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Summer 2004 Golf Book Reviews Golfer's Library is an appropriate way to
begin this installment. Daniel Wexler previously published The
Missing Links and Lost Links, about lost courses and holes of
America. It is fitting that this volume should treat something
found,not lost: a compendium of golfing literature. Wexler
very precisely divides the history of golf-related literature into ten
chapters, including such expected foci as history, architecture, and
instruction, and some unexpected gems like course and club histories,
ancient volumes, and biographies. Each book "review"
includes the complete title, author/editor and publishing house
information, and a cost estimate for purchase. Wexler makes an
effort to illuminate the contents of each tome with a two or
three-paragraph summary. Golfer's Library will not keep you
on the edge of your favorite reading seat, nor should it. What it
will do is direct you toward the books that you need to build a golfing
library.
Spring 2004 Golf Book Reviews This Spring we have six books to review.
Two are from our great mystery writer, Peter Jamesson.
The first, a novella, is titled The Case Of The Dying Foursome,
and resolves the recent passing of the curmudgeonly John Carruthers.
In an expert way, we are unable to get close to any of the
characters in this novella. They
are either intentionally vague, or outright offensive.
Forced to focus our attention on the actions and reactions, we
readers are much more acutely attuned to the sequential exploration of
the murder. The second, Stymie,
is a full-length novel that brings Chief Inspector Bynum St. George to
the windy city of Chicago. At
the mercy of the new world, St. George is forcibly introduced to a cast
of unexpected elements, and forced to solve two mysteries, at the risk
of his own life. The first book reviewed on Buff-Golf.Com was Forbidden
Fairways, the historical treatment of the black golfing experience
in America. Untouched in
the treatise was the most visible, until 1983, black representation in
the golfing world: the
Augusta National caddie. Men
On The Bag serves to rectify this misstep.
Each April brought the vision of the itinerant professional
golfer navigating the piney fairways of Georgia, with his man Friday at
his side. The nicknames of
these men commemorated their exploits, furthered their reputations, and
inscribed them in the annals of the game.
Both saints and sinners, these men called Stovepipe, Cemetery,
Willie, Carl, and Pappy, and their predecessors, peers, and descendants
were responsible for the success and failings of Masters competitors,
club members and their guests. Although
they lost their Masters bags forever with the arrival of professional
touring caddies, they will be forever preserved in film and video
footage of the tournament. Swing Machine Golf is potentially the most
important golf instruction book to hit the stands since Ben Hogan’s Five
Lessons. In fact, what
Hogan did for the power fade, Paul Wilson does for the draw.
Noting that the large majority of amateur golfers are doomed to
slicing, Wilson and Ken Steven set out to build a consistent, drawing
swing based on the simple motion of the “Iron Byron” testing
machine. The swing that
they build is geared toward releasing the club and hitting straight,
powerful shots.
Their driving point is the need for extra distance for most
amateur golfers, and it is a logical one.
From the grip to address position to swing path, SMG
brings a faithful student to swing fruition. Golf Rules & Etiquette Crystal Clear is the most recent attempt by a writer to explain the rules of golf in a more direct fashion. It is appropriate to draw a parallel with the style of the well-known (late) teaching professional Harvey Penick. Mr. Penick was famous for instructing his students on one topic each lesson. Any more, and the student would lose track and focus. To return to the rule book, if we consider these 35 rules and their corollaries will take more than one sitting to comprehend, then we have hope. It is in our best interest as law-abiding golfers to come to know the most common rules and their violations, and to anticipate which we will encounter most often. Hazards (water and sand), out of bounds, and lost balls make up the large portion of common rules questions/violations. Learn these first, then move on to the more esoteric situations and applications. December,
2003 Isleib gives Cassie the young voice and attitude so desperately needed to fulfill her character. She creates a vulnerable character, whose vulnerability is the basis for her strength. Although still susceptible to emotional attacks, Miss Burdette has determined that life's experiences will not stay her attempt to move forward, in both golf and living. The author also provides two sounding boards for the fledgling swing artist, as well as a series of love interests. The golf aspect of the novels is fully researched, and the situations, emotions, and results, completely realistic and believeable. Cassie bounces in and out of "the zone" with regularity, struggling to find the rhythm and perspective necessary to success on the circuit. The sleuthing angle is determined by the objective elimination of both likeable and unlikeable characters. Isleib does this throughout the two tomes, often with regret, always responsibly. The result is the edginess and frayed nerves that one would expect from murder investigations. As I read these two episodes well into the darkness of night, at no time did I look over my shoulder, nor did I investigate an unexplained bump in the night. Six Strokes Under and A Buried Lie are not edge-of-your-seat mysteries. They are compelling, and you will have a hard time putting them down. Choose from the following options: Cassie's love life, Cassie's tour life, Cassie's investigations. Any of them will keep your eyes on the prize. The proof in the pudding is the desire for the novel to continue, for the next story to be told. I think that you'll feel that way. Visit Roberta Isleib's truly
entertaining and wonderfully designed web site at www.robertaisleib.com,
you can purchase these books there, read the first chapter of the next
episode, Putt To Death, and browse other aspects of her writing life. Golfing books come in all shapes and sizes, from all sorts of publishing houses, and from all varieties of creative minds. I had the great opportunity to dive into three unique literary tomes, plus a fourth dedicated solely to golfing artwork. The first triumvirate proudly take their place on my shelf of honor, while the fourth occupies a visible spot on the living room coffee table.
