Director of the Oregon Golf Association

Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf by Ben Hogan "It's the best book ever written on instructional golf ... Hogan is the master of masters on the correct golf swing." - BILL WISWALL, Eugene attorney

Extraordinary Golf: The Art of the Possible by Fred Shoemaker "Terrific insight and perspective. I always refer to this one when I 'lose the plot' on the course."- MARK KEATING, Owner of Keating's School of Golf

The Greatest Game Ever Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf by Mark Frost "History a major part of our sport, and I've always felt that was an excellent book to read."- DAN KING, Head pro at Tokatee

Register-Guard Sports Editor Ron Bellamy contributed to this report.