Stephen Proctor

Winner of the USGA Herbert Warren Wind Book Award 'Finally – a book that truly captures the inspiring and uniquely gifted women from a largely forgotten golfing age. A wonderful read from start to finish' – Iona Stephen, Sky Sports presenter, commentator and host From the moment women began hosting championships of their own in 1893, one of golf's burning questions became whether any woman would ever approach the mythical ideal of playing perfect golf. It took three decades of striving – at a time when Suffragettes were stubbornly fighting for women’s rights – before Joyce Wethered and Glenna Collett delivered an unequivocal answer to that question. From their first meeting at Troon in 1925, through a decade highlighted by their breathtaking match at St Andrews, the Englishwoman and the American brought out in one another golf so sublime that rare was the player, man or woman, who could perform as brilliantly. The rivalry between Wethered and Collett generated such widespread interest and respect that it paved the way for the birth of a women’s professional tour. Matchless tells the story of these two incomparable golfers – women who personified the ambitions of their age.

From the moment women began hosting championships of their own in 1893, one of golf's burning questions became whether any woman would ever approach the mythical ideal of playing perfect golf. It took three decades of striving — at a time when Suffragettes were stubbornly fighting for women’s rights — before Joyce Wethered and Glenna Collett delivered an unequivocal answer to that question. From their first meeting at Troon in 1925, through a decade highlighted by their breathtaking match at St Andrews, the Englishwoman and the American brought out in one another golf so sublime that rare was the player, man or woman, who could perform as brilliantly. The rivalry between Wethered and Collett generated such widespread interest and respect that it paved the way for the birth of a women’s professional tour. Matchless tells the story of these two incomparable golfers — women who personified the ambitions of their age.

An invitation to explore the life-giving lessons we can learn from the Earth, featuring stunning photography and reflections from an acclaimed visual artist The Earth is the first tangible gift we were given. Yet when did you last pause to appreciate the immensity of the ocean, wander in silence through an ancient forest, or behold the grandeur of a mountain? How long has it been since you've felt grass beneath your feet? Accompanied by awe-inspiring full-color photography from landscape cinematographer and visual artist Stephen Proctor, Wild Wonder: What Nature Teaches Us About Slowing Down and Living Well combines pastoral observations about creation with an exploration of how it can provide healing to our minds and bodies. Divided into five parts that are each devoted to a unique aspect of nature--oceans, forests, rivers, ice, and mountains--Proctor encourages readers to recognize how being outside restores us and offers us a renewed sense of awe and wonder for the Creator. In each of the thirty brief essays, he points to some of the deep lessons nature can teach us. We can appreciate the gift of silence while observing a glacier, gain a new perspective on top of a mountain, learn the skill of slowing down from a river, and experience a metaphor of redemptive life after death through nurse logs. Each part includes an interview from an artist whose inspiration has been drawn from nature and ends with a "Time to Fly " section that features reflection questions, simple action prompts, and sources for further exploration. Whether outdoor enthusiasts or armchair adventurers, readers of this book will be drawn into a more holistic and contemplative way of life and a deeper awareness of the beautiful world around them.

Shortlisted for the Sports Book Awards for Best Sports Writing of the Year Shortlisted for the USGA Herbert Warren Wind Book Award The Long Golden Afternoon tells the story of the transformative generation of golf that followed the rise of Young Tom Morris - an era of sweeping change that saw Scotland's national pastime become one of the rare games played around the world. It begins with the first epochal performance after Tommy - John Ball's victory at Prestwick in 1890 as the first Englishman and the first amateur to win the Open Championship - and continues through the outbreak of the Great War. If Tommy ignited the flame of golf in England, Ball's breakthrough turned that smoldering fire into a conflagration. The generation that followed would witness the game's coming of age. It would see an explosion in golf's popularity, the invention of revolutionary new balls and clubs, the emergence of professional tours, the organization of the game and its rules, a renaissance in writing and thinking about golf, and the decision that the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews must always remain the sport's guiding light. 'A beautifully crafted examination of a period in the history of golf that will never again be witnessed. It is not to be missed' - Jim Davis, The Golf

Shortlisted for the Sports Book Awards for Best Sports Writing of the Year Shortlisted for the USGA Herbert Warren Wind Book Award The Long Golden Afternoon tells the story of the transformative generation of golf that followed the rise of Young Tom Morris - an era of sweeping change that saw Scotland's national pastime become one of the rare games played around the world. It begins with the first epochal performance after Tommy - John Ball's victory at Prestwick in 1890 as the first Englishman and the first amateur to win the Open Championship - and continues through the outbreak of the Great War. If Tommy ignited the flame of golf in England, Ball's breakthrough turned that smoldering fire into a conflagration. The generation that followed would witness the game's coming of age. It would see an explosion in golf's popularity, the invention of revolutionary new balls and clubs, the emergence of professional tours, the organization of the game and its rules, a renaissance in writing and thinking about golf, and the decision that the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews must always remain the sport's guiding light. 'A beautifully crafted examination of a period in the history of golf that will never again be witnessed. It is not to be missed' - Jim Davis, The Golf

Shortlisted for The Telegraph Sports Book Awards Biography of the Year 'A splendid new biography. How good was young Tom Morris? Stephen Proctor makes his case cogently. Young Tom Morris was one of the greatest of them all' - Allan Massie Young Tom Morris, the son of the legendary pioneer of golf, Tom Morris, was golf’s first superstar. Born at a pivotal moment in history, just as the new and inexpensive ‘gutty’ ball was making golf affordable and drawing thousands of new players to the game, his genius and his swashbuckling personality would set a game that had been frozen in amber for four centuries on the pathway to becoming worldwide spectator sport we know today. Exhaustively researched and beautifully illustrated, Monarch of the Green is a stirring and evocative history of Tommy’s life (which also includes, for the first time, a compilation of his competitive record in stroke-play tournaments, singles matches, and foursomes) and demonstrates how, in one dazzling decade, this young superstar dominated the sport like few others have ever done.