Caddy-Whack!
(subtitled A kid's-eye view of golf) is written from the perspective of
a child, for adults. It is passage back to our first impressions of the
game, examining aspects from the course and rules to manners, hazards, and the
golf community. A golf glossary is included at the end for those of us
who don't/didn't get it the first time around. Andrew Murray begins his
volume with a look back at his son's growth into the game as a single-digit
human. All items receive double treatment: the first explanation
originates in the perspective of a child equating the topic to some
preconceived notion about life, the traditional doble-entendre.
The revisit typically follows, with grown-up words and ideas further defining
the notion. The less-than-stimulating concept of "Nearest Point Of
Relief" gets this treatment: "At first, I thought this rule
was about finding the closest place to pee on the golf course, but don't even
think about it. That one actually has to do with moving the ball away
from things that are obstructions on the golf course." Murray the
author(s) adeptly utilizes childish and adultish humor (nothing off-color) to
define nearly all that we love and miscomprehend about the game.
His/Their most important point is that golf is fun, is enjoyable, and should
remain that way. Bravo. When you reach the point of no return: Some emotions could not be endured with a golf club in my hand. When your partner tosses a club: You know, sometimes it's not the arrow, it's the indian. When you are on a roll: The most
dangerous time when the cords of concentration are most apt to snap is when
everything On golf, to impress your friends: On the golf
course, a man may be the dogged victim of inexorable fate, be struck down
by On the hypothetical National Golf Enquirer:
"Ernie Els Falls Asleep In His Backswing" Excerpt: The
Big Easy took things to On potential golf movies: "Crouching Caddie,
Hidden Hazard--Sensational special effects accompany a dramatic saga
that On misunderstanding between pro and student, when
describing the release of the club:
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January, 2003 It was with unanticipated glee that I cyber-stumbled, quite accidentally, onto a number of new publishing houses with an interest in golf. Among them are Burford Press, Hyperion, Warde, and Towle House. To start, Burford Press presented a singular web page (one of many on its site) with a list of golf publications seemingly the proverbial mile long. The underrated Al Barkow has a collection of essays titled That's Golf, in which he discusses his early days in the caddie yard, profiles top golfers of the 1960s to the 1990s, and sullies the names of over-hyped golf course architects, in jest of course. Barkow is as keen an observer of the sport as there is, on all its levels of capacity, and he treats the reader to a full-bodied review of golf in this volume. Another book from the Burford Collection, byTom Doak, examines the art of golf architecture (actually, that is its subtitle!) Doak is the creator of Pacific Dunes, one of two courses designed at the turn of this century along the Oregon coastline, that hearkened back to the days of Pebble Beach and Cypress Point. In other words, his pedigree is precise. Like many architects before him (Hurdzan, Ross, Thomas, MacKenzie, et al.), Doak lays down in a thoughtful, sequential pattern, his ideas for proper golf course creation and development. Following a time-honored formula, he selects examples of his own work (which is good), and compares them favorably with the work of other, esteemed architects (giving examples along the way). Every so often, Mr. Doak finds a piece of work with which to find fault. Keep in mind that this, too, is a time-honored tradition: MacKenzie, Tillinghast, And most others of the golden age of design (from 1910 to 1940) in this country found fault with each other; the competitive nature of their business demanded it. In most of Doak's cases, to be fair, it is with the well-meaning, yet erroneous, intentions of club committee chairpersons, who plant tree after tree in a beautification effort, not realizing that open spaces were (A) part of the architect's original intent and (B) that trees block sunlight, whose absence harms grass growth. Two more books from Burford are Driven To Extremes, a collection of essays about golf on the wild side, and The Way Of Golf, a spiritual examination of what golf can offer to us. In the former, the redoubtable Jeff Wallach once again sets out into golf's less-chartered territory, to examine the wilderness of golf that confronts us all. Click here for a review specific to this volume. The second volume, by Robert Brown, purports to "reconnect with the soul of the game," a lofty goal. Mr. Brown chooses his targets carefully. He works from the traditions of the game, through our own, individual pursuit of its rewards, to our responsibility to pass it on