5 comments about The Downhill Lie: A Hacker's Return to a Ruinous Sport.

1. Carl Hiaasen was introduced to the game of golf by his father, who, to Carl's nearly life-long disappointment, was a very good golfer. On a whim that could be argued to be both mature and immature, he gave up the game in his early twenties because he wasn't able to improve. The Downhill Lie is the window through which we see his return to the game.
   
   Hiaasen goes to many extremes to improve his game. He reads every piece of literature on the game and buys some hilarious info-mercial products that make lofty promises. He joins a golf course, buys new clubs (and more new clubs), takes lessons, re-engineers his swing, and ultimately enters a tournament.
   
   For many reasons, which include his disposable income; his available free time; and that this became an assignment from his publisher, Hiaasen is able to go to greater lengths than most golfers who want to get better. But that doesn't mean those golfers, a category into which I fit, haven't thought about trying any or all of the things he did in the book. That contributes to the hilarious, but humbling nature of the book. We can laugh at his exploits as he does, and maybe we can learn some of the lessons he does as well.
   
   This book is more than a diary of Carl Hiaasen's golf rounds. The Downhill Lie is a poignant commentary on why so many of us endure the constant frustrations associated with the game of golf. The author uses the comedy of his situation to show exactly why, when this game keeps knocking us down, we get right back up and make another tee time.
   
   I recommend this book if you struggle with golf, or know someone who does (which I think is just about everyone, right?). This book will probably not help you be a better golfer, but at least you'll see you're not alone. If you aren't into the game yourself, and you've wondered why we torture ourselves the way we do, The Downhill Lie offers great insight. It was both funny and right-on-target portraying the mind of a golfer...or most golfers anyway. I really liked this book.



2. First, let me preface this by confessing my own golfing experience is limited to one class in high school where I became infamous for hitting the teacher in the head with a wiffle ball. Fortunately we were practicing with golfball-sized wiffle balls and not the regulation golfball, or the teacher might have required medical attention.
   
   In addition, both my brother and father play golf in the Florida equatorial heat while dodging gators strategically sunning themselves near the many ponds and lakes of Florida golf courses. It's especially dangerous during gator mating season when either the male gator thinks you're trying to make time with his woman if you go after an errant ball, or the female gator thinks you're stealing one of her eggs. Good times.
   
   Carl Hiaason has written a great book about golf. I don't play golf, but I loved this book and laughed aloud many times while reading it. His tip on getting rid of huge toads by chipping them into the neighbor's yard was worth the price of the book. For those of you complaining about his comments about growth in Florida, just take a drive from the west coast to the east on Alligator Alley and take a look at how Miami keeps creeping further and further into the Everglades. The is the ONLY EVERGLADES on the entire planet Earth, by the way. Yet still we must build, build, build on it.
   
   You will not be disappointed with The Downhill Lie: A Hacker's Return to a Ruinous Sport. This book comes with waterfront property in Geritol Bay and membership in their country club with golf course designed by Hall of Fame Golfer, Ralph Kramden. Enjoy the 145 mph winds in the summer as the lanai is ripped from your house and your pool cage relocates to North Dakota. Bask in the 95 degree summer heat with 100% humidity. Forget about going anywhere during the cooler months when all the tourists are clogging the roads. Cheer as the professional sports teams don't score, don't win, and make you want to go to their games incognito. Laugh when tourists run from the water yelling "Shark!" while dolphins leap merrily from the waves. But, whatever you do, buy this book. And then, read this book. There will be a test.



3. My wife bought me this book and kept asking me if I had looked at it yet. Already in the middle of two other golf books - one being instructional I said no, not yet. She insisted that I at least read the first few pages to see if it was something I would like. Well, within 5 minutes of cracking it open I was in stitches and I was hooked. Carl has a wonderful writing style that just sucks you in. As a golf hack who found the sport well after my 20's I especially enjoyed his perspective.



