Andrew Whiley, New Zealand Professional Golfers’ Association member for more than 40 years and a past president, reviews a book about Ian Baker-Finch.

To Hell and Back is a great golf read

Ian Baker-Finch recently announced his 30-year retirement from broadcasting golf.

Ian has been one of the most distinguished and insightful voices in golf commentary, especially with the CBS commentary team since 2006.

But how did Ian Baker-Finch, the kid from Beerwah, Queensland, winner of the 1991 British Open and owner of a golf game that just disappeared, have such a distinguished career in the game of golf?

“To Hell and Back”, the story of Ian Baker-Finch, delivers an unflinching and deeply personal account of the glory and devastation that defined his career in professional golf.

The book, part memoir and part psychological exploration, is not just a sports biography; it’s a rare and raw insight into the emotional toll of performance anxiety, public scrutiny and personal redemption. It cements Baker-Finch not only as a major champion but also as one of the best insightful golf voices.

Most golfers will remember Baker-Finch as the 1991 Open champion, who was a charismatic and smooth-swinging Australian who was going to contend on the global golf stage for many years.

But four years after lifting the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale in England, he found himself struggling with swing thoughts and searching for everything and missing cuts before finally stepping away from the game entirely.

Being known as one of the nicest guys in the game, he had bags of mail turn up at his house with remedies and solutions for him to find the solution to get his golf back on track.

Personally, I struggled with the book’s title a little, as I understand the “hell” he went through with his golf game and with playing competitively, but he technically didn’t make it “back” to playing golf for a living. He did, however, return to a great career in the game as one of the best golf television personalities. Throughout the book you learn how much he loves spending his time talking about golf, playing golf with his professional and amateur mates and dealing with the world of golf politics as the current president of the Australian PGA. He really lived the “real” non-pampered life of being a touring golf professional.

I enjoyed reading about a young lad who loved the game so much that he would do nearly anything to find a way to play the game for a living. Learning the game from a book lying on the ground, as he hit ball after ball on the practice area and by playing on a nine-hole golf course his father helped build was what lead to him leaving school a couple of years early, to take up an apprenticeship as a golf professional.

He then spent time working on his game and joined some of the young Australian golf professionals as they went “Troppo” on the Sunshine Golf Tour. Yes, they had some wild times but you only get to read about some of the tame stories. In talking to some of the professionals from that era, it really was the most challenging of times but also some of the best times of their lives that has bonded them together for over 40 years.

Caption: Ian Baker-Finch with his mentor Peter Thomson at St Andrews in Scotland in 1984.

I vividly remember Baker-Finch winning the New Zealand Open in 1983 at then Middlemore Golf Club. The Australian golfers of the time were some of the best players in the world and were highly competitive. The New Zealand Open really set Ian up for a career around the world with his playing well in Japan and then playing the European Tour. The stories from Europe are special, especially when legendary caddy Steve Williams was building his career, carrying Baker-Finch’s bag on a regular basis. The friendship they enjoyed as they went from tournament to tournament in the less glamourous days of professional golf in the 80s, has endured.

Travelling to the United States to play on the PGA Tour is an interesting section of the book. Did the golf courses really suit him? Was he comfortable playing the US Tour or did he miss the camaraderie of the Australian and European tours, where all the players travelled together and spent time on and off the course together? Then there was life on tour with his wife Jennie and his young family.

Ian also takes the time to talk about the contracts and endorsements that were part of his life as a tour professional. Did he sell out at times rather and stay the course with equipment he may have performed better with? Did those around him in his management team have his best interests at heart? Or did they have him travelling in many different directions? Life as a tour professional was dramatically different compared to today.

You appreciate the X factor Ian had, when you read about the people who took him under their wings. A close relationship in his early days with Peter Thomson, and later with Jack and Barbara Nicklaus when he and his family moved to Florida, were impactful. You come to realise that Ian was extremely popular with his peers.

Moreover, Baker-Finch is generous in his reflections on others. He praises his peers with grace, offers gratitude to family and friends who stood by him, and even critiques the media coverage of his downfall without bitterness. His admiration for the likes of Greg Norman, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods is genuine and his perspective as someone who has both conquered and been conquered by the game, adds depth to his commentary on golf’s greats.

As a now recently retired broadcaster and analyst for American broadcaster CBS, Ian was globally recognised for his extensive golf knowledge with insightful and empathetic commentary. This book does reflect that same voice: thoughtful, fair, and never self-indulgent. His journey from Open champion to what many perceived as a fallen star, and finally to a respected media figure, is told not with regret but with reflection.

In the end, To Hell and Back is not just a story about golf but it’s a story about identity, pressure, failure, and healing. Ian Baker-Finch’s willingness to confront his darkest moments with humility and courage makes this one of the most affecting sports books in recent years. You will laugh out loud and nearly cry for Ian, but more than anything, most golfers will be able to relate to many of those moments on the course where you just want to hide. This is one really great story that you will enjoy reading.

Head to your nearest bookstore for a great golf read or even better the perfect Father’s Day gift!