to subsequent generations. We are all keepers of the game, and in an era that sees unknown salvos of marketing, technology, and finances targeted toward golf, equipment, tournaments and course development, we must be especially astute in order to preserve what might be lost. Mr. Brown has done his homework. I would venture to say that he has read from the works of Bagger Vance and Shivas Irons, that he knows other texts of this ilk. However, never before has one set forth to blindside us with this mission (the aforementioned titles do it with greater subtlety). Mr. Brown succeeds with his high-hard one, and we are forced to re-examine our own role in the game. Is it time to put down the tools of club-thrower, score-erase, and lie-improver, and take up the arms of keeper of the game? I think so. Hyperion Books gives us The Greatest Game Ever Played, a hefty tome about Francis Ouimet, Harry Vardon, and the birth of modern golf (again, its subtitle). Mark Frost has a style that is one-part nightclub comedian, one part golfing traditionalist. He successfully balances them. One of my favorite quotes refers to the champion of the 1911 and 1912 Open championships, John McDermott: ". . . it appears McDermott required extreme psychological kick-starting just to drag a brittle psyche out of bed in the morning. His taut fury concealed a fragile, frightened soul . . . ran around like a steroidal jockey with Tourette's syndrome and continually violated the one tenet the gatekeepers of the game simply wouldn't then and won't now tolerate: bad manners." Frost takes us through the complete playing of the 1913 Open championship, inside the heads and hearts of Ouimet and the others, constructing dialogue from smatterings left to history, in a way that no other compiler has to date. The Greatest Game is entertaining history, bolstered by Frost's writing and producing experience on the television series Hill Street Blues and Twin Peaks. Healthy at 475 pages, it is rich and rewarding as well. Visit the author's personal web site at www.greatestgameeverplayed.com. Warde Publishers contributes one fine volume to this year's bender. Understanding The Golf Swing is a tome by Manuel de la Torre, former head professional (and current instructor) at Milwaukee Country Club, and exponent of Ernest Jones' Swing The Clubhead swing principles. Jones was a between-the-wars professional in England, who had lost a leg to battle. He determined that proper golf could still be played if the work was left to the club. de la Torre's volume, however, is not about Jones (although it does pay some homage to him). Instead, this work is the result of 107 combined years of teaching of Manuel and his father, Angel. Manuel compiled an impressive playing record as an amateur and touring pro, before settling down to the job of teaching. He continued to compete through the 1980s, winning the Wisconsin State Senior PGA championship in 1987, at the young age of 66. One of his students, Scott Vidimos, reveals much about the humility and simplicity of Manuel de lat Torre's teaching style and philosophy in this statement: "Manuel's teachings reinforce my father's belief that common sense is not that common." You will need fairly wide pockets to accommodate the offerings from the TowleHouse GOOD GOLF! series. There are currently four volumes in the series, with more expected: Fluffs, muffs, and really deep rough, a collection of golf-related poetry and limericks; Golf (containing practical hints, with rules of the game), by J. McCullough, turn of the 19th/20th century writer in England; Birdies eternal, a collection of tips and tales from Harry Vardon; and Gentlemen only, a timely retelling of life as an Augusta National member's wife. Each volume runs some 100-150 pages (which are 1/3 the size of normal pages). In other words, you do not have to dedicate months on end to their reading. The first interesting one is Gentlemen only, as it came along as Martha versus Hootie bloomed. In it, a self-proclaimed "trophy wife," many years younger than her husband, discusses her relationship with her husband, the club, and Clifford Roberts, the man who made The National. She reveals that Augusta's policy toward guests has always been surprisingly equitable, with women and men making up a fairly equal proportion. The champion of publishing houses devoted to Golf, however, remains Sleeping Bear Press. Whoops, make that Clocktower Press. Having sold its name and part of its publishing empire, the Michigan icon took on the new appellation, but kept its devotion to the sport of giants. In fact, one of the most beautiful, oversized books of time came out last year: The Evangelist Of Golf-The story of Charles Blair MacDonald. George Bahto brings to our eyes the majestic tale of the man who brought golf to America: champion player, architect, and writer C. B. MacDonald. From the Chicago Golf Club to the National Golf Links on Long