A former editor of Esquire magazine explains how he learned the dynamics of learning how to play golf and develop an effective swing, and offers empathy and advice to amateur players from a learner's perspective. 50,000 first printing."
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Like many weekend duffers who don't play enough golf to significantly improve--just enough to evoke frustratration--Lee Eisenberg wanted to better his game. So he set himself a seemingly modest goal: to shoot one round of 79 or less. He spent 18 months practicing like a man possessed, reading books, watching instructional videos, and taking lessons from professionals. The result: He learned more about his temperament than about how to stay in the fairway. Not that he didn't try; until he became convinced of the futility of his efforts, Eisenberg spent nearly every waking moment consumed with conquering this myth of golfing prowess, agonizing over his scorecards, developing quarter-sized calluses, and stewing over what could have been. Rather than snap each cursed shaft over his knee and quit the game in a blaze of obscenities, Eisenberg did the only sensible thing: he gave in and embraced mediocrity. His account of this transformation, Breaking Eighty: A Journey through the Nine Fairways of Hell, is ultimately about finding pleasure in the game and proudly embracing the role of "The Hacker."
Review
Breaking Eighty is really less about becoming a good golfer than about accepting oneself as a probable lifelong chopper--a sound strategy for virtually all of us. -- The New York Times Book Review, David Owen
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More About the Author
In addition to the success of his previous book, The Number, Lee Eisenberg has enjoyed a varied and distinguished career on both the creative and business sides in both the publishing and marketing worlds. As editor-in-chief of Esquire, he led the magazine to numerous national awards in diverse categories such as general excellence, reporting, and design.
In 1991, Eisenberg was recruited to be one of six founding partners of the Edison Project, an initiative to design a business and academic plan for a proposed system of world-class schools across the country.
In 1995, he joined Time Inc. where, as editor of strategic development, he helped TIME magazine launch a series of new initiatives, including Time.com; Time for Kids, a weekly newsmagazine for children; special issues on a number of topics, including medicine and art; and The TIME 100, a collaboration with CBS news that chronicled the most influential men and women of the twentieth century.
In 1999, Eisenberg was named executive vice president and creative director at Lands' End, where he oversaw all print and online creative efforts, as well as the company's national advertising, marketing, and public affairs activities.
Eisenberg resigned from Lands' End in 2004 to begin work on The Number, which the Quill Awards cited as one of the best business books of 2006, Business Week named one of the "Top 10 Career Books of 2006," and was winner of a "2007 Books for a Better Life Award." The book earned a place on numerous bestseller lists, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week and USA Today. There are now foreign editions of The Number in such far-flung markets as Turkey and Korea.
Since publication of The Number, Eisenberg has been a keynote speaker at dozens of U.S. and international conferences devoted to the emotional and material aspects of financial planning.
In 2006, Eisenberg began work on Shoptimism. The quest included a stint as a clerk at Target, numerous encounters with leading academic and marketing experts, a probe into the brave new world of online chatter, repeated forays into stores of every description, where Eisenberg observed the behavior - rational and otherwise - of strangers, friends, and family members, who kept on shopping through economic good times, then bad.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he has been a visiting scholar, Eisenberg was one of the founding fathers of Rotisserie League Baseball. He divides his time between Chicago and New York City.
In 1991, Eisenberg was recruited to be one of six founding partners of the Edison Project, an initiative to design a business and academic plan for a proposed system of world-class schools across the country.
In 1995, he joined Time Inc. where, as editor of strategic development, he helped TIME magazine launch a series of new initiatives, including Time.com; Time for Kids, a weekly newsmagazine for children; special issues on a number of topics, including medicine and art; and The TIME 100, a collaboration with CBS news that chronicled the most influential men and women of the twentieth century.
In 1999, Eisenberg was named executive vice president and creative director at Lands' End, where he oversaw all print and online creative efforts, as well as the company's national advertising, marketing, and public affairs activities.
Eisenberg resigned from Lands' End in 2004 to begin work on The Number, which the Quill Awards cited as one of the best business books of 2006, Business Week named one of the "Top 10 Career Books of 2006," and was winner of a "2007 Books for a Better Life Award." The book earned a place on numerous bestseller lists, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week and USA Today. There are now foreign editions of The Number in such far-flung markets as Turkey and Korea.
Since publication of The Number, Eisenberg has been a keynote speaker at dozens of U.S. and international conferences devoted to the emotional and material aspects of financial planning.
In 2006, Eisenberg began work on Shoptimism. The quest included a stint as a clerk at Target, numerous encounters with leading academic and marketing experts, a probe into the brave new world of online chatter, repeated forays into stores of every description, where Eisenberg observed the behavior - rational and otherwise - of strangers, friends, and family members, who kept on shopping through economic good times, then bad.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he has been a visiting scholar, Eisenberg was one of the founding fathers of Rotisserie League Baseball. He divides his time between Chicago and New York City.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
BUY THIS BOOK!,
By
This review is from: Breaking Eighty: A Journey Through the 9 Fairways of Hell (Paperback)
This is one of the greatest golf books of all time. Do not be discouraged from buying it from the following reviews because any person with a brain larger than a golf ball would realize that there is more to this book than just helpful golf tips. I resent the people who bought it to use as a tool to improve their golf swing.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book for middle-aged hackers,
By zcar93a@prodigy.com (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Breaking Eighty: A Journey Through the Nine Fairways of Hell (Hardcover)
This is a wonderful book that captures the love and frustration of most amateur golfers. The writing is clever and quite readable. The best Christmas present I received this year.Lou Rovner
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Double Eagle,
By Brian Smiley (bns@mindspring.com) (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Breaking Eighty: A Journey Through the 9 Fairways of Hell (Paperback)
This book is about a frustrated hacker who brings his considerable wit and eloquence to the task of "breaking 80." On his journey he samples every product, theory, pro and golf guru that has tempted the rest of us who love the game but just don't score very well. Very funny, very insightful, very Zen (the official religion of golfers).
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