Did you know that Shakespeare was a golfer? And that Rembrandt was no stranger to the fairway? Professor David Purdie takes a seriously humorous swipe at our collected knowledge of the game in this enlightening and entertaining compendium. Based on firm facts where available and on firm invention when not, the book examines the curious roles of the Golf Club, the golf ball and the golf player, explores the culture of the game across the world, including the USA, China and India - and sweeps aside all claims for the game's origin outside of Scotland. Accompanied by hilarious caricatures, The Greatest Game offers an alternative view of golf and tries to make some sense of the collective madness which pervades the links each day from dawn to sunset.

Did you know that Shakespeare was a golfer? And that Rembrandt was no stranger to the fairway? Professor David Purdie takes a seriously humorous swipe at our collected knowledge of the game in this enlightening and entertaining compendium. Based on firm facts where available and on firm invention when not, the book examines the curious roles of the Golf Club, the golf ball and the golf player, explores the culture of the game across the world, including the USA, China and India - and sweeps aside all claims for the game's origin outside of Scotland. Accompanied by hilarious caricatures, The Greatest Game offers an alternative view of golf and tries to make some sense of the collective madness which pervades the links each day from dawn to sunset.