Island, the footprint of the man extends to gigantic proportions. It was he who brought the Redan par three hole from its home in North Berwick to the shores of America. Along with prior tomes on MacKenzie, Ross, Travis and Thompson, this volume completes a quintet of five preeminent, early American architects. Clocktower brought forth four other volumes, among many others, worthy of mention. The story of Judy Bell, the only woman president of the USGA, is told with Rhonda Glenn in Breaking The Mold. Beginning with her days as an amateur competitor from Wichita, through business opportunities and captaincies of USGA teams, on to the Executive Committee of that association, culminating in her election to the Presidency, Judy Bell has seen and done a bit of everything in the world of high-profile golf. Bob Labbance and Gordon Witteveen combined efforts to produce Keepers Of The Green, a long-overdue treatise on the history of the greenkeeper/superintendent. The book covers every aspect of club upkeep throughout time, from the beginnings in Scotland in the 1400s, through the first explosion of golf in the USA, culminating in the present day. Equipment and technology, grasses and seeding, associations and research, are all examined with sensitivity and precision. It is interesting that what we take for granted when we tee up or mark our ball, is most often not the result of coincidence nor good fortune, but the culmination of years of scientific and technological research. Two more books that deserve a long shelf life are Golf Nuts and The Life Of O'Reilly. The former has its genesis in a not-so-secret society formed by rabid golf devotee Ron Garland. The Golf Nuts society has over 3000 members (I am one!) spread far and wide, whose enthusiasm for the game commences with great interest, and continues through addiction, on to "second-only-to-breathing-in-importance." Some of the records are astounding, others bizarre, and still others, quite sad. Yet all are, for the most part, entertaining. The anecdotes are compelling in their lunacy, including the most bragged-about golf nut, Michael Jordan. The second volume recounts the life of a well-known Irish caddie, John O'Reilly. Formerly the looper for Padraig Harrington, O'Reilly recalls tales from his time as a professional bag-toter on the European professional tour. From television, viewers get a sense of the teamwork that goes into a top player-caddie relationship, but none of the camaraderie that takes place away from the course. The Life Of O'Reilly will take you to that camaraderie, and leave your sides splitting. There is a link between these last two books: the co-author to O'Reilly is Ivan Morris, the 2002 Golf Nut Of The Year! Well, that's it for the Bender. Visit us again in February for the latest arrivals. Summer
2002 Bogey Golf and 1 Step To Better Golf function as a reaction to the thick volumes of instructional golfing prose that populated bookstore shelves at the turn of the millenium. While there is no doubt that the tomes of Pelz, Leadbetter, Harmon and McLean hold great instructional value for many players, the mass of information presented in their works may sometimes be a case of information overload for a variety of learning styles. Bogey Golf and 1 Step To Better Golf insist that they will restrict their teachings to one essential, pithy thought, and they do. It is ironic that the term "par" has a connotation of average in seemingly every context save one, the exception being golf. In the sport of sports, par simply means excellence. Robert Sanny, author of Bogey Golf, affirms that a score of one above par per hole is a more realistic and honorable target for 90% of golfers. By straining, rather than striving, for par, we often bring scores of +2, +3, and +4 into play on a number of holes. Instead, by reassessing each hole in a more conservative fashion, Sanny suggests that we will eliminate the big number. Many more insightful strategies and insights are presented in this book, ideal for the frustrated, on-the-verge-of-quitting, golfer. Unlike Bogey Golf, 1 Step To Better Golf presents itself as an instructional, rather than strategic, text. Author Joseph Sullivan's premise is that the simple move know as over the top, leading to an outside to inside downswing (casting in Britain), is the bane of each struggling golfer's existence, or at least of their swing and shot result. The point, then, is how to take the swing from square to inside at the top, back to square at impact, and inside again on the follow through. This is not a novel intention, as swing-theory texts have addressed the topic over the years. Too often, however, this critical point gets lost in the macro-tests of 200-400 pages in length. Its importance diminished, the importance of the trace of the swing fades in relevance, and the frustration continues. Sullivan focuses on no other point, and successfully presents a series of drills and images to utilize in the pursuit of the elimination of over the top. Neither Bogey Golf nor 1 Step To Better Golf benefits from the backing of a major publisher. Each is available on the internet, at the following web addresses: Bogey Golf: www.bogey-golf.com The
