Passion For Golf: In Pursuit of the Innermost Game [Hardcover]

Roland Merullo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2000

A great writer explores the spiritual, mental, and physical joys of golf.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For "average hackers" who struggle weekly to lower their scores, this slender, accessible guide offers insight into the emotional stumbling blocks that get in the way of improvement and, most importantly, enjoyment of the game. Merullo is not a professional golfer. He is a fiction writer whose books have explored the legacy of family relationships (Revere Beach Boulevard) and the juxtaposition of personal and national drama (A Russian Requiem). In his first nonfiction title, he continues his theme of relationships, using the lessons of golf that reach beyond the swing plane into our personal life. With quotations from such poets and mystics as Thoreau, Lao Tzu and Theresa of Avila, Merullo reveals how the mental game of golf affects the physical one. The chapter on ego is particularly pertinent. "Ego is the absence of true knowledge of who we really are...." Perhaps Sogyal Rinpoche did not have the average golfer in mind, but anyone who has attempted to hit a ball 180 yards out of the rough from under the spreading branches of two trees lurking eight feet apart knows the meaning of those words. Similar chapters on anger, fear, etiquette and humility feature personal anecdotes as well as tales of fallible professionals. A poignant observation, "No one begins a round thinking he will shoot his worst score, just as no one gets married thinking she will be miserable," sums up the innermost game of golf: "Without a certain amount of hope... we would not put the tee in the ground." Readers who enjoyed Michael Murphy's Zen of golf classic, Golf in the Kingdom, should have room for this slender, spiritual journey in their Christmas stocking. (Dec.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Back Cover

Most avid golfers believe that there is a profound connection between the joys and challenges of golf and the joys and challenges of living - that the more devoted we are to the game, the more we learn about ourselves. In Passion for Golf, Roland Merullo looks carefully at those connections and at the reasons why people find themselves irresistibly attracted to golf. Drawing on the triumphs and travails of playing partners, friends, and family members, and mixing in anecdotes from his own adventures on and off the course, Merullo explores the notion of a 'true goal of golf,' a hidden attraction that, ultimately, has more to do with deep peace and satisfaction than with the dream of playing on the PGA tour. He finds connections between fairway lessons and the mystical wisdom of Lao Tzu, Theresa of Avila, Thoreau, Jesus, Buddha, and Walt Whitman, among many others, and looks into the role of ego, anger, and silence in golf and life. More than anything else, Passion for Golf is a celebration of the game, an examination of the roots of our passion for it, and a meditation on the lessons every golfer carries away from the course and into his or her life. (53/4 X 81/2, 180 pages)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 180 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585741620
• ISBN-13: 978-1585741625
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,903,972 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Roland Merullo was born in Boston and raised in the working-class city of Revere, Massachusetts. He had a scholarship to Exeter Academy and graduated in 1971, attended Boston University for two years, transferred to Brown and graduated from Brown in 1975, then earned a Master's there--in Russian Studies-- in 1976. Roland has published ten novels and four books of non-fiction, and given talks at hundreds of universities, schools, bookstores, and other venues. He currently lives in Massachusetts with his wife Amanda and their two daughters and can be reached via his website: RolandMerullo.com.

His best-selling novel, Breakfast with Buddha, recently went into its 11th printing. Like Golfing with God before it, and American Savior after it, Breakfast with Buddha treats questions of philosophy/spirituality from a multi-denominational viewpoint and with a healthy dose of humor. The novel is provocative, not irreverent, and it has become a favorite with book clubs all over the country. It was based on an actual trip Merullo took from New York to North Dakota, most of it in the company of his wife and daughters. Golfing with God has just been optioned for film by Gemfilms.

His new book, The Talk-Funny Girl, is the story of a teenage girl in rural New Hampshire who escapes an abusive home life in a most unusual way. It follows a theme that can be found in almost all Merullo's books: a person overcoming some past trauma, whether that be the stress of war, illness, divorce, addiction, or early abuse.

Several old favorites--Leaving Losapas, A Russian Requiem, Revere Beach Boulevard, and Revere Beach Elegy, have just been reissued from AJAR Publications, in print form and as e-books. AJAR has also brought out Roland's small book of writing advice, Demons of the Blank Page.

GOLF WRITING

Merullo has a side-speciality, golf writing. His articles and columns appear frequently in Golf World Magazine, and his golf books include GOLFING WITH GOD, THE ITALIAN SUMMER, AND PASSION FOR GOLF.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Soul of Golf, December 12, 2000

By 

Bill Marsano (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Passion For Golf: In Pursuit of the Innermost Game (Hardcover)

This splendid little book is a double-edged Christmas gift: any intelligent golfer will love and benefit from it--and any gift-giver will appreciate having such an easy choice. "Passion for Golf" is not an instruction book, a how-to about better grips and reading greens. Instead it is a gracefully written (Merullo is a novelist) exploration of what golfers really battle on the course--not just the lies and bunkers and crosswinds but themselves and their demons: Ego, Anger, Fear, and others. Merullo writes of how to <approach> the game, and he doesn't need to draw on any Tigers or White Sharks to enlighten you. Indeed what is most appealing about this book is the he writes from the perspective of a pretty-good amateur playing a no-name course in western Massachusetts. And if you step back a bit for some perspective, you see that this is really a book about life. MBA's who have worn out their copies of "The Book of Five Rings" will find it worth their while, but any passionate golfer will enjoy a round in Merullo's company.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why We Play--An Off Season "Must Read" For Every Golfer, February 4, 2009

By 

Big D (Auburn, AL. USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Passion For Golf: In Pursuit of the Innermost Game (Hardcover)

Back in the forties and fifties, the government and military put out a series of tapes and TV shows called "Why We Fight" to tell the American people why we fight as we do for certain causes in certain places, hence, "Why We Fight..."

This book does the same thing for golf in a loving, kind, sharing and feeling way. It reminds us again why we play, why we love it, and why we go back again and again, inspite of the agony and all too seldom ectasy

This book ought to be required reading--a must read--for any golfer who is sitting through the cold of winter awaiting the green of spring. This book tells us "why we play" as few others can or have...

Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus would love this book, and Tiger Woods will come to love it. It's about what we love and cherish: the game, the ambiance, the surroundings, the challenge, the accomplishment, the agony and the ectasy...