Books Of The Year

5 TOMMY'S HONOR: THE STORY OF OLD TOM MORRIS AND YOUNG TOM MORRIS, GOLF'S FOUNDING FATHER AND SON by Kevin Cook (Gotham Books, $27.50) Cook's superbly researched study of Old Tom, his star-crossed son and their contemporaries brings the characters to life by adding context and detail to historical record.

4 TY AND THE BABE--THE INCREDIBLE SAGA OF BASEBALL'S FIERCEST RIVALS: THE FORGING OF A SURPRISING FRIENDSHIP AND THE BATTLE FOR THE 1941 HAS-BEENS GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP by Tom Stanton (Thomas Dunne Books, $23.95) The subtitle is a mouthful, but Stanton's chronicle of how these colorful diamond dogs carried their antagonisms to the golf course goes down smoothly.

3 PLANET GOLF: THE DEFINITIVE REFERENCE TO GREAT GOLF COURSES OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES by Darius Oliver; photographs by David Scaletti (Abrams Books, $60) Big and brassy, Planet scours the globe to deliver the kind of money-shot photos and redolent prose that sends armchair golfers into winter reveries.

2 PREFERRED LIES: A JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF SCOTTISH GOLF by Andrew Greig (Thomas Dunne Books, $23.95) The premise--renewal through reconnection to the game--isn't new, but Greig brings a refreshing sense of intimacy to trips to the Old Course, North Berwick and Royal Dornoch.

1 JOURNEY THROUGH THE LINKS by David Worley (Aurum Press, $50) Visiting 155 linksland courses in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, Journey is a rarity among large-format golf books: a marvelous combination of stunning photography and elegant prose.