Golf and the American Country Club

In this entertaining cultural history, Moss explores the circumstances that led to the establishment of the country club as an American social institution and its inextricable connection to the ancient, imported game of golf. Moss traces the evolution of country clubs from informal groups of golf-playing friends to “country estates in the suburbs and eventually into public and private daily-fee courses, corporate country clubs, and gated golfing communities. The book shows how these developments reflect shifts in American values and attitudes toward health and sport, as well as changing social dynamics.''The title of [Moss's] thoughtful and informative book precisely states his double subject: the evolution of golf as one of the most important American sports and the emergence of the country club as an important (and often misunderstood) social institution. . . . It is in this patient exploration of the interaction between game and club that one finds the richest source for perceptive observations and insights.''--Journal of American History