4. Sports Illustrated published two excerpts of this book recently - in the Players Championship Special Issue and in the May 12, 2008 regular issue. Although there was some overlap, together the two excerpts paint a hilarious autobiographical picture of the author's attempted return to golf. Laugh-out-loud funny doesn't begin to describe the section of the excerpt in May 12th SI titled "Toad Golf". I have never laughed so hard when reading SI. I'm buying the book, and, hopefully, it will provide as much enjoyment.



5. Downhill Lie has some very funny parts to it: Hiaasen has a wonderful self-deprecating sense of humor. You'll find tales of toad-wedging: golf practice that consists of chipping toads onto neighbors' houses. You'll find that golf clubs make effective rat bashers. I suspect that the ASPCA wil find some things to offend them here. You'll read about the time he lost a golf cart--it slipped into a pond.
   
   But I founf myself scratching my head in wonderment at times. Hiaasen is not, to be sure, a scratch golfer, but he has a voracious appetite to improve his game--as most golfers do. But we see him resorting to buying things--pendants with wonder powers to hang around your neck (only 75% as effective if kept in your pocket), herbal pills to improve "muscle memory", RadarGolf devices to help you locate lost balls, and the like. I'm at a loss here. Didn't we see Hiaasen regularly poking fun at the people who bought such devices in many of his novels? In Double Whammy, for instance, there's the unforgettable image of a cheap skiff hauled by a garbage truck to a tournament, and fishing with cheap equipment, when everyone else arrives with massive gadgetry--fish radar, gimmicks galore, etc. Hiaasen had always seemed to be fond of satirizing those who shell out large amounts of money for the kinds of devices he happily buys in Downhill Lie. There's almost an element of Eliot Spitzer here.
   
   I would guess that Hiaasen describes parts of perhaps 200 rounds of golf. Some of this is a pleasure and a delight to read. Some of it is, well....have you ever heard a golfer tell you about one of his rounds, shot by shot, hole by hole? It's never actually that bad or that detailed--but there are times when you feel as if half your mind was on other things. This is also an instructive book--if you're lucky, you'll begin to get the idea that spending lots of money--lots and lots of money--will not guarantee that you'll reduce your handicap. Another element of the book, which you should learn in an indirect fashion, is that the crucial thing is that you should enjoy the game: Hiaasen almost seems too driven, that perhaps he should understand that some people are destined to remain 15-18 handicap golfers, and that you can accept your limitations. When I played golf, I had about a 30 handicap: a duck hook or a topped ball--well, so what's new? Enjoy the occasional decent shot. I often played with a colleague who had about a 3 handicap--when he mishit a shot, he'd go into a blue funk for several holes. I think I enjoyed the game more than he did. So the lesson from this book is--have fun, and don't make such a big deal about improving your handicap by 5 strokes. Hiaasen, at least, can make fun of himself--which too many golfers cannot do.

4 comments about Arnie & Jack: Palmer, Nicklaus, and Golf's Greatest Rivalry.

1. I grew up a member of Jack's Pack, having been born a little too late to be a soldier in Arnie's Army. It's funny how sports moments can stay with you. As I watched the Masters this year, in my mind's eye, I could see the Golden Bear prowling those greens. Ghosts of Augusta.
   
   This book tells the tale of two of Golf's titans, both their individual stories, and the story of their complicated relationship, from the first time they met, to the present day. Arnold Palmer, muscular arms bulging out of his short-sleeved shirts, cigarette hanging from his lips, going for every pin, with that wild looking swing of his. Jack Nicklaus: once Fat Jack, before he transformed himself. Picture perfect on the course, but not with the galleries, never getting the love that they showered on Palmer, the King. To say it was love/hate would be an understatement. They competed to the death in everything, but cared about each other much more than they would let on. Ironically, each wanted to be the other. Arnie wanted all those Majors, and the title of Greatest Golfer ever. Jack wanted the popularity and love that Arnie always had. But as Arnie said, "You can only be so many things in life."
   
