The Art of Scoring by Stan Utley

Gotham Books / Penguin Group

"Yeh," I said (wrote (emailed)) to Mr Science, "I got this book to review by Stan Utley . . . ".

"WOW!" he interrupted, as only Mr Science can over an email conversation that bridges two continents and 9 time-zones. "He's Great! He's Famous! He's why I count strokes!"

Oh, my sweet lord, I shudda figgered. There ain't enough room on a scorecard for the two of us, for all his hen-scratching . . . so I'll send this book to Mr Science now, where he will treasure it till it is dog-eared with reading and re-reading, whereas for me, as a lost cause, as only such a stubborn know-it-all duffer as myself can be, I would read it and stick it on a book shelf.

I mean, no-doubt, Utley knows whereof he speaks, and he can help those willing to be helped, like Mr Science, who really needs help like Arizona needs day-light-savings time, which is to say, not at all, they have plenty of daylight, even in winter, if you see how I mean . . . but the blizzard of technoalia, like as if, the words would pour over you on the practice range with Mr Utley don't do anything for me . . .that is. I play by feel, that is, I play by how I feel on any given day, and all the tears in the world cannot erase a stroke of it . . .

20 minutes of this and I'll be a basket case -- I'll be weaving baskets instead of playing golf, d'y'see? But Mr Science eats it up, lives on it, swears by it . . . no matter how contradictory, vague, or self-evident, he wants to know and to memorize and to apply it, and in turn, tell everybody else struggling on the golf course ... 8^D ... myself, I go to the other end of the green, stick my fingers in my ears, and sing la-la-la-la loud enough to drown him out till somebody hits into us on the green, trying to hurry us up.

the one thing about Mr Science that bugged me, aside from the way he always hits inside my ball from further out on the fairway . . . 8^0 . . .was how long he would take to putt . . . I mean: nevermind all the breaches of golf etiquette that plague us in these yellow days of debauchery and gauchery, the dude, and I suspect it was not Utley but some predecessor, that sold the world on extended pre-shot routines did us all the Ultimate non-favor, at least those of us interested in 3 hour rounds instead of 5. Mr Science is one of those, the thing is, tho', he makes so many of those putts he studies over you can't say anything, cuz, He Made It. You can't argue with success. So I settle for drinking and club-throwing. . . 8^P . . .

But then he says things like this that I can totally get behind...

How one is to perform all that pre-putt routine without trying too is a mystery to me, but I'm sure Mr Science Groks it . . . heck the whole world prob'ly groks it, except me. .. 8^/ ...

So if you're of a scientific bent to your green-side manner, then this is the book for you. Its not for me, a by-feel-duffer, but that says more about me than the book, if you see what I mean, but strictly book-wise, one has to comment on the graphics in the book, which must be among the poorest-quality ever foisted upon the gullible golfing public . . . if a good picture is worth a 1000 words then these would fall into the lesser ratio of say 200 or 300 words, if you see what I mean. As I say, Utley effuses words like a fire-hydrant, so maybe the equation is supposed equal out thataway.

I mean, these pictures have suffered thru my scan & post process, but I put a little work into making them as close to the appearance in the book as possible -- I don't think Utley did himself, his message, or the reader any favor with them.

At the end of the book is an excellent summary of his points . . . you really have to have understood the previous chapters, I reckon, to benefit from this summary, but he recommends it as a practice agenda, too, which ought to be the key to getting any improvement from the practice area to the golf course.

FORE!

Pussy Galore Boutique in Leipzig

Wisdom

 

THE STACK AND TILT SWING: The Definitive Guide to the Swing that is Remaking Golf

by Michael Bennett and Andy Plummer,

Gotham Books (Pendant Publishing)


By the time any golfer becomes  “of a certain age” he’s heard every golf theory at least twice and as many contradictory opinions, so that despair and resignation are often the result. I myself find that not only would actual golf lessons make my game worse with the myriad of picayune swing thoughts imposed on me, but even should my eye fall casually upon one of the instruction articles in a golf magazine, I lose three strokes to par.

