Amazon.com Review
The old saying, "The smaller the ball, the better the lit" doesn't always hold true--where are the great Ping-Pong novels?--but
Jeff Silverman presents plenty of great golf writing in
The First Chapbook for Golfers. From the good times ("The Sweet Spot") to the bad times ("Golf Spelled Backwards is 'Flog'"), Silverman has compiled an excellent collection of brief texts on the royal and ancient game by such links legends as Sam Snead, Ben Crenshaw, and Harvey Penick--as well as pieces from writers as diverse as John Updike, Ian Fleming, and Art Buchwald. This treasure chest of golf lore includes discussions of everything from psychology to etiquette, from the elements of course design to a breakdown of the real cost of your $400 driver, from golf legends to golf advice, and even a section on "The Fairwayest of Them All"--women and golf. Some will undoubtedly be familiar ("Golf is the one game I know which becomes more and more difficult the longer you play it"--Bobby Jones), others perhaps less so ("Golf would be a very dull game it if were entirely a matter of skill"--A.A. Milne), but all will ring true to the duffer. A great little gem of a book.
--M. Stein
From the Inside Flap
Golf writers are in touch with the soul of the game. With charm, wit, and wisdom, they write to help golfers at all levels hack through the vines of frustration and confusion. Writers cover the great players in their pressure-packed struggles. Writers explore the mystique of the game. Golf writers give the game definition. Perspective. Sanity.
The Texas Twosome leads off The First Chapbook for Golfers. Exclusively for this book, Bud Shrake offers a wonderful story about the day old pro Harvey Penick missed lunch and a lesson with a famous writer. Dan Jenkins follows with a piece that will evoke grins and grousing from golfers who have had the PGA Tour take over their club to stage a Tour tournament. Bud Shrake, of course, cowrote the Harvey Penick books, the top-selling sports books of all time, starting with the Little Red Book. Is there a format similarity here? You bet!
This book is a treasure chest of golf stories from well-known authors who are anything but synonymous with the game of golf--among them A.A. Milne, Rube Goldberg, John Updike, Ian Fleming, Ring Lardner, P.G. Wodehouse, Edgar Guest, and Art Buchwald--and tips and insights from those who have played the game at the highest levels, including Bobby Jones, Sam Snead, Ben Crenshaw, Ray Floyd, and Roger Maltbie.