   The book is wonderfully written. You almost feel like you were there, as the author describes so many memorable Arnie/Jack duels. There is also a fascinating look at their wives. Winnie Palmer & Barbara Nicklaus were fast friends from the moment they met, even as their husbands were trying to beat each other's brains out. When I finished this book, I remember thinking, "I really enjoyed that." I think you will,too.



2. Always an Arnie fan, reluctantly a Jack fan, Ian O'Connor has allowed me to go back to a wonderful time in my life. I cut school to watch these two men duel at Baltusrol. I remember seven kids jumping into the pond of the fourth green to recover a misplayed Palmer shot during the 67 US Open. Palmer's charisma has never been replicated, while Jack eventually earned the respect he deserved. Arnie and Jack reveals captivating insights into these two golfing warriors' lives and accomplishments. I had to send copies to my all my golfing buddies, even before Christmas



3. Mr. O'Connor has done a fine job with his work on the Palmer-Nicklaus rivalry. No matter which side of the fence you may be on (Arnie's Army or Jack's Pack), there are enduring lessons to be learned here as well as a lot of inside information about two of the all time greats of the game so many of us love. If you have any memories of either of these guys in, or even close to, their primes, you can purchase this book with confidence knowing you have a wonderful read ahead of you.



4. Fifty years ago, the greatest rivalry in golf began. By forty years ago, it was all over, with the domination of Jack Nicklaus over Arnold Palmer. So for those who didn't live through it (and for those who did), Mr. O'Connor chronicles the the rise of Big Golf with these two men. Mr. Palmer with his come from behind wins and self-taught style came of age with the TV set and was golf's first superstar. Mr. Nicklaus was not the risk-taker on the golf course that Mr. Palmer was --which is why Arnie had his "Army" and Jack had all the major championships. Their rivalry continued in the business arena after their golfing days. Mr. O'Connor interviewed everyone who knew them and used every cliche to describe them. Other than that, the book is fun to read and a joy to every golfer.

1 comments about The Mysterious Montague: A True Tale of Hollywood, Golf, and Armed Robbery.

1. The title of Leigh Montville's new book tells you a lot about the story without ever having to read a page. John Montague played golf and schmoozed with some of the most famous of the 1930's Hollywood celebrities. However, something in his personal life would eventually turn his world totally around. This book will probably not win any literary awards, but it is entertaining, amusing, and at times quite unbelievable. Golfers will love it, non-golfers will enjoy it.

5 comments about Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son.

1. This book is a must for anyone who is interested in the development of golf. The history of the game and the development of professional and amateur play is well documented, along with the history of snobbery and class discrimination as well. Much of the latter has remained in the game, unfortunately.
   
   I recently played a round of golf with a pretentious member of a local private club, who informed me he would never play with anyone wearing blue jeans. Why? I've met lots of unscrupulous golfers in Dockers. I'll not be playing with that jerk again.



2. I don't know about the rest of you folks, but if this isn't the greatest, most beautiful golf book ever written, then I'd like to know what is.
   
   Just wonderful.



3. Great Little read. The story of Old Tom and Young Tom is quite facinating. The story of how people in Scotland lived in the late 18th century was very interesting.



4. "Tommy's Honor" is a great read for the golfer or non-golfing history buff. The research is extraordinary and gives the reader an indepth look at this one slice of the pie of a very specific period in the history of golf and those who shaped the game. The book's insights into the game will be of great interest to the golfer. The narrative---Tommy's story is a great story and a great story told extremely well by the author!-- will be interesting to anyone who enjoys historical biography. This is a serious book yet easy to read. The story is one of triumph, wit and tragedy. A good history book will always generate in the reader's mind parallels to contemporary events. "Tommy's Honor" certainly does. I found that the book underscores the pretension and enforcement of class superiority that exists at most golfing clubs still today.....how club patrons perceive, disregard or denigrate the roles of "subservient" club employees while it is these same professional employees and NOT the patrons who in reality maintain and add to the history and integrity and development of the game; unsung heroes. "Tommy's Honor" is an awesome read. It's one of those books added to my bookcase and not passed on to someone else. It's a keeper!



