Behind every golf hole lies an influence on every golfer's game that few golfers ever contemplate: the course architect. Why a hole dog-legs left and not right, why bunkers end up where they are, the length of a hole, the view from the tee—all these factors and many more are the result of choices made by the golf architect to challenge, and sometimes intimidate, any golfer's game.

Tom Doak, one of America's youngest and most successful golf architects, here discusses his craft and explains the strategies behind a golf architect's decisions. Knowing why a course is laid out is critical to how the course should be played. Knowledgeable golfers and beginners alike will find The Anatomy of a Golf Course fascinating—and stroke saving—reading.