So then, the casual, uncomplicated (not to say, simplistic) approach of The Stack & Tilt swing seems like a very new idea. Although there may be some scientific foundation to it, the breezy message conveyed in their book is a duffer-friendly, conversational approach.

Right away, they give you their fundamentals, which are unlike fundamentals offered by other teachers . . . the common-sense and plain language seems like a shortcut to mediocrity to those of us inculcated in the esoterica of modern golf theory, but Stack & Tilt offers endorsements and explanations from various pros that tend to dispel that misconception . . . it is a whole new way of thinking about the swing, and it is controversial, but the rationale is very compelling.

Their learning method is so heavily skewed towards improving the golfer that it seems completely within his grasp – possible – unlike the “normal” instruction full of unique nomenclature and seemingly impossible gyrations. This sample training lesson – a 30 minute progression – illustrates their plain talk.

Scattered throughout the theoretical point-by-point discussions are some real-life testimonials from pros that re-inforce and illustrate what the authors are getting at.

Should I have given the impression that this is a light-weight, superficial training method, I include this tidbit to savor, a sample of what expertise lies ahead for the master of the basic training . . .

So, if conventional golf instruction has left your game unimproved – or even dis-improved! – Stack & Tilt will be worth investigating . . . it is so far outside-the-box that some of the fundamentals they teach are in fact recognized as swing flaws in those traditional methodologies.

RE: Complimentary golf long ball champion videos, swing tips

From one of Mr Science's Connecticut golf buddies, Hugh:

 

Too much information, TOO MUCH INFORMATION !!!

I can sum it up in one phrase:

Low and slow, throw the toe !!!

Hugh

 

Too good and too true not to blog . . .

Complimentary golf long ball champion videos, swing tips

Mr Science says . . .

 

I watched all 3 videos.  Nothing I didn't already know, deep down, but perhaps some help in implementing.

 

 

_____________________________________________________________________ GolfCpons.com and OffthetheFringe.com are pleased to introduce our member golfer/subscribers to an invitation from Eric Jones, PGA Pro and World Long Drive Champion...Complimentary training videos

Everybody wants to hit the ball farther … including me.       I  asked my friend, World Long Ball Champion and PGA Pro Eric Jones if he could share some of his video tips with GolfCpons.com and Off the Fringe members/subscribers. He has graciously accomodated..check them out, you will like them. I did. Erice has some pretty interesting ideas to share about hitting it long. How expert is he? He's a PGA Pro with a Masters degree in Sport Psychology. And a World Long Drive Champion. I was just talking with him while he's at his 8th consecutive Long Drive Championship appearance in Mesquite, NV. He knows distance, and he knows the golf swing. His name is Eric Jones, and he's put together some very informative videos on getting more distance. It'll be worth your time to watch them. Click on this link to watch "Driving it Longer is a Skill, and You Can Learn It." There are links to a couple more videos there as well for you to watch. You'll like them. And they're complimentary. Check out the video on "Driving it longer is a Skill." If you leave a comment or question, he'll answer. Best regards, Bob PS - Almost forgot to mention - he's GIVING AWAY advance chapters of his forthcoming book "Strategic Golf: The 3 Keys to Scoring." Make sure you download these chapters before they go away on Monday. These are jewels! Download here.

 

If you do not wish to receive future Off the Fringe newsletters or golf specials, please touch here. Copyright © 2010 Cpons.com, Inc. All rights reserved. BirdieBucks! is a trademark of Cpons.com, Inc. Cpons.com, Inc. 100 Millpond Plantation Warner Robins, Georgia 31088 (678) 528-8768

 

Robert Hagge

Big fan of Robert Hagge http://www.vonhagge.com/intro.htm

But I’ve always heard he was a difficult person, er, in person . . .

He never gets mentioned with the Tier 1 course designers, which is unfair. The quality of the list of his courses just in Texas is mind-blowing:

Walden On Lake Conroe http://www.waldengolf.com/walden.html

Crown Colony in Lufkin   http://www.crown-colony.com/

TPC Woodlands             http://www.thewoodlandscc.com/fw/main/The_East_Course-1601.html

The Cliffs on Possum Kingdom http://www.thecliffsresort.com/Leisure/Golf.aspx

 

But, again, his association with Bruce Devlin is not mentioned at all in this article, which is indicative of the falling out they had, after collaborating on these amazing designs.