ABC's Of Golf, Count On Golf, & Consider It Golf It may be somewhat difficult to write a golf book appropriate for younger children (ages 5-8), but you would never know it after reading Susan Greene's trilogy. Exhibiting a complete understanding of the sport and of children, Ms. Greene rhymes her way through images from the game of golf to present those two formidable tasks of early elementary school: ABCs and 1-2-3s. In The ABC's Of Golf, subtitled It's fun to learn your ABC's With Golf Balls, Clubs, Shoes and Tees!, the author draws upon images both abstract and concrete, such as Dogleg, Metal Wood, Quiet, and Visor, to convey the nature of the learning of the English alphabet. At the end of the text, she provides a review exercise to test her young golfers'/learners' mettle. Bravo! Count On Golf, accompanied by the subtitle The Game of Golf will help you see Just how easy counting can be!, addresses counting, a skill that many older golfers come to tearfully regret, especially as the numbers on each hole climb higher and higher. Nevertheless, it is a critical skill for a young learner/golfer, and Ms. Greene employs rhyme and alliteration to teach the numbers one to ten. As in The ABC's Of Golf, a review exercise serves to close the tome. From ball-mark repair to sunscreen, there is an enormous number of points of etiquette and common sense that the new golfer does not recognize, and that the seasoned golfer simply takes for granted. This disparity of knowledge often causes friction between the two, so Consider It Golf is a must-read for both children and their golf teachers. Moving effortlessly from divots to bunker rakes to polite behavior, the author touches on simple and complex issues for all golfers, providing logic and application to the myriad traditions of the game. After reading this text, it is no wonder that so many, both educated and not, have employed golf as a metaphor for a life lived in good form. As befits the more advanced level of this third member of the trilogy, the post-reading quiz comes in true-false form, directing the reader to tell which statements about etiquette and common sense are truthful, and which are balderdash. All three books may be purchased on the internet at www.childrensgolfbooks.com
2002 commemorates the 100th anniversary of Bobby Jones' birth, and the first playing of a USGA Men's Open Championship on a true, affordable, public golf course. Truth be told, there is no great connection between Bobby Jones and public golf; save St. Andrew's, most of the championships he won were contested on private courses, and the monument to him in Georgia, the Augusta National Golf Club, is the epitome of exclusivity. The Open Championship of the United States of America, however, recognizes Mr. Jones as a four-time champion, one of four golfers to have such credentials. In this way, then, can we find a link between Jones and the 2002 contesting of the USGA Men's Open Championship. In addition, his first Open victory took place at the Inwood Country Club on Long Island, and our link grows stronger still. To the books, then, without additional hesitation. The Boys' Life Of Bobby Jones is one of a series of Boys' Life novels commissioned over time by Harper's publishing house. The chosen scribe for this work is O.B. Keeler, the chronicler of all that Robert Tyre Jones, Jr., did from age 0 through 28, when he retired from competitive golf. This volume has been re-released by Clocktower Press, and provides a good bit of insight into the early life of Bobby Jones. As the public becomes privy to a hero's life after she or he achieves stardom, we continue to be intrigued by the paths and stepping stones that brought her or him to this stage. While Keeler, doubtless a great admirer of Jones, does not always hide his emotional support for Jones in the events he retells, he does manage to identify quite a few of Jones' errors, which gives a great ring of truth to the work. It is known to the world that the beginning and ending of Jones' life were framed by illness; it is as though fate sandwiched a good bit of triumph between two slices of suffering for the Atlanta lad. Keeler charts the many critical points that principally influenced Jones development as a growing lad, including initial competitions (both victories and defeats), acquaintances, and breakthroughs. Keeler recognizes as the most important determination in Jones' development as a champion tournament golfer, the confession that the true opponent was not a human being/fellow competitor, but rather, "old man par." When Jones finally learned to play the course and not the man, he truly became a complete tournament player. The Boys' Life of Bobby Jones