5. Great human story, about the birthplace of golf and the characters that
   shaped golf as we know it. A must read before traveling to Scotland;
   great Morris family story and tragedy. Before Palmer, Nicklaus and
   Woods; there was Old Tom and Tommy Morris!
   Great read!

5 comments about The Greatest Game Ever Played: A True Story.

1. This is a terrific book and I'm not even a golfer. I didn't care much for the movie; a buddy of mine recommended reading the book and WOW, it's so much better. I'm not sure who wrote the movie but Frost does a great job of telling the story and holding on to your interest. I loved the biographical background and personality insights he offers. He's a terrific writer.



2. Great detail is setting the stage of how society viewed golf and its champions and how this tournament took that to the next level in popularity. Gives great detail intothe lives of Vardon, Ray, Francis and even Walter Hagen at the beginning of his career. Great for anyone who loves the history of golf and a good old fashion underdog story.



3. My boss and I golf together and he enjoyed watching this movie several times so I bought the book for him and he said it was better than the movie, looking forward to reading it when he is done



4. Great true story, well adapted in the film version.
   Bonus documentary on Francis Ouimet 50 years later
   is interesing to see.



5. Maybe the best Golf book I've ever read. If you love the Game, it is a must.

5 comments about Fairway to Hell: Around the World in 18 Holes.

1. There's a moment in every golfer's life that we remember forever. It belongs to that period after a perfect swing, when the sweet spot of the driver has met the ball with a thick, solid click. The ball screams off the tee on a low, rising climb, and just in the last quarter of its flight when you think it might start falling, the spin you've put on it bites into the air and the ball lifts, climbing more steeply and slowly in a last flare of energy. And then you get the moment, when the flight of the ball connects with the feeling of the strike and the two have travelled up the club, through your arms and shoulders and into your heart. I got much the same feeling after finishing this funny, funny book.



2. Lidz is a true satirist with an eye for the ridiculous, the bogus and the vain. He is deeply skeptical about many things and his humor can be savagely cutting, but I do not think it is ever cruel. He is hard but fair. It is encouraging to find that he has lost none of the wickedly sharp powers of observation that have distinguished his work in the New York Times.



3. The thing about this golf memoir is that you don't even have to like the game to enjoy it. You certainly don't have to understand it. Lidz' golfing descriptions of duffers on the tee fussing about like a hen scratching gravel, or teasing the ball like a cat investigating a tortoise speak eloquently enough of character to enchant anybody. I can't state with confidence the function of a spoon or a brassie, but the point is that the vocabulary of the links fits the author's style like the paper on the wall, particularly in the chapter on a tournament in a nudist colony:
   "Nudists mostly avoid risque repartee. But pack 30 of them on a tight course, and the ricocheting double entendres are inescapable.
   "It's long, real long."
   "It's not that long, is it?"
   "Believe me, it's long."
   "Did you stay up, Sam? Please tell me you stayed up."
   "Yeah, I'm up."
   "Pam, can you loosen up on your grip?"
   "Stroke it a little more gently, Al."
   "He jumps on Len's misses every chance he gets."
   "By golly, what I wouldn't give for another three inches."
   "If you'd been straight, Sam, that puppy would have gone in."



4. Franz Lidz has taken such mundane material and made of it a picaresque adventure so warm, so likable, and so disarmingly funny.



5. Take the most difficult, annoying and addictive game ever invented and one of our wittiest writers at the peak of his powers and you have the funniest golf stories it will ever be your good fortune to read. My personal favorites are the author's encounter with a burrowing botfly on a golf course in Panama and his e-mail exchange with a Nigerian scam artist about bank accounts and rocket golf carts. All I can say is that like for many of the very best things in life, I almost envy those who have never experienced Mr. Lidz for the pleasure they have ahead. I am a relatively old hand, so for me his writing is like womb music - no matter how bad things get I can always take pleasure and relaxation from the style, the charm and the great good humor. This book penetrates the human condition in a way that simply makes me feel better.

