The European Institute of Golf Course Architects is developing its library, located at the offices at Chiddingfold Golf Club in England, to be an information centre for golf course design unrivalled in the world.
Originally the library of the British Institute of Golf Course Architects and substantially augmented since, the EIGCA collection contains the writings of many of the great masters in the field, such as Colt, Wethered, Thomas, as well as the works of more modern gurus like Shackelford, Graves and Hurdzan. Facsimile copies of many books published in the first part of the twentieth century, such as The Links by Robert Hunter and Bernard Darwin’s Green Memories are available also.
There are guides to courses throughout the world and many works exploring the environmental impact of golf as well as practical guides to irrigation and greenkeeping which detail the techniques available to the industry today.
In addition to books, there are a number of journals such as those published by the STRI and the United States Golf Association as well as all the student dissertations produced over the past few years – a good place to start for in-depth research.
All publications in the collection are listed on the Institute’s recently updated web site where there is a search facility to find books on any subject. There is a list of the main categories used but all books are also indexed using a number of other terms so that subjects can be found embedded in broader works, such as health and safety or fertilisers. Student dissertations can be identified by the reference DISS and soon the library will offer downloads of these works for a small fee. A copy of the catalogue can also be sent by post.
Most of the books in the collection can be borrowed at a small cost. Access is also available to the Turfgrass Information File. Produced by the Michigan State University, TGIF is the most comprehensive database available for access to research papers and other course management publications, such as the Australian Turfgrass Management, the GCSAA’s Golf Course Management, Golf World, Golf Management Europe, Greenkeeper International, STRI’s International Turfgrass Bulletin, New Zealand Turf Management Journal and USGA Green Section Record. For further information contact Sue Stranger, Librarian, European Institute of Golf Course Architects, Tel: +44 1428 681528 Fax: +44 1428 681528 E-mail: librarian@eigca.org
Web Site www.eigca.org
An unrivalled information resource