 

Playing on these courses totally shaped my POV on course design and the Essence of Golf: A von Hagge / Devlin course has no dud holes – there may be sleepers – but every hole is interesting & challenging.

 

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/glf/7265654.html

 

Robert von Hagge's golf courses a lasting legacy

Creations keep his memory alive

By TODD HVEEM
Copyright 2010 For the Chronicle

Oct. 26, 2010, 10:52PM

Close [X]

Golf course architect Robert von Hagge may have died earlier this month, but his accomplishments live on as legendary landmarks.

"Robert von Hagge had a charismatic aura that shone upon everyone who knew him," said von Hagge's friend and brother-in-law Ron Randall. "He was a brilliant artist and a generous and caring human being who made everyone he came into contact with a better person.

"Robert had such presence and charm. You could listen to his stories indefinitely because they were filled with such humor and often celebrities. He wasn't a name dropper, it just so happened they were people he was associated with."

Von Hagge, who was a member at Northgate Country Club, designed more than 250 golf courses in 16 countries, including the Tournament Course at The Woodlands Country Club, site of last week's Administaff Small Business Classic.

Les Bordes a masterpiece

 

curves, hooks, & slices

I like to send Mr Science mind-candy when I find it on the web …

 

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130777556

but Mr Science Says:

 

They're making a convoluted scenario out of a high-school geometry problem.
 
The path of the ball is a simple circular curve.  It doesn't "fall off the table" at the end, it simply continues accelerating in the same direction at the same rate.
 
Consider a circular automobile race track.  You stand just outside the outer wall watching cars go by.  As a car comes into your view, almost 90 degrees away around the circle, it is traveling straight toward a point off to your left, like the curve ball (or fast ball) just released by the pitcher.  In fact, you can't tell if that car is going to stay on the track, or hit the wall because it fails to hold the curve.
 
As the car gets closer to you, you begin to see that it is in fact turning, and will stay on the track.  It's not moving much sideways, but still coming closer very quickly, and is now coming straight at you.  Like that curve ball when it's halfway to the plate.
 
Then, as the car gets close to you, you begin to see that it's no longer coming toward you very much, but is turning very quickly and will pass by you without hitting you or going off the track.  Like the curve ball when it's 2 feet in front of the plate, and "falling off" the table. 
 
The driver of the car hasn't moved his steering wheel the whole time.  He's turning at a constant rate, the same as the circular track.  The same as the curve ball, the direction of motion is changing at a constant rate.
 
The batter isn't moving, but the path of the ball is changing as it comes toward him, and his perception of the sideways motion is the sine of the angle between his sightline and the path of the ball.  When the ball is coming straight at him, the angle is 0 and the sine is 0.  It looks just like a fastball.  The longer you wait, the more the path of the ball changes, and the larger is the angle and the sine of the angle.  That's the math that explains why a ball that is following a circular path of constant radius seems to "fall off the table" when it gets very close to the batter. 
 
That's also why your draw gradually turns into a duck hook as it approaches the edge of the fairway. 

I’m trying not to take it personally, but that “your draw” conclusion stings a little bit . . . 8^D . . . .

of Tangential Interest

Subject: from 92 Stories, a collection by James Thurber

From a story entitled “Miscellaneous Mentation”

…To substitute walking under ladders for not walking under ladders is a distinction without a difference. For here we have, in effect, a person who was afraid to walk under ladders, and is now afraid not to. In the first place he avoided ladders because he feared the very fear that that would put into him. This the psychologists call phobophobia (they really do). But *now* he is afraid of the very fear he had of being afraid and hence is a victim of what I can only cal phobophobophobia, and is in even deeper than he was before.

I am shocked, *shocked*, that this concept has not been more widely propagated and understood:

-          every sportsman should immediately recognize this, particularly golfers, in that what debilitates us is not the fear of hitting the ball in the water (which is an ordinary hazard of the game), nor even fear of the fear of hitting the ball into the water (which we could avoid by laying up short of the hazard), but *fear of the fear of the fear of hitting the ball into the water* which is where we chunk or skull the ball leaving the obstacle still before us…

-          every technical participant should also immediately recognize this, particularly programmers, in the same way where we *fear the fear of the fear of making a mistake* which leads inexorably to the bureaucratization of maintenance procedures to the point where nothing can be done, due to the embedded nestings of  “from-now-on” restrictions.

