"If you have any passion for golf design, A Difficult Par should be the next book you read on the subject. It puts so much into perspective." -GolfDigest.com "This remarkable book is fitting tribute to a towering figure." - Golf Course Architecture Magazine "4/5 Stars. Outstanding…A tremendous addition to the study of the history of golf course architecture. It is a detailed and fascinating look into the life of a man who, it can be argued, did more to shape the face of modern golf, both directly and by his influence, than any other person in the game." - San Francisco Examiner "This book is a defining moment in golf literature.
" - The Met Golfer "An affecting family portrait. A prohibitive favorite for golf book of the year." - Departures Magazine "An expansive study of Jones'' life and work…authoritative and meticulously researched. for the course architecture aficionado, it is a revelatory dissertation." -WorldGolf.com "Superb…For anyone serious about golf, the history of the game or course design, this fine biography is a must. An in-depth biography of one of the greatest golf course architects of all time." -Shelf Awareness for Readers "Painstakingly researched, filled with kinds of fascinating insights.
Highly recommended." -Sportsology.info "The most complete accounting to date of the evolution of Mr. Jones Sr.''s design elements. A Difficult Par deserves to be, and has now become, an important volume in the historical record of golf course architecture and design." - Golf Letter "Fascinating…Every golfer who has ever wondered about the philosophy behind course design will thoroughly enjoy this biography." -GolfGurls.
com "Complicated…narrative rich in detail. Hansen ably shows us a life filled with unrivaled success and deep end-of-life disappointment." -Kirkus Reviews "In this magisterial study of Robert Trent Jones, James R. Hansen narrates the remarkable achievements of the world's most celebrated golf course architect. Hansen not only delves deeply into Jones's Walter Mitty-like personality, he sets Jones''s achievements into the context of America's reach as the world's leading economic and cultural power. A Difficult Par is a rich three-dimensional account of an extraordinary and uniquely American life." -John Strawn, author of Driving The Green and the former CEO of Robert Trent Jones II "Most of us in the golf world felt this was a book that could never be written. It took a decade of dogged persistence on Hansen''s part to produce not just a candid and truthful biography of Trent Jones but a veritable masterpiece in sport literature.
" -David Mackintosh, veteran international golf writer, Buenos Aires Herald "Robert Trent Jones was the most influential man in golf course design since Old Tom Morris. This biography by James Hansen is essential reading for all who love golf and golf courses. There is no book like it, answering far more questions about the leading personalities and practices of modern golf course design than any author has ever achieved." -Dr. Michael C. Hurdzan, former president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects " A Difficult Par is an American Dream saga-the story of an impoverished but ambitious young man without a high school diploma who married the girl of his dreams and gained fame and fortune as the world''s premier golf architect. In this remarkable biography, James R. Hansen combines an engrossing family saga of courtship, romance, marital love, father-son tensions, and sibling rivalries with a detailed chronicle of Jones''s business practices and a fascinating analysis of Jones''s theory and practice of golf architecture.
Hansen skillfully describes dozens of Jones''s most celebrated courses, clearly demonstrating that Jones''s genius lay in his ability to design a course that would severely test the world''s premier golfers, but also provide an enjoyable round for hackers and duffers who struggle to break 100." -George B. Kirsch, Professor Emeritus of History at Manhattan College and author of Golf in America " A Difficult Par paints a memorable portrait of the life and works of the father of modern golf architecture, and depicts his remarkable succession from immigrant to immortal. A must read for students of the game and its most noble names." -Warner Bott Berry, author of Scotsman's Dream "By a long way the best golf biography I have ever read, the first time, to my knowledge, that a historian of such eminence has shone the light of his professional skills on one of the game''s major figures." -Adam Lawrence, editor, Golf Course Architecture "As a historian and simple lover of classic golf course architecture, I''ve been waiting a long time for a comprehensive biography of the man who shaped the landscape of the modern game. With A Difficult Par , James Hansen has done the game of golf a great service by delivering a beautifully written and defining examination of the complicated life and legacy of Robert Trent Jones, including the dynastic succession that continues to shape the game we know today. This wonderful book is an easy birdie and difficult to put down.
A well-worn copy deserves to be on every true golf lover''s bookshelf." -James Dodson, author of Final Rounds and Ben Hogan: An American Life.