5 comments about Dream Golf: The Making of Bandon Dunes.

1. If you play golf and want to get a flavor for the vision of how a destination like Bandon Dunes became a reality, this is a must read. Bandon is one, if not, the most special golf location in the world. I have played in Scotland and Ireland and Bandon has a purity that few other locations can replicate. It feels like it has been there for hundreds of years and the book explains how it came to be. You will not be disappointed.



2. I have not read this book, but my Dad is raving about it. He is reading it prior to his trip to Bandon Dunes and he has never thanked me more for a gift. For the golfer in your life who is impossible to shop for--this is the gift for them.



3. Fantastic story, very well written. A must read for not only golfers, but for environmentalist and landscape architects also.



4. This book is the perfect gift for your favorite golfer. Even non-golfers and golfers who don't normally read will enjoy this story of dream golf.



5. We purchased this book for our son for Christmas, and it was a big hit!! He's already finished it and is loaning it out to friends and family. It's a wonderful book for any golfer with a love of the game, whether he/she has been to Bandon Dunes already or is perhaps dreaming of the day....

4 comments about The Seventh at St. Andrews: How Scotsman David McLay Kidd and His Ragtag Band Built the First New Course onGolf's Holy Soil in Nearly a Century.

1. I purchased this book as a favor for my great-aunt who wanted this book as a gift for her son. She was told by a friend this would be a great book for my cousin as he is an avid golfer.



2. Hi, I'm David McLay Kidd and I wanted you to know what fun is was working with Scott on this book, he captured both the artistic and social level of what I and my team do and MOST importantly WHY we do it. I have been amazed at the positive comments I have received from those that have read the book, it reallys seems to capture the imagination of golfers. I hope you enjoy it. David...



3. As a non golfer who has never even walked a course I enjoyed this book immensely. Mr. Gummer brings the entire process of course building to life and his book is populated with larger than life characters. A great read and a perfect present for any golfer.



4. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RKVOPY91Y776E Believe it or not, golf architecture is one of the hottest topics in sports right now. Gummer's book brings this topic alive.

5 comments about My Life in and out of the Rough: The Truth Behind All That Bull**** You Think You Know About Me.

1. What an awesome book. I think I read this in a day! I couldn't put it down. John is sure a good ole boy!



2. First off I must tell you that I am a fan of John Daly and his incredible natural talents. This book uncovered every detail of John's life from a kid, through two major wins, and onto where he is today. I enjoyed every page and was glad to see John tell it like it is. This book is an easy read, partly because it carries a 4th grade reading level. However, the book does a good job of revealing all the truths. Yes, most readers may have different views on John's alcoholic dependance, but one thing is for sure John didn't hide the details. If you are a fan of John or find yourself amused by watching his up and down golf game, then this book is for you!



3. John Daly has interested me for a long time. I suppose the
   whole under-dog thing, going up against the odds, etc. But
   I really enjoyed reading this book. Thought it was an easy read
   and well written since it was refreshingly naked in terms of
   a person just showing all there is to show. I would recommend
   it especially since it is so opposite of the whole stuffy
   professional golf player fraternity.



4. I have to say that after reading some of the reviews, I'm almost ashamed to write my own. But unlike some of the reviews, I'll spare you any moral soapboxing on my part and not judge the man. Quite simply, the book sheds considerable light on the life (both the good and the bad) of a guy who happens to be a well-known professional golfer. Kudos to John for having the courage to share much of his private life with the public. John's not a saint and doesn't pretend to be (and pretty much says so in the book). He candidly admits to a plethora of self destructive indulgences and decisions yet balances such with discussion about many of his commendable deeds. His honesty is refreshing. He talks about sex, love, alcohol, anger, guilt, determination, etc. He's human for God's sake!
   
   I gave it four stars because it's an easy read and is written in a style suitable for the content. And if you're interested in learning about the life of John Daly, the content serves its purpose quite well. It's both entertaining and informative. It's not meant to win a literary prize. I enjoyed it for what it is - a good book.