-          In stock market trading, as well as in programming, this stultification is known also as “paralysis by analysis” and in that arena leads to loss-of-profits due to the *fear of the fear of the fear of losing money* which, in the main, usually does guarantee the loss of more money.

I have no answers, I have only this quaint belief that naming something gives you a handle on it, and *phobophobophobia* seems like a useful handle to me.

 

New Zero-Day Attack Riddles Adobe Reader

By Sidney Hill
TechNewsWorld
09/09/10 10:36 AM PT

Adobe software is everywhere. It's even more ubiquitous than Windows, and perhaps even more vulnerable to hacker schemes. The latest threat, which comes disguised as a golf lesson, consists of code that "can do almost whatever it wants," said ESET's Randy Abrams. "It can download malicious bots; it can load keystroke-tracking software, or any number of things."

 

<Snip>

 

The dangerous code is being unleashed via PDF files that users are enticed to open by a phishing email offering courses from David Leadbetter, a world-renowned golf instructor. When the PDF file is opened, it downloads a hidden program that attacks the user's system.

"This code can do almost whatever it wants," said Randy Abrams, director of technical education with ESET. "It can download malicious bots; it can load keystroke-tracking software, or any number of things."

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/70791.html?wlc=1284058573&wlc=1284099882

One bodacious hole . . .

http://www.legend-resort.com/

Golfer Starts Fire by chipping

IRVINE – After over seven hours of fighting the fire, a blaze probably sparked when a golfer chipped a rock with his club near Shady Canyon in Irvine was completely contained by 7:30 p.m., Orange County Fire Authority Captain Greg McKeown said.

Almost 200 firefighters battled the 12-acre blaze near the Shady Canyon Golf Course on Saturday, officials said.

The fire was reported at 12:07 p.m. as a hillside fire near the golf course. It burned through dense, heavy brush.

McKeown said two crews would remain throughout the night to prevent spot fires from flaring up. Another hand crew will return Sunday to mop up, he said.

At no point were the nearby multimillion-dollar homes in the gated Shady Canyon Golf Course at risk, McKeown said.

McKeown said the fire likely was sparked when a golfer – who knocked his golf ball into the grass that borders the fairway – struck a rock with his club trying to get the ball out of the rough.

Two other fires near Antonio Parkway and Ortega Highway that broke out at 12:30 p.m. were also extinguished.

 

 

http://www.ocregister.com/news/fire-264139-mckeown-canyon.html

 

1)   HEY! That’s a 2 shot penalty, idnt’t?

2)   I tho’t my chipping was bad, but geez . . .

Ai Miyazato wins Safeway Classic, leaps to No. 1

PORTLAND, Ore. - Ai Miyazato reclaimed the top spot in the world rankings, winning the LPGA Safeway Classic on Sunday for her fifth victory of the year.

The Japanese star closed with an even-par 72 to finish at 11 under, two strokes in front of Cristie Kerr, ranked No. 1 going into the event, and Na Yeon Choi.

<snip>

The Safeway Classic, in its second year at Pumpkin Ridge, was marred Saturday when veteran Juli Inkster, in strong position to contend in the final round, was disqualified.

The 50-year-old Hall of Famer was used a weighted training aid on her club to stay loose while waiting for 30 minutes to make the turn at the 10th hole. That broke rule 14-3, which meant disqualification.

Inkster had finished in a three-way tie for second at 8 under with Kim and Choi after two rounds. But that was erased when she used the "doughnut" training aid to practice her swing before making the backed-up turn, and the image flashed on television.


LPGA Director of Tournament Competitions Sue Witters said a viewer watching the broadcast brought the violation to the attention of tournament officials via email. By that time, Inkster was almost done with her round.

"I had a 30-minute wait and I needed to loosen up," Inkster said in a statement. "It had no effect on my game whatsoever, but it is what it is. I'm very disappointed."

