What happens when a man leaves home for a year to pursue his dream?

One day, playing a particularly spectacular round of golf, husband and father John Paul Newport suddenly tastes what it?s like to be a pro. Deciding to take a year off and hit the road playing golf's mini-tour circuit, Newport embarks on a wild trip through America's fairways. Over the course of his journey inside the somewhat shady, often hilarious underbelly of professional golf, he uncovers a world of people so totally addicted to golf, to the delusion of achievable perfection, that they sacrifice everything else to the quest. He also discovers the nature of his own obsession with the game, and how this constant pursuit of perfection on the golf course reflects the same challenges and frustrations one encounters in life. What does it take to master such an intricate, unpredictable game? In golf, as in life, why is one so consistently incapable of acting up to one's clearly established potential?

As Newport struggles to cross that Fine Green Line--the infinitely subtle yet critical difference between the top golf professionals and those who never quite make it--he realizes that life, like golf, doesn't let you get away with anything. This is a story about letting go of fear, facing challenges, and embracing risks--a compelling personal journey that captures many of the frustrations and elations of midlife both on and off the course.

"The game of golf is a 'work in progress' for the ambitious player. You never reach the point at which you have mastered the game, because the knowledge and skills it demands are virtually limitless." Jack Nicklaus.

Led by a Foreword on how to win by the world's greatest player, this book provides key insights from sport science research, professional practice and case-study contributions from internationally recognised experts. Coaches, sports scientists, players and those involved in their preparation will benefit from this excellent resource.

Teaching Kids Golf is all any parent will ever need to welcome a child to the sport he or she will play for a lifetime. Written by a golfer with more than 25 years of teaching kids and adults at some of the countrys most prestigious golf schools, this latest addition to the acclaimed Baffled Parents series covers everything from the basics of proper grip and swing techniques, to putting, pitching, driving, and managing time on the course.

• Q&A sections provide solutions to problems new instructors face
  
• Designed for golfing and non-golfing parents alike
  
• Takes a drill-based approach to teaching the basics
  

One of the funniest, most beloved, and most often quoted entertainers in the world tells his tale of Life and Golf--and of somehow surviving both.

With his brilliant creation, groundskeeper Carl Spackler, and the outrageous success of the film Caddyshack firmly etched into the American consciousness, Bill Murray and golf have become synonymous. Filled with Murray's trademark deadpan and dead-on humor, Cinderella Story chronicles his love affair with golf from the life lessons he learned as a caddy--"how to smoke, curse, play cards. But more important, when to"--to his escapades on the Pro-Am golf circuit at the Augusta National and as a fan at the Masters, the U.S. Open, and the Western Open. An up-by-the-bootstraps tale of a man, his muse, and our society's fascination with a little white ball, Cinderella Story is one pilgrim's bemused path through the doglegs.

EVERY WOMAN CAN PLAY GREAT GOLF

Known in the world of golf as one of the game's greatest teachers, Harvey Penick worked with U.S. Open winners, great champions, and five out of the thirteen women who are members of the LPGA Hall of Fame. Mickey Wright, Sandra Palmer, Betsy Rawls, Kathy Whitworth, Judy Rankin, and Betty Jameson all had the privilege and honor of working with Penick. While he was proud of their success and achievements, Penick took just as much pleasure from the accomplishments of the countless women who came to him hoping only to be able to hit a ball in the air for the very first time.

In For All Who Love the Game, Harvey shares the lessons he's learned from female golfers: techniques to help women gain greater physical and psychological power, advice on the perfect swing, and tips for developing areas of the game where women can and should outplay their male counterparts. Interwoven with Penick's ever-present blend of common sense and insight, For All Who Love the Game is a gift to every woman who wants to enjoy the game of golf to its fullest.

"The Ultimate Golf Trivia Book "is interactive in that each of the eighteen chapters is assigned a par of three, four, or five. Readers can keep score and earn eagles, birdies, pars, bogeys, and double bogeys dependent on the number of correct answers he or she provides for that chapter. Par for this book's course is 72. Golf-savvy readers will love trying to break 80.

Scattered throughout the book are interesting sidebars such as top-ten lists, strange-but-true stories, and more than thirty photographs.

Here are the highly successful training techniques used at one of the top golfing schools in America--the Golf University in San Diego. It was founded by Ken Blanchard, coauthor of the bestselling books The One Minute Manager, Raving Fans, and Gung Ho! In this brilliant book, Blanchard applies his management wisdom to the game of golf. He explains how you can take the same methods that are highly effective in business and adapt them with astonishing success to your golf game. Using training techniques that have been tested with pupils from beginners to low handicappers, The One Minute Golfer offers a long-overdue program for playing and enjoying golf, while improving your game.

Mike Linder believes that golf is the most spiritual of all sports. Whether it is a perfect drive by a novice, a duffer sinking an impossible putt, or a miraculous chip shot, these totally unpredictable occurrences reveal a mystery that, if explored with patience and alertness, can, like religion, lead a person to deeper, ineffable truths.

Spanning 85 years and including writers from several countries, Perfect Lies features classic stories such as F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Winter Dreams", and new stories from rising stars. Includes a total of 25 stories.

Founded in 1933, the Augusta National Golf Club is the perfect course. Co-designed by legends Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie, Augusta boasts gorgeous fairways and perfectly manicured greens, set against a breathtaking backdrop of azaleas and pines. Every April, the invitation-only Masters Tournament is watched by millions of avid viewers around the globe. But the exclusive club, with a membership comprising some of the world's most powerful and influential men, is also notorious for a legacy of secrets and controversy.

