The world of golf is baffling to people who don't play and therefore don't understand the pure joy that comes with the sport. But, for those who do, golfing is truly something special. Lofted by William Watt is a book made for those who truly appreciate the sport, the dedicated souls who go out to a course come sunshine or rain and strive for that perfect shot. 

People think we’re a little crazy. Wandering around out there with a bag of sticks, chasing a little white ball around a paddock. In sunshine or rain. Jumping for joy, or slumping to defeat. Laughing or crying, and every emotion in between. Clamouring through the bushes or tall grass, searching and hoping to find a wayward strike. Getting up before dawn, on a weekend, for that prized first tee time. Dodging snakes, alligators, bugs, bears and even bombs. Leaning into the wind, sand blasting our faces as the dunes shift around us. Treading barefoot into the shallows to play a ball resting on the shoreline, with the faint hope of saving just a single shot. Sacrificing our backyards to hitting nets, and office floors to putting mats. Gizmos, apps, tips and gear. How deep do you want to go?

In the mind of a non-golfer, the question is inevitably ‘why?’ Why do we do it? What’s the attraction of golf? And to explain it isn’t so easy, because for a thousand golfers there are a thousand different answers. Golf is a game that caters for, and challenges, the mind of every player. The way we interact with golf reflects our very nature. So I can only answer the question from my perspective. But like a giant Venn diagram with a hundred interlocked circles, perhaps there’s some overlap with your own love of the game.

For me, it’s the feeling of endless discovery. The quest for new experiences and unseen horizons. Those moments of surprise and delight – mini-epiphanies that pop up at the most unexpected times. Because no two golf shots are ever the same. You could play the same course every day for a thousand years and still never hit the exact same shot twice. When you take this fundamental truth and then add in the endless variety of different courses, designed by different architects, played with different people, in different countries, in different conditions, then you have a recipe for a pursuit of unlimited possibilities.

Lofted is the culmination of four years of chasing these possibilities. Both literally – on the road playing courses around the world – and vicariously, through our amazing network of contributors, who are pursuing their own version of the game. Through the pages of Caddie Magazine, the founding team of Dave Carswell, Jane Knight, Cam Hassard and I have sought to spread the word of this great game through a lens unlike anything that has come before.

In this book, you’ll read of golf adventures from truly remarkable destinations and the fascinating people we met along the way. From a war zone to a billionaire’s playground. From vineyards in France, to a Malaysian rainforest, to a canyon at the foot of the Himalayas. Both the world’s longest golf course and the world’s longest golf hole. The old and the new. The rugged and the refined. If we found all this in four years, imagine what a lifetime in the game can bring?

We hope this book will inspire you to explore and see golf not just as the world’s greatest game, but an opportunity to experience different environments, diverse cultures and meet wonderful people along the way.

All text and images extracted from Lofted by William Watt
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