I freaking HATE people that call in from watching on TV to report rules violations . . . I mean . . . it's a Gentleman (and Gentlewoman's) game, or idn't?
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/golf/articles/2010/08/22/20100822ai-miyazato-wins-safeway-classic.html#ixzz0xPJ7N9v1

14-3. Artificial Devices, Unusual Equipment and Unusual Use of Equipment

The United States Golf Association (USGA) reserves the right, at any time, to change the Rules relating to artificial devices, unusual equipment and the unusual use of equipment, and make or change the interpretations relating to these Rules.

A player in doubt as to whether use of an item would constitute a breach of Rule 14-3 should consult the USGA.

A manufacturer should submit to the USGA a sample of an item to be manufactured for a ruling as to whether its use during a stipulated round would cause a player to be in breach of Rule 14-3. The sample becomes the property of the USGA for reference purposes. If a manufacturer fails to submit a sample or, having submitted a sample, fails to await a ruling before manufacturing and/or marketing the item, the manufacturer assumes the risk of a ruling that use of the item would be contrary to the Rules.

Except as provided in the Rules, during a stipulated round the player must not use any artificial device or unusual equipment, or use any equipment in an unusual manner:

a. That might assist him in making a stroke or in his play; orb. For the purpose of gauging or measuring distance or conditions that might affect his play; orc. That might assist him in gripping the club, except that:

(i) plain gloves may be worn;(ii) resin, powder and drying or moisturizing agents may be used; and(iii) a towel or handkerchief may be wrapped around the grip.

Exceptions:

1. A player is not in breach of this Rule if (a) the equipment or device is designed for or has the effect of alleviating a medical condition, (b) the player has a legitimate medical reason to use the equipment or device, and (c) the Committee is satisfied that its use does not give the player any undue advantage over other players.

2. A player is not in breach of this Rule if he uses equipment in a traditionally accepted manner.

Penalty for Breach of Rule 14-3: Disqualification.

Note: The Committee may make a Local Rule allowing players to use devices that measure or gauge distance only.

http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Rule-14/#scrollTop:rules_browse_left=0.3087431693989071

Birdie on GCP #8

after a double handful of missed birdie putts -- makeable birdie putts on #8 at Golf Club Praha, I finally got one to go in . . . took all of my experience with that particular green . . .broke about 3 foot over 7 feet . . . total speed putt.

last tournament, I was on the other side of this same pin position (mine is the closer) -- 2 fantastic tee shots, these are, of mine, last time and this time, if you see what I mean -- which is a much easier putt, from 3 - 4 feet, uphill . . . and left it short . . .

At the Dentist

A man and his wife walked into a dentist's office.

 

The man said to the dentist, "Doc, I'm in one heck of a hurry.  I have two

buddies sitting out in my car waiting for us to go play golf, so forget

about the anesthetic, I don't have time for the gums to get numb. I just

want you to pull the tooth, and be done with it!  We have a 10:00 AM tee

time at the best golf course in town and it's 9:30 already... I don't have

time to wait for the anesthetic to work!"

 

The dentist thought to himself, "My goodness, this is surely a very brave

man asking to have his tooth pulled without using anything to kill the pain."

 

So the dentist asks him, "Which tooth is it sir?"

 

The man turned to his wife and said, "Open your mouth Honey, and show him.

