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The Soul of Golf [Hardcover]

William Hallberg (Author)
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)


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Book Description

April 29, 1997
On a hot summer morning, William Hallberg, author of The Rub of the Green, sets off on an odyssey across the United States to penetrate--and illuminate--the soul of golf. No course is too grand, no driving range too humble for a stop on Hallberg's unpredictable tour of America's verdant and not-so-verdant golf venues. He tackles Kiawah Island's diabolical and breathtaking Ocean Course with a party of well-heeled Southern gents. He tromps through sagebrush roughs and kikuyu bunkers in the Nevada outback. He encounters the ghost of a cherished golfing buddy during a memorable round in the Smokies. And between games he nurses his wounds, ponders his constantly mutating handicap, and commiserates with fellow golfers in dusky sports bars, greasy spoons, and rain-soaked motel parking lots.

No one writes about golf the way William Hallberg does. His zest, passion, and humor inform each page of this book, which, using golf as both its means and metaphor, explores what it is to be a man in America. The Soul of Golf will make you laugh out loud, swallow hard in the face of painful truths, and ultimately, head yet again for your favorite golf course where fate lies in ambush. Hallberg clearly had the time of his life working on this book. It's a privilege and a pleasure to come along for the ride.  

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

"The striking of the ball is the thing . . . the feel of it, the percussive heft of a golf ball meeting the grooves of a club face just so, just there. Punitive, inexorable, perfect." Those phrases capture golf writer Hallberg at his philosophical best. Unfortunately, the meditative tendency that golf spawns in many writers is a blessing and a curse. Both traits are on view in this memoir of a golfing odyssey in which Hallberg circled the country, playing the game in all varieties of venues and musing throughout on its transcendental essence. Too much talk about the soul of anything tends to produce mushiness, the very opposite of that percussive click of club face against ball, and, sure enough, Hallberg's prose goes gooey from time to time. Still, he finds the sweet spot more than enough to satisfy that special brand of golfer who looks for deep meaning in a five iron. Bill Ott

From the Publisher

If you golf, and in fact, even if you don't, this book takes you on a tour across the country from a totally new perspective. That's what golf is like, it gives you a completely new point of view of what nature is and of what makes a true athlete. It's the love and respect of the sport. You may have seen a lot of the country, but what better excuse to get off the beaten path, to search and explore the soul of golf. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 337 pages
  • Publisher: Fawcett; 1 edition (April 29, 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0449911241
  • ISBN-13: 978-0449911242
  • Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,373,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars If you love golf, you'll love this, June 11, 2011
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This review is from: The Soul of Golf (Hardcover)
I first read this book when it was published in the 1990's. I have wanted to read it again since then, and recently was given the name and author from an old friend who leant it to me. If you appreciate humor, and just downright telling it like it is - the joy of the game, the agony of bad shots, the empathy we have for each other and the admiration for beauty and nature, and just life on its challenging courses, then this is the book for you. In fact, next month I plan to go to Taos, NM to play the course I have dreamed about playing for over a decade. Highly recommended.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Golf's "Ball Four", March 10, 2007
By 
Jack Fisher (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Soul of Golf (Paperback)
I've owned this book for three or four years now, and I'm always picking it back up to reread sections -- usually on days when I'm wishing I was on the road headed somewhere new with my golf clubs in the trunk.

This book has basically the same wise-cracking tone as Jim Bouton's baseball classic "Ball Four." Whether one agrees with Hallberg's outlook on various topics or not, it's interesting and entertaining to read his often humorous thoughts on those subjects.

I did, however, notice a few factual errors in the text. For instance, there is no highrise building on Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina, as the book states. The building that Hallberg saw apparently was Sugartop on nearby Sugar Mountain.
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3.0 out of 5 stars A good read, October 18, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: The Soul of Golf (Paperback)
This is an exceptionally well written enjoyable book to read on a rainy afternoon when you can't get out to the course. The only downer were periodic eruptions of Hallberg's boomer arrogance. Also disappointing was the fact he told all his golf partners that he was writing a book and he was going to put them in it!
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There's nothing quite like cruising at dawn through Dixie, sober, alone, tired . . . listening to a wild-ass evangelist hyperventilate over lost souls and spiritual defectives like me. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Cypress Point, Pebble Beach, North Carolina, Bowling Green, Bill Hallberg, North Dakota, New Mexico, Palm Springs, William Hallberg, Baton Rouge, San Francisco, Browns Mill, Lake Michigan, Natalie Merchant, East Jordan, New York, North America, Ocean Course, Fort Worth, Rice Lake, Traverse City, Anchor Steam, Linville Ridge, Los Angeles, Crystal Downs
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