is a wonderful volume for young golfers and newcomers to the legend of Bobby
Jones. It can be purchased online. The golfing world is fortunate to have access to film footage of Jones' swing from the two years that followed his greatest and last competitive season of 1930. Andrisani cites these filmstrips as providing considerable guidance in identifying the elements of Jones' swing that set him apart from golfers of his and subsequent generations, at times referring to points of which Jones himself may not have been aware. America's Linksland: A
Century Of Long Island Golf appeals to both the eye and the intellect, as
both images and words work in tandem to depict the story of the golfing
grounds on the southern lands of Long Island Sound. The early history of
golf in this country, as can be imagined by one with 20/20 hindsight, was tied
to the New York City area, as so much wealth and influence was centered in the
region. Among the immigrants and travelers who passed through its doors,
Scotsmen brought their national pastime to this country's shores by way of the
New York metropolitan area. Doubtless the finest coffee table
book for golfers of 2002.
There are many types of dreams that we associate with this sport most beloved. There are the pipe dreams that we envision in the presence of some other's great act; there are the attainable dreams that more closely resemble goals; and finally (and perhaps, most emotionally), there are those dreams that we are prevented from ever attempting, much less achieving. As any veteran will inform, it is not the dreams that we dream that matter, but what we produce from our intentions. The first of our three April book reviews examines Golf Dreams, a collection of essays from one of our greatest American writers, John Updike. His 'dreams,' as he calls them, bear little resemblance to the tales that enter our subconscious as we sleep. Instead, they represent the recollections of an average golfer, one who dreams of improving, yet chooses to not dedicate the time necessary to do so. The second text, In My Dreams, I Walk With You, is the autobiography of a promising professional aspirant, whose success was curtailed by a cart accident that resulted in paraplegia. The final tome, Around The World In 18 Holes, has all the trappings of a great, big belly laugh, until we read the socially-conscious musings of its coauthors. Throughout these book reviews, there is only one writer who truly transcends his craft. Representing are university professors, sportswriters, and professionals of varying ilks, yet there is only one John Updike. He is a writer drawn to golf, not a golfer drawn to writing; in this characterization lies the revelation. Although Updike is a scribe of indisputable elegance, a touring pro of the pen, at golf he is quite ordinary, by his own admission. This combination, combined with an appreciation of his own humble skills, as well as the more developed ones of professionals with whom he comes in contact, permits Updike to craft a series of succinct essays that develop the core of why we play this sport. In the fashion of one of advanced age, who has come to respect the unerring sequence of life's stages, the author divides his essays into three segments: learning the game, playing the game, and loving the game. Could there be a more pithy way of tracing the progression that all afficionados of the gowf undertake? I think not. Throughout the first panel, Updike writes of innumerable lessons, encouraging aunts, conceded putts, and borrowed clubs. Quite hysterical, really, is his treatise on how to properly hold a tea cup, a veiled description of the confusion that shadows the tyro first learning the game. In the second epoch, the writer, now versed in the incidental points of the sport, turns his attention to aspects great and small, from the simple tale of the immigrant golf course proprietor to the relationship of true caddie and his man. The camaraderie among men that golf potentially represents, is attended in this section as well. Finally, as Fall leads to Winter, so too does Loving the game remind us all that, as timeless as the sport is for the human race, our own timeliness has a coda. These final musings on topics as disparate as his time as a US Open marshal, golfing literature, and winter golf, join us with the golfer/liver in the final stage of an earthly tour of duty. It is with this grace that we all might hope to greet our own demise. What distinguishes John Updike from all golfing writers is, simply put, talent. While reading the verbiage he chooses, you determine that he has much in reserve. The literary equivalent of Tiger Woods choosing between a knock-down 6, a regular 7, or a hard 8, the reader concludes that Updike could have selected any number of methods to report, and still portrayed the notion better than any other. Envision the scene, described by Bagger