Haunted Golf: Spirited Tales From The Rough

The world of golf is rife with unexplainable happenings that seemingly defy the rules of gravity and logic: There are those badly hit shots last seen disappearing into a grove of trees, only to be rediscovered on the putting green. And what of those perfectly struck drives that rocketed into the crisp blue beyond never to be seen again? Players have learned to lay blame on “the Golf Gods,” and go about their rounds.

There are, however, the other stories—tales of apparitions gliding across a course, unexplained noises emanating from uninhabited rooms of a clubhouse, or the phantom golfer who appears out of nowhere to play a shot and vanishes just as suddenly. Haunted Golf explores such stories from the clubhouses of New England to the fairways of New Orleans and the links of Great Britain.

Bringing readers on a journey that will enlighten, entertain, and send shivers, this book also delves into the history and flavor of the locations, painting evocative portraits of the courses and the communities. It includes a foreword by English golfer and golf analyst Peter Oosterhuis.

Anthony Pioppi, a contributing editor for Golfdom and editor-at-large for Golfdom Europe, is the author of To the Nines, a celebration of America's notable nine-hole golf courses.

Chris Gonsalves is a journalist.

Peter Oosterhuis is a Senior PGA Tour player and a golf analyst for CBS.