They say don’t judge a book by its cover.

Yet that old adage doesn’t apply with Sports Illustrated: The Golf Book. Its cover is a beautiful montage of the game’s greatest players. It’s just the first clue that this new hardcover coffee table book is a winner.

Brilliant photography and creative story-telling - two staples of Sports Illustrated - highlight the latest effort in a series of great sports books from SI starting with the Sports Illustrated 50: The Anniversary Book in 2004.

The Golf Book celebrates the wonderful history of the game, starting with a picture of the Spaulding ball Bobby Jones used to win the Grand Slam in 1930. I like that the book doesn’t focus on one aspect of golf. It brings everything about the game to life, from equipment to the players to the courses.

Some of the world’s greatest golf writers have entries within: Names like Herbert Warren Wind, the man who coined the phrase “Amen Corner” at The Masters. And Dan Jenkins. And Grantland Rice. The book is broken up by with passages detailing eras critical to the game like the Golden Age (1913-1930), the Rise of Jack and Arnie (1955-69) and Tiger’s Time (1996 to present).

For all the wonderful words within, it’s the double-truck photo spreads that are truly special. The awe of Cape Kidnappers, a cliffside course in New Zealand. The evolution of the golf ball and the golf tee. The helicopter view of Shadow Creek, a course encircled by the desert of Las Vegas.

For $29.95, it’s a gift I’d love to find under my Christmas tree. I don’t usually dole out such high praise, but this golf book scores under par from start to finish.