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Yardage Book
Recommended Reading for May/June 2001.
1. Bud, Sweat & Tees by Alan Shipnuck
The courtesy car surrealism of the PGA Tour as seen through the wide-eyed sincerity of upstart Rich Beem and intense caddie Steve Duplantis. They may be good. They're also engaging, high-strung and prone to fits of personal melodrama.
2. Sir Walter & Mr. Jones by Stephen Lowe
Scholarly comparative profile of Jones and Hagen: polar opposites, friends, competitors and seminal figures. Decades after death, their influence
is still palpable. Until Tiger gets his ride up Broadway, the Haig and Bobby remain standard bearers of decorum and style.
3. Uneven Lies by Pete McDaniel
Lovingly definitive, lavishly illustrated, account of the African-American experience in golf. From the Augusta National wine cellar to the muny fairways of the United Golf Association, complete with corporate sponsors and Ellington's orchestra - all that was missing was respect, wider recognition and real money. Pinehurst's army of caddies, the PGA's insidious Article III, Section I, the Wake Robins, an all black women's golf group from the late 1930's, the discoveries are memorable and evocative.
4. Why Golf? by Bob Cullen
A round in post-revolutionary Tehran, Jack Fleck revisited, a scientific rationale for modern Man's instinctive longing for the prehistoric savannah as provided by the fairway, Dr. Bob Rotella's coauthor provides a light, playful and insightful tonic to the consideration of golf's higher ground.
5. Into the Bear Pit by Mark James
Battlefield account from the maverick Ryder
Cup captain that caused a storm of protest, a not wholly uncharacteristic result for the ever unconventional 'Jesse.' He can be quite funny and articulate. Of the penultimate putt, he writes:
"I suppose I was semi-stunned, and I was not really sure where to go or what to do. I had never previously experienced anything like it. I could cope with the disappointment of defeat, having had plenty of practice at it, but to be so closely involved in something which was so alien to my sport, so degrading and intolerable, left me drained and empty inside."
6. The Bio of Walter J. Travis by Bob Labbance
An early 20th century archetype of American determination, The Old Man was ahead of his time,
a pioneer: skilled player, editor, course architect. Progressive and unabashedly irascible, no one was a bigger advocate or luminary for golf as it took root. He liked his cigars and his whiskey and is a delight getting to know. Lord knows what he would make of the world he helped foster.
7. The Hole is More than the Sum of the Putts compiled by Colin M. Jarman
Well researched, well organized, A-Z of quotable wit and wisdom. Fifteen citations on choking alone! Thankfully, just five Buddy Hacketts.
8. Q School Confidential by David Gould
A retrospective of professional golf's annual "thinning of the herd," the perfect gift for that aspiring tour player. At turns agonizing, other times heartening, the dish as provided from a seasoned ambulance chaser of good stories makes compelling reading. No wonder the boys strain to smile. It's a long way down.
9. A Feel for the Game by Ben Crenshaw
The Ryder Cup hero and Masters champion reflects, explains, counters, works hard to remember (but does NOT apologize), counts his blessings, and marvels at fate and his good fortune. Who can blame him?
10. Balls! By Gail W. Braman
The perils and infrequent pleasures of owning
a rural Vermont golf course, teeming with summer stock 'patrons' off the set of The Bob Newhart Show. There is, for instance, the guy who wanted to pay for half a cart because that was all he intended on using. The marriage survived, surprisingly. -0-
NOTE: Yardage Book © appears monthly, exclusively on THR. All books listed have been reviewed elsewhere on THR in greater depth. They are informally ranked at the editor's discretion and are not based on sales, date of publication, hype, the stars, financial inducement (Ho! Ho!) or anything other than his own personal preference. Only books that have been reviewed on THR are included.
SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE
1. Tune Out
"If songs ran through my head, I'd be thinking about the wrong things."
Tiger Woods answering reporter Doug Elfman's question as
to whether songs ever pop into his head on the golf course.
Las Vegas Review-Journal 4/30/01
"Marilyn Smith asked me about my play in St. Louis, and wanted to know what I was thinking about. I told her I was thinking about 'Rain Drops Are Falling On My Head)' [Shirley, that's 'Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head.'] It had great rhythm for the golf swing. It was almost hypnotic."
Shirley Englehorn commenting on the first of her four wins in a row on the LPGA Tour in 1970. Golfweek, 4/28/01.
Swing Thoughts - Volume I
Swing Thoughts - Volume II
Swing Thoughts - Volume III
Swing Thoughts - Volume IV
Swing Thoughts - Volume V
Swing Thoughts - Volume VI
Swing Thoughts - Volume VII
Swing Thoughts - Volume VIII
Swing Thoughts - Volume IX
Swing Thoughts - Volume X
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