Journalist and novelist Steve Eubanks used all of his investigative and storytelling talents to get to the heart of Augusta's turbulent history, including its 44-year rule under the iron fist of Cliff Roberts and his suicide on the club's grounds; the Masters' impetuous yet long-standing relationship with CBS; allegations of racism; and the club's countless, rigid rules (members can even be expelled for wearing their green Augusta blazers outside the club).

With 45 inspiring photographs, Eubanks's balanced account also captures the historic moments that evoke deep affection for Augusta, from Dwight Eisenhower teeing off in the days before the Masters was televised to Jack Nicklaus's emotional victory at age 46, 23 years after he won his first green jacket. With a new chapter on Tiger Woods's 1997 triumph and published just in time for the 1998 Masters, Augusta is essential reading for anyone who wants the complete story of American golf's most hallowed ground.

Every two years, twelve men from the United States and twelve men from Europe compete for the pinnacle of professional golf - the Ryder Cup. With scores of telling historical references, Heartbreak Hill is Tim Rosaforte's masterful behind-the-scenes look at the 1995 Ryder Cup matches at the Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. The Ryder Cup competition has brought grown men to tears, caused the iciest veins to overheat, and the world's most intelligent strategists to make mind-boggling errors in judgment. Lanny Wadkins and his "dream team" were supposed to be a sure thing, and as expected, they led the first two days' matches by a substantial two-point margin. Only a miracle could bring European captain Bernard Gallacher and his team back to claim the cup. Rosaforte captures the dramatic holes-in-one, the clutch chips, the joys and numbing disappointments that led to the most spectacular comeback in the sixty-eight year history of the Ryder Cup. Heartbreak Hill is a must-have for every weekend golfer and armchair fan.

The next time you play golf leave your woods at home, putt with your 2-iron, and you will be on your way to shooting in the 70s. Sounds radical? Well, you're right on par Golf enthusiast Michael Laughlin, whose day job is in the film business, reveals his proven, but completely radical strategies that average golfers can use to dramatically lower their score.
In Radical Golf, Laughlin rethinks how the game of golf is traditionally played and shares his surprising and innovative ideas on how to play better golf. Unlike the usual technique-riddled golf books, Radical Golf offers practical and easy-to-use tips, and is written for the legion of average players who will never have the long, crunching power game of the professional.
"Golf is not a linear game," insists Laughlin, and "Scoring is definitely not related to advancing the ball as far as possible on each shot."
In this fun and accessible book, the radical golfer contends, for example, that players should approach the pin much like basketball players maneuver to shoot a basket by striving to shoot from their best, or "sweet" spot on the court. Laughlin also suggests that golf should be played as two separate games (of tee-to-green and putts) and that golfers should keep a separate scorecard for their putting game. Equally radical, Radical Golf calls for using a 2-iron for putts rather than the "dreaded" putter (the loft of the 2-iron matches the putter, "Calamity Jane," of legendary golfer Bobby Jones).
Hole by hole, sensible shot after sensible shot, Radical Golf simulates a round of golf with a pro to show how a radical golfer can stay within strokes of par play. Written in a witty and easy-to-understand style, with entertaining sidebars and line drawings, Radical Golf will revolutionize how golf is played both on and off the course. Most of all, Radical Golf will increase the enjoyment of playing this great and challenging game. Radical Golf is just the book that could become the bible of the weekend golfer.

Tommy Armour's classic How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time provides timeless golf instruction on the following subjects:

* How to learn your best golf
* What can your best golf be?
* Taking you to the lesson tee
* How your clubs can help you
* The grip holds your swing together
* How to get ready to swing
* Footwork, the foundation of best golf
* The art of hitting with the hands
* The waggle, preliminary swing in miniature
* The pause that means good timing
* Assembling your game in good order
* Saving strokes with simple approach shots
* The fascinating, frustrating philosophy of putting
* The simple routine of an orderly golf shot

These classic bits of advice are accompanied by over four dozen two-color illustrations.

Just as W. Timothy Gallwey's ground-breaking "The Inner Game of Golf" introduced golfers to the mental game, so too, will Kenneth Van Kampen's "Visual Golf" become the invaluable primer to mental imagery and visualization--both expremely popular sports-training techniques.

Virtually all professional athletes use some sort of visualization process to prepare for competition: whether it's to practice a shot, a swing, or a move again and again, or to "see" a successful attempt at a previously daunting feat. Van Kampen now brings these training tools to golfers of all levels. In addition, since you can't visualize a good shot if you don't know what one looks like, Van Kampen offers superb mechanical instruction.

With dozens of photos and illustrations created expressly for this book, "Visual Golf" provides instruction on: improving your mind-power for golf in order to hone ball-striking skills, plan better strategies, and perform consistently well under pressure; making a sound, repeating golf swing, from proper address to a high, balanced finish; troubleshooting and special shotmaking skills; playing the shortshots in the "scoring zone"--pitches, the bump and run shot, chips, and greenside sandplay; the putting game--greenreading, the basics of a good stroke, and putting psychology; trouble play--playing from the rough, off uneven lies, through the wind, and even out of water.

With an introduction by popular PGA professional Curtis Strange, "Visual Golf" is a valuable asset in every golfer's library.