Originally published in 1908, The Mystery of Golf was the first book to seriously ruminate over that problematic region known as the golfer's mind and the obsessive hold the game has on it. Haultain suggests there are three unfathomables that have gripped the minds of men: metaphysics, golf, and the female heart. "The Germans, I believe, pretend to have solved some of the riddles of the first," he writes, "and the French to have unraveled some of the intricacies of the last; will someone tell us," he pleads almost rhetorically, "wherein lies the extraordinary fascination of golf?"

Although written 1908, this book remains arguably the best explanation for the fascination of golf. For the golfer, this is a must read and will provide lots of ammunition for justifying his or her passion. Non-golfers will come to understand their golfing friends better and may even be tempted to try the sport themselves.