The Parrot Died

At dawn the telephone rings . . .   "Hello, Senor Rod?" This is Ernesto, the caretaker at your lake house in Bella Vista."   "Ah yes, Ernesto. What can I do for you? Is there a problem?"   "Um, I am just calling to advise you, Senor Rod, that your parrot, he is dead."   "My parrot? Dead? The one that won the International competition?"   "Si, Senor, that's the one."   "Damn! That's a pity! I spent a small fortune on that bird. What  did he die from?"   "From eating the rotten meat, Senor Rod." "Rotten meat? Who the hell fed him rotten meat?"   "Nobody, Senor. He ate the meat of the dead horse."   "Dead horse? What dead horse?"   "The thoroughbred, Senor Rod."   "My prize thoroughbred is dead?"   "Yes, Senor Rod, he died from all that work pulling the water cart."   "Are you insane?? What water cart?"   "The one we used to put out the fire, Senor."   "Good Lord!! What fire are you talking about, man??"   "The one that destroyed your house, Senor! A candle fell and the curtains caught on fire."   "What the hell?? Are you saying that my house is destroyed because of a candle??!!"   "Yes, Senor Rod."   "But there's electricity at the house!! What was the candle for?"   "For the wake, Senor Rod."   "WHO’S BLOODY WAKE??!!"   "Your wife's, Senor Rod. She showed up very late one night and I thought she was a thief, so I hit her with your new Taylor Made Super Quad 460 golf club."   SILENCE...........    LONG SILENCE.........     "Ernesto, if you broke that driver, you're in deep shit !

 

The Dark Art of Putting - Slate.com

A new stat sheds light on golf's most mystical skill.

By Michael Agger

http://www.slate.com/id/2263080/

Moment of Glory by John Feinstein

from Little, Brown

When I heard about this book, I tho't "Huh, I know just what to say, without even reading it!" But that was when I tho't it was about 2009 . . . nay, it's about 2003 . . . I had to go back and look this up, from wikipedia, natch . . .

yeah, well, I do see it's easier to make a case for 2003 being the Year of the Underdog, rather than 2009 (Angel Cabrerra - well, I mean, yeah!), especially after Tiger had won a Major every year between 2003 & 2009 . . . so what am I looking for in such a review . . . there must be something timeless to say about the ineffable, intractable Nature of Golf that only the Lives of Underdogs can reveal to us, and who better to do that than John Feinstein?

Well, plain and simple, it falls short -- and I'm not saying that was Feinstein's aim, only that I don't know why I would read about these champions in this year, otherwise -- I admit I was confused why it seemed to fall short until I read the Acknowledgements at the end of the book:

1. He wanted to do different book with Rocco Mediate and "his remarkable US Open experience at Torrey Pines" (a mano a mano with Tiger, in 2009), while it was "hot", and,
2. He had a septuple bypass (that WILL slow a boy down, won't it . . . 8^0 . . .)

so: the multi-faceted, nuanced story of 4 relative unknowns and the 4 unknown runners-up had to lay up while the more interesting and marketable book and the severe medical problems played thru.

I do not want to give the impression (from information I do not have) that Feinstein did not give this book his best effort. That he finished it at all, years later, with the aforementioned delay rationales shows his professional Journalism.

It's all very workmanlike and "obligated" rather than inspired, and it just felt like 350 pages of "difficult" interviews: defensiveness from the champions mixed with the sort of platitudinous drivel that media conscious public figures rely on to avoid gaffes or faux paux; plaintive optimism from the runners-up, determined not to whine or what-if.

In short, there was a story to be told, events did happen, but from the premise that Tiger's self inflicted machinations left a vacuum filled by these guys, champions and runners-up alike, bless their hearts, it was apparently too difficult to make the story compelling.

Bad Lies: A Field Guide to Lost Balls, Missing Links, and Other Golf Mishaps [Hardcover]

from Hachette Book Group / Little Brown

If I may quote from myself, and I do, I will say that duffers are very rarely looking for trouble, but find themselves in trouble often, anyway . . . if you know what I mean . . . so a little book that tells the endlessly interesting story of trouble on the golf course would be welcome . . . from the harmless untruths and exaggerations about such trouble told in the 19th hole to the ribald raconteurterie of the locker room, we, the duffers commiserate with the well told encounter.

And one imagined, starting off with the amusing FOREword from Gary McCord, that the pictures in this book would each relate a 1000 words worth of merriment, but either the author's imagination failed him, or his experience is limited by an over-abundance of skill that inhibits the kinds of adventures that duffers such as myself find interesting.

AIA (apologies in advance), I am going to quote from myself again . . . unpardonable, but I have spent all my vitriol on duffers that don't rake traps, fill divots, repair ballmarks, or hit into the group ahead of them, and since I don't do any of those things, by the time I get to my own sins, I find I must be forgiving instead, so lookit:

So my 3wood wasn't gonna reach the green, I knew that, but I