5. Entertaining easy to read book but not very likely to fetch a Nobel Prize.
   
   Interesting why Daly would want to make reference to several incidents of drunken driving and sad that he doesn't seem to feel particularly responsible for many of his own actions as an adult.
   
   In my opinion the book reflects a considerable amount of raw untreated addictive behaviour and it kept me sober for a few days, thanks John.

5 comments about Alice Cooper, Golf Monster: A Rock 'n' Roller's 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict.

1. This candid book tells the story of Alice Cooper as well as him giving tips on golf. If you thought it was only about golf, it is not. In fact it is so much more! Alice takes us from the very beginning of his life and keeps us hooked to the last page. He has some amusing stories to tell as well as some sad. You will learn the truth about the chicken on the stage incident and relive other highlights throughout his career..Alice is a true rocker and he still rocks hard today. The original shock rocker and still the best! Alice Rules!



2. Where do I start? This book not only arrived in mint conditon thanks to the wonderful service provided by Amazon, but was the absolute perfect addition to my collection of everything Alice Cooper! If you love Rock n Roll, if you love Alice Cooper, or even if you just love playing Golf and need some awesome Golf Tips you gotta buy this book! Great price! This book isn't all about Golf either, because anyone who has had an addcition problem can relate to this, and it's nice to know that even a celebrity can have normal issues that we all face in life and overcome them! GREAT READ!!!



3. First, I'm old an school Cooper fan - it was a band, not a person. Second, I don't like golf; I think it's nearly as boring as Zipper Catches Skin. So I waded through the rock and roll chapters (skipping the clearly-labeled dozen golfing ones interspersed through the book) and finished it feeling not particularly wiser about Alice Cooper. In short, it is a very homogenized history of Cooper the musician. Like many reformed alcoholics, he'll tell you he was *the* hellman booze fiend of all time. I wished he'd spent more time discussing the minutia of his early days. (And let's face it, bar a couple of fluke hits, there hasn't been much of note from him since 1977). The tedium of his drinking is equalled only by that of his Christianity, but at least he doesn't proselytise. One can only hope that in time someone will write a true and accurate history of the original five Coopers, a band of trailblazers who have a story definitely worth telling.
   Now, to the golf. And this is where Alice is really scary. I decided to wade through the golf stuff and, to be honest, got more out of that than the rest of the book. In fact, by the end of his 12 chapters on golf, I wanted to go down to the local links and sign up for some lessons. Seriously. I still do, three days later. And I've never held a golf club in my life. My only complaint with the golf stuff - about which I know absolutely zilch! - was that it came across in parts as a big advertisement for a particular brand of clubs. But besides that, I'm thinking "Why not?". Hey, if it's good enough for J Mascis and the Coop...



4. Exelent book, writen in a way that you feel that Alice is next to you talking about his life, mixing the chapters between his Rock life and his Golf life... and what a life! Thanks Alice for sharing all those moments, the good and the bad, all I can say is... What a life my friend, WHAT A LIFE!!!!!!!



5. As a die hard Alice Cooper fan and a keen less than amatuer golfer. I was a bit dissappointed about the content of the golfing stories that was over run by The Coop's autobiography. Although his life story was interesting and very easy to read, the lack of golfing issues ruined my taste to continue the book. Dedicated pages to his golf story was minimal and it was really his philosophy of golf that was portrayed and not how he became addicted to the sport. Towards the end of the book Alice's preaching of him becoming a christian was an ill omen to read, the several pages or so found it hard to continue the book to the end. However, his instructional pages at the end of the book was very basic, but was too be expected.
   
   Overall the book shed some light on his career and how it began. Not too mention his demons with alcohol that he had overcome and I applaud him for that success. The book is very digestible and seems to be written for people of all ages. I felt that the title should have been someting like " A Rock n Roller's life with a hint of golf" would have been more appropiate.