A hundred years or so ago, kids growing up in St. Andrews, Scotland, kids like Bill Kilpatrick’s father, took to golf as naturally as to breathing. Accordingly, the prevailing opinion was that any layabout could play golf, whereas a greenkeeper was someone to be reckoned with. And a greenkeeper (a term much preferred to “golf course superintendent”) was what Kilpatrick’s father became. Kilpatrick’s memoir of growing up on golf courses is at once a window on another time—when golf was played mainly with balata balls, hickory shafts, and handmade spoons, mashies, and cleeks—and a ground-level view of what maintaining a golf course meant when artisanship, instinct, and experience carried the day. A charming narrative of a boy’s relationship with his adored, occasionally impatient, and always forgiving father, Brassies, Mashies, and Bootleg Scotch takes us to some of the most notable golf clubs in America and introduces us to a delightful cast of characters, from giants of golf history to behind-the-scenes eccentrics to walk-on stars like New York Giants pitcher Hal Schumacher. Readers get a rare glimpse of a vanished world through Kilpatrick’s recollections of the daily routines of his father as a dedicated greenkeeper and of his own experiences as a caddy on the courses that were his family’s way of life.

In the past 100 years Old Trafford has hosted World Cup and European Championship matches, FA Cup Finals and a Champions League Final and has witnessed countless United wins, draws and defeats. Yet it endures, above all, as a monument to the vision of the club's founder and first patron John Henry Davies. Recognising football's exponential growth in the 1900s and the need to safely house vast numbers of supporters, Davies recognised that the champions of England and 1909 FA Cup winners needed a more spacious home than tatty old Bank Street, in Clayton, a ground with few facilities and a capacity of less than 25,000. A brewer by trade, the chairman found a spare plot of land in Old Trafford and, bolstered by the club's success, appointed famed football stand architect Archibald Leitch to construct a 100,000 capacity stadium on the site. Built in 1909 and officially opened in February 1910 for the league visit of Liverpool, Old Trafford was instantly acclaimed by one reporter as "the most handsomest [sic], the most spacious and the most remarkable arena I have ever seen. As a football ground it is unrivalled in the world, it is an honour to Manchester and the home of a team who can do wonders when they are so disposed." Unfortunately the stadium arrived at just the wrong time for the club as United were about to begin a 37 year trophy-free run, the longest in the club's history. Consequently, United's average attendance before the war rarely topped the 30,000 mark, in a ground with a capacity of over 70,000. The luckless stadium suffered further blows on the nights of the 8th and 11th March 1941 when it was bombed during The Blitz. And so for four seasons after the war United were forced to play their 'home' fixtures at Maine Road. Now in its second 'life' Old Trafford was no longer alone as a large capacity stadium, yet United's resurgence under Matt Busby filled it more often than not. The arrival of floodlights and European football heralded a new chapter: the stadium is widely regarded as at its best on such occasions and from the first game against the immortals of Real Madrid in 1957 the ground hosted continental opposition and became renowned across Europe. In the sixties the ground had a new cantilever stand added to the west in preparation for the 1966 World Cup Finals and, later, more seats were added at the Scoreboard End and behind the Stretford End. However these improvements were as nothing compared to the dramatic changes brought about in the wake of the Taylor Report. The birth of the Premier League and United's domestic dominance helped transform the ground - first into an all-seater stadium, then steady season-by-season growth saw it swell to hold over 75,000. For a period during the protracted construction of Wembley, the ground even became the national stadium hosting twelve England matches. In 'Old Trafford' Iain McCartney updates his original 1996 book. Featuring the original site plans, never-seen-before pictures of the ground's construction, development and, of course, the great matches hosted there. Almost alone now among the grounds built during the first football boom in the early 20th century, Old Trafford has become an essential part of the English football landscape to the extent that it is inconceivable that any future World Cup bid would not feature it prominently. A century on, it is still 'an honour to Manchester', and the north's prime football arena.