Vance to Ran Junah, where Bobby Jones selects only one swing from the field; this is Updike at the keyboard. Unerring, neither too verbose nor too pithy, like Baby Bear's porridge, just right. --------- The next time that you fail a gut check on the golf course, remember Dennis Walters. The next time that you envision a challenge, then fail to challenge it, think of Dennis Walters. The next time that you complain about some miserly inconvenience, don't complain to Dennis Walters. In My Dreams I Walk With You is the life story of a remarkable man, in a world of remarkable beings. Dennis Walters, aspiring tour pro, successful collegiate golfer and assistant pro, paraplegic. Rendered the former through the simple dedication of the consumite devotee, through hours of practice and preparation. Condemned to the latter as the result not of too much drink or zeal, but the physical shortcomings of the three-wheeled golf cart, extinct now, but popular through the early 1970s. Dennis Walters lost one dream, and gained many more. Not that he wants all of the latter. Imagine, for a moment, dreaming about the last day that you walked, about the last shot that you hit with complete use of your lower body. Is that a dream that you would want? I didn't think so. The dreams of Dennis Walters can be divided into two classes: unavoidable and elected. Admitting that he has no control over the former, Walters remands all his time and energy to making the latter his reality. Having weathered the accident and the subsequent descent into depression with the support of Hogan, Nicklaus, his family, and many others, Dennis Walters chose to rededicate himself to the golf swings, and became the epitome of the professional in the process. His demonstration, part golfing trick show, part motivational revival, is the concluding act to a drama that might have taken one of many paths. Born in a decade when the popularity of golf was on the wane, how did Dennis Walters create a successful exhibition in the 1970s? Hard work and a supernatural patriarch. With a father that would not take "no" for an answer to his questions, who would make tens of phone calls each day, Dennis Walters found the inspiration to dedicate his own self to this revamped dream. He changed his swing, flattening the arc, making it more suitable to the upper-body dominance upon which he had to now depend. He developed, with his father and a series of engineers, an attachable swivel-seat that would stabilize his cart-bound swing, allowing him to travel with his show to points near and far. And, with the spirit of a minstrel in Harvard Square, he developed a repetoire of clubs so unique that normal, boring professionals cannot hit, yet deliver up to 240 yards in the hands of Dennis Walters. This is his story, as inspirational as they come. Will it inspire your children? Not unless they have already come to know the weight of critical loss. Will it inspire you? Without a doubt. In My Dreams I Walk With You may be purchased online. -------- When I first viewed the cover photo of messrs. Callahan and Kindred in their hot-air balloon, my belly ached. Some dynamic duo, ripping off Jules Verne for the sake of selling a few books, doubtless to further their tailspinning sportswriting careers, I imagined. Well, not exactly. The premise of Around The World In 18 Holes is quite straightforward: to tour the world of golf, describing an 18-hole layout comprising the world's most diabolical holes. Truth be told, these may not be the most diabolical. What they, and the trip, do represent, is a quilt akin to a rephrasing of the Bard: All the world's a links, and we but humble players. Play on we will, no matter the conditions. From Kathmandu to Calcutta, Monterrey to Mauritania, Callahan and Kindred, now known as Passport Two and Full Of Fog, confront the transfiguration of the game, from isolated oases amidst Asian squalor, through earthy traces at the foot of immortals, to artistic renderings that transcend the course itself. They determine what the game does and does not represent, at least in 18 parts of the world in 1993, and they are successful. Now, here is an added bonus. If you happen to have, in your home, a young'un between the ages of 10 and 15, enamored of the game but not quite wordly wise, you are in luck. This opus is a primer to social awareness. Neither Callahan nor Kindred shrank from the awful realities of India, China, Northern Ireland, and apartheid South Africa that framed their escapade. Instead, they confronted the poor of Calcutta, the politically repressed of Tiananmen Square, the conflict of Northern Ireland, and the illogical apartheid of South Africa, and wrote about it. So, when your little gal or guy comes to you and asks what the heck a bunch of poor, black dreamers have to do with golf, help her or him to see that they have everything to do with not only golf, but with life itself. An unexpected treat f | |||||