About the Author
John McPherson is the creator of the nationally syndicated comic strip, Close to Home, appearing in more than 700 newspapers throughout the world. John has published thirteen book collections of his work, has an award-winning line of greeting cards with Recycled Paper Products, and various other licensed products. In addition to cartooning, John has an active speaking career, which allows him to entertain audiences with humorous revelations on the life of a syndicated cartoonist
Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen are the #1 New York Times and USA Today best-selling authors of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Introduction
Golf is many things to many people; but, most of all, it is a mirror. And when we look into that mirror we cannot help but see our lives and ourselves, not the way we would like them to be, but the way they really are. Fortunately the wisdom gained from the game helps us find the lighter side of that all-too-honest view. Whether kneeslapping hilarious or just chuckle-to-yourself funny, no other sport can boast of its ability to make us laugh the way golf can—because golf forces us to laugh at ourselves.
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a golfer, which means that any of the following will strike a chord or make you grin, and possibly even make you laugh till it hurts:
- You find yourself wishing you could meet the rest of your foursome with your handy-dandy automated applause system in tow.
- You convince yourself that a windmill—blocked by dense foliage, perhaps, but somewhere nearby nonetheless—must be responsible for that one hole you can’t ever make.
- You fantasize about an anti-slice device that looks like a supersized version of a kids’ crazy straw.
- You yell “Fore!” when you see an asteroid-sized ball speeding directly toward your head. (After all, it’s the most amazing thing you ever witnessed—what else would you do . . . run for cover?)
We relate to all this because golf makes us face our own shortcomings in a way that other sports, even other solitary ones, just can’t.
Take swimming, diving or skiing: nothing funny about swallowing water or crashing into a snowbound tree. But spontaneously leaping for joy because you had three witnesses to your hole-in-one—now that’s something to make you beam from ear to ear, laugh joyfully in perfect understanding, and even sing! (Yes, sing! You are a golfer, aren’t you?)
We hope you’ll agree that the cartoons in this collection capture all the magic, delight and humor of the game, and celebrate just why you love it so much. Whether it’s walking on the green, swinging a perfectly balanced titanium driver, or reaching the Zen state only putting can create, nothing puts a smile on a golfer’s face like, well, playing golf! May this book bring you as much joy as the game of golf itself.
©2005. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Chicken Soup for the Soul: Cartoons for Golfers Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, John McPherson. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the publisher. Publisher: Health Communications, Inc., 3201 SW 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442.