Every golfer dreams of making a pilgrimage to Ireland to enjoy the 'craic' and play some memorable golf on some of the most magnificent courses in the world. From the opening drive at Lahinch, to the spectacular dune-framed holes ay Ballybunion, Ireland boasts an extraordinary collection of seaside links. Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Portmarnock, Portstewart, Waterville and the Island, the European Club and Baltry-any of these would be reason to cross an ocean, and the concentration of all of them on such a small land mass makes for a golfer's paradise limited only by time and budget. For the tourist or the dreamer, there can be no better guide than James W. Finegan. A passionate advocate and a charming storyteller, Finegan combines a writer's eye, a historian's knowledge, and a golfer's sense of wonder and apprehension to provide an impossibly ambitious grand tour of this beautiful land.In a loop that begins in the West at Lahinch and continues clockwise through both the Republic and Northern Ireland, Finegan covers more than fifty courses, visiting those that have become true shrines of the game, the courses that are well known and respected, and the little-known gems you might otherwise pass right by. He shares the history of the courses, and writes marvelously what's to be found as you play them yourself. And he provides all the information you need to make your arrangements, both on and off the course.

Stadium construction has altered the physical landscape of many major metropolitan areas throughout North America and has had a profound psychological and economic impact on these urban centers. How athletic facilities have been constructed, from the ritual-centered beginning of stadium construction in ancient Greece to largescale construction of professional sports facilities in present day global centers, reveals a culture's values and priorities and how it defines its recreational needs. With in-depth analysis and research, Robert C. Trumpbour examines the political institutions, commercial entities, civic leadership, and media organizations that influenced new stadium construction. The author analyzes three significant recent historical periods: the Progressive Era when modern fireproof stadiums were first built; the late 1960s and early 1970s when multipurpose football stadiums were built in downtown areas to promote urban redevelopment; and the late 1990s when retro ballparks were built to employ novel measures for profiteering. Charting this evolution, Trumpbour convincingly argues that there has been a dramatic shift in the role of the media, one in which media access has emerged as a vital element in setting the ground rules for the stadium construction debate. Written in lucid, jargon-free prose, this book combines a detailed history of stadium construction with an analysis of current stadium issues that provides a rich, portrait of our cultural landscape.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KEEP TURFGRASS LOOKING ITS BEST!

Whether it’s used as a football field, a golf course, or a suburban slice of heaven, turfgrass presents unique challenges to those charged with maintaining it. That’s why if caring for lawns is part of your work — or if you just want to make your yard stand out from the rest — McGraw-Hill’s Turfgrass Installation, Management, and Maintenance can help you do it right.

Written with insight by a leading landscaping professional, this fully illustrated guide examines every aspect of turf establishment and maintenance, offering practical solutions to a multitude of problems and situations. Included is comprehensive coverage of:

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Written with enough detail to satisfy the seasoned professional — and yet still easily understood by the beginner — Turfgrass Installation, Management, and Maintenance gives you the facts you need to keep things growing smoothly.

Includes:

* Soils

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* Out on the Golf Course

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* Turf in the Landscape

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About the Author:
Rodney Johns (Canton, MO) was employed in the golf course maintenance business for 10 years prior to opening Arki-Tec Landscaping and Sales Company, LLC in 1995. He has many years of professional experience in the turfgrass industry and serves on various advisory boards in both industry and academia.

In its forty-year existence, the 5th Street Gym housed the training grounds for three of the greatest fighters the sport has ever known - Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, and Sugar Ray Leonard - and became the locus for a grand total of fourteen world champions. The site was also a magnet for a wide range of international celebrities including Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Jackie Gleason, Frank Sinatra, the Beatles, and Sylvester Stallone, who were all absorbed into the gym's legend. The 5th Street Gym's beginnings trace back to 1950, when Chris Dundee, along with his brother Angelo, began promoting big-time boxing at Miami Beach. ""Tales from The 5th Street Gym"" includes a wealth of never-before-seen photographs and is the first to chronicle the fascinating history of the 5th Street Gym from one of its insiders - Dr. Ferdie Pacheco - with crucial contributions from Tom Archdeacon, Angelo Dundee, Suzanne Dundee Bonner, Enrique Encinosa, Howard Kleinberg, Ramiro Ortiz, Edwin Pope, Bob Sheridan, and Budd Schulberg. Discover the secret history of one of boxing's most hallowed grounds, as Pacheco recalls the rise, heyday, and fall of the 'sweet science' at Miami Beach.