Goldfinger - the Ian Fleming novel (seventh in the famous spy series) - opens with an acquaintance of Bond meeting him at a Miami airport and requesting that he observe a two-handed Canasta game between himself and the eponymous villain of the novel, Auric Goldfinger.

 

Bond's friend suspects Goldfinger of cheating, and offers to pay Bond to confirm his suspicions. Bond discovers that Goldfinger's secretary had been using binoculars to spy on his friend's hand from her hotel room, and radio the cards to Goldfinger. Bond forces him to admit his guilt, pay back what he has unfairly won.

 

007 later learns that Goldfinger is the richest man in England, the world's top gold smuggler, and treasurer for the Soviet assassination agency SMERSH.

 

Bond then manages to set-up a high-stakes game of golf with Goldfinger, who cheats in their match by switching golf balls.  In the end, Bond beats him at his own game and wins the match.

 

Here is a YouTube link to the video of the scene as depicted in the Goldfinger movie, starring Sean Connery.  The Wikipedia link has lots of fun info on the movie too.

In The Publisher's Bulletin, Classics of Golf founder, Robert Macdonald wrote that when golf is used in novels it usually appears as background or atmosphere and is rarely central to the plot.  The golf in Goldfinger is different.  It is vital to both character development and the plot of the book.

Ian Fleming (pictured to the right) was an avid and knowledgeable golfer.  He was a 13-handicap player at Royal St. George's at Sandwich (here's website link) - the setting for the fictional match between Bond and Goldfinger (called Royal St. Mark's in the book).

Fleming knew the psychological ins and outs of big-money matches from the hardened perspective of a man with 13 strokes.