The Old Man and the Tee: How I Took Ten Strokes Off My Game and Learned to Love Golf All Over Again [Hardcover]

Turk Pipkin (Author), David Leadbetter (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2004

As a kid caddying for his father on the sunburned links of West Texas, Turk Pipkin had dreamed of great achievements in golf. Unfortunately, life got in the way. A lack of talent didn't help much either. It was not until his father passed away that Turk realized he'd forgotten his childhood dream and had lost the simple joy he'd once found in the game.
Deciding that the time for all his pitiful golf excuses was past, Turk embarked upon the golf quest of a lifetime. For twelve months, he'd ignore work and other distractions, and dedicate himself to the game. He'd seek instruction from golf's greatest teachers, put the best equipment in his bag, and play the world's finest courses. His seemingly impossible goal was to take ten strokes off his 16-handicap.

With lessons from David Leadbetter, Dave Pelz, and Ben Crenshaw, and with spiritual guidance from great old men like Willie Nelson, George Plimpton, and Byron Nelson, Turk's epic journey carries him from Pebble Beach to Scotland and back again, where he risks everything on one final round for his father.

Follow Turk on the journey of a lifetime, and learn to love golf-and life- all over again.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Like so many golf stories, this one starts with a father's death. Pipkin, author of the quirky golf novel Fast Greens (1996), had allowed life to get in the way of his golf game, but as he attempted to come to grips with turning 50 and with the absence of his father (who introduced him to golf), Pipkin made a vow: he would take 10 strokes off his handicap in one year, and he would break 80 at Pebble Beach. His memoir of how he accomplished those goals is the kind of golf book that typically is easy to hate, especially for average golfers with little time or money to improve their games. Pipkin spent his year being tutored by the most respected golf teachers in the business (Ledbetter, Pelz, even Byron Nelson) and trying out what he learned on one revered links after another. And, yet, thanks to Pipkin's delightful self-deprecating humor (he is a former stand-up comic) and to his genuine humility in the face of so complex a game, this is one golf memoir that engenders more sympathy than envy. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“With spiritual guidance from Willie Nelson and golf lessons from David Leadbetter, the author sets out on a hilarious quest to drop ten strokes from his game and learn a little bit about life in the process.”
---Esquire magazine
“Pipkin’s West Texas dry wit and knack for storytelling, make this a most enjoyable year to follow him around.”
---The Austin Chronicle
“The best golf quest since Don Quixote birdied the windmill hole!”---Willie Nelson
“This bouncing, quixotic quest is hole-in-one reading for anyone who loves the game---or hates their own game and would love to love it more.”
---American Way Magazine
“Thanks to Pipkin’s delightful self-deprecating humor (he is a former stand-up comic) and to his genuine humility in the face of so complex a game, this is one golf memoir that engenders more sympathy than envy.”
---Booklist
“Breezy and enjoyable memoir.”
---Publishers Weekly
“The Old Man and the Tee is a must for anyone who hasn’t played with Willie Nelson and has given up this stupid game more than once.”
---David Feherty, bestselling author of A Nasty Bit of Rough and Somewhere in Ireland, a Village is Missing an Idiot
“A lot of fun to read. Turk Pipkin sets his course upon a voyage of vastly
improving his golf game and discovers a renewed sense of life itself.”
---Ben Crenshaw, professional golfer and Masters winner
“Turk Pipkin is the most passionate golf nut I know. This book proves it. He actually thinks the game is fun.”
---Dan Jenkins, author of Rude Behavior, Semi Tough, and Fairways and Greens
“Turk Pipkin goes on the quest that all amateur golfers dream of but few dare
to do---take a year off from life to cut ten strokes from his game. Go on this
trip with him and you will improve your own game, meet some interesting
people around the world, and have a grand adventure.”
---Bud Shrake, coauthor of Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (August 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312320841
• ISBN-13: 978-0312320843
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,160,369 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too much product hype, too much instruction - buy it anyway!, September 27, 2004

By 

Al Ely (Fair Oaks Ranch, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Old Man and the Tee: How I Took Ten Strokes Off My Game and Learned to Love Golf All Over Again (Hardcover)

When it comes to instruction books and equipment, golfers will buy anything that lays claim to being able to improve their game. (See: Roy McAvoy, "Tin Cup".) Pipkin doesn't claim to improve his readers' games except by extension, since he tells us how he took 10 strokes off his own handicap in one year of concentrated lessons, practice, and travel to the great golf locations of three continents. Trouble is, who among us mere sloggers could cobble together such a year's schedule without the leverage of a decent reputation as a golf writer and the promise of a mention (or, in some cases, a paean) in a soon-to-be-published golf best seller?
Pipkin is up front about the custom Calloways and the Ledbetter lessons he gets in return for singing the praises of these golfing ultimates, and somewhat less so for the 30-odd other product placements (not including all the courses)that jump off the pages in what pretty quickly becomes an off-putting kind of way. He generously shares the lesson tips he gets (why not - they cost him nothing) but the golfer who trys to digest, much less apply, all the instruction points will find himself or herself hopelessly muddled.
Never mind all that. The book has some good golf stories and is, in large part, an instruction book with a lot of advice on what equipment can do, and if you're a golfer, you know what that means. Buy it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone who loves the game of golf!, September 17, 2004

By 

David Wood (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Old Man and the Tee: How I Took Ten Strokes Off My Game and Learned to Love Golf All Over Again (Hardcover)

A book that is as touching as it is funny, Turk Pipkin takes us on his year long quest to take 10 strokes off his game and break 80 at Pebble Beach to honor the man who taught him the game - his father Pip. Unlike any golf book you're likely to read, Turk combines his lessons learned from golf teaching greats like David Leadbetter to hilarous stories of golfing with Willie Nelson, George Plimpton and everyone else who was lucky enough to tee it up with him on his quest. Once I started reading this book, I couldn't stop. A must read for lovers of golf, life and humor!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and Witty, March 11, 2005

By 

Tiffany L. Nelson "AZ Golfing Girl" (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Old Man and the Tee: How I Took Ten Strokes Off My Game and Learned to Love Golf All Over Again (Hardcover)

I'm a huge golfer, but not a big golf book reader. When I picked this book up I thought it would be boring, like most of the golf books. I was pleasantly surprised at how quick I was enthralled with the book and the humor in it. Not only funny, but I could really relate to this book and feel like I'm standing right next to him while he is telling the story. It is a great read and I recommend to give to the golfer in your life. It is truly a joy to read.