Par Excellence: The Biography of Sir Michael Bonallack, OBE

Sir Michael Bonallack has made a tremendous impact on the game of golf as player and administrator. He is Britain’s finest ever amateur golfer and as Secretary of the R&A, and ambassador for the sport, his contribution to the game he loves has been substantial. He was deservedly inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2000. In a detailed and wide-ranging biography commissioned by the R&A, Donald Steel has covered Sir Michael’s outstanding life in golf. When asked by friends why a book had not been written about him, Sir Michael’s response was, “A book, who on earth would want to read about me?” Sir Michael may be a modest man but his achievements in golf are most certainly not. Steel is able to give detailed reports of Bonallack’s golfing successes with great personal touches owing to the fact he was often at the events he describes. Sir Michael won the Amateur Championship five times and the English Amateur Championship five times. He played in nine Walker Cups and was twice leading amateur in The Open.The book charts all these successes but also puts them into context. The book describes Sir Michael’s career as an administrator and ambassador for golf. The reader is overwhelmed by just how much he took on and delivered for the game. Yes, he was R&A Secretary for 16 years, but he was also chairman of the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland between 1976 and 1982, chairman of the Golf Foundation from 1977-1982, president of the Golf Foundation from 2000-2003 and president of the EGU in 1982. The list goes on… Sir Michael Bonallack is one of the all-time greats of British golf who has dedicated himself to the sport he loves. This book covers a remarkable golfing life.