When the cold winds blow and the golf course wanders in and out of suspended animation, we here at The Rock like to put a few hickory logs in the fireplace and recharge our minds and spirits for what summer will throw at us.  

Cable TV has long been banished from the realm of Rockbottum, so our favorite winter evening activity involves reading near the fireplace, hot chamomile tea, warm homemade bread and quiet music.

Our reading music is typically Ralph Vaughn Williams or George Winston, played at background levels; phones are incarcerated in other rooms and if dub step bleeds in from somewhere else in the house, Momma will reach for her bat.

I have collected a small library over the years, made up of everything from history to reference and to keep the quality level high, I have two rules:

First, to survive the occasional purge, the book must either be of high literary quality or enormously entertaining.

Second, I believe a book must be read three times over the years, in order to thoroughly absorb the information and retain it . . . and it helps to look at a book from the different viewpoint that age and experience bestows upon the reader.

For instance, a Louis Lamour cowboy novel is not as entertaining at 57 as it was when I was 24.  Of course, at 24, I was reading his work in the chaos of an army barracks or while waiting under the wing of a C-130.  It was easier to read Wild West than Herman Hesse in a noisy, adrenaline-soaked environment.

It's sort of like the difference between watching "Big Bang Theory" and "Downton Abbey"--they're both great, they're just different.  With that in mind, here are three current book recommendations from the Rockbottum CC Library.

"The Greatest Game Ever Played", by Mark Frost, is currently receiving most of my attention.  It's about the 1913 US Open at Brookline and the epic battle between Harry Vardon and Francis Ouimet.  If golf plays any part in your career, you should know this story.

Rockbottum Theory states that golf has had Three Major Surges that brought people into the game of golf.  The First Surge was a direct result of the drama that surrounded the 1913 US Open and served to shape modern golf.   

Of course, The Second Surge was Arnold Palmer arriving at roughly the same time as the first TV broadcast of golf, (1954) when the average guy was drawn into the game by the millions.  

Another book in the Rockbottum CC Library is "Go For Broke", by Arnold Palmer.  Even if you don't play competitive golf, this book will help you understand the Second Surge of modern golf.

I don't like to talk about the Third Surge, as it was not triggered by golfers, but bankers, real estate developers and a foundation.  If you want something to read that will help you with this time period, try

"The Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire" by Edward Gibbon--or anything dealing with steroids, unnatural, forced growth and artificially supported success--maybe Lance will have something out on that soon.

Finally, I just completed my third read of a fascinating history book:  "The Minute Men.  The First Fight, Myths and Realities of the American Revolution", by John R. Galvin, former Supreme Allied  Commander, Europe and Commander-in-Chief, US European Command.

The story behind what actually happened at Lexington and Concord is one of the most interesting pieces of military history I have ever read and I strongly suggest you add this work to your library.

If you worry that reading history is dull or stiff--just think of it this way:  If Ludell can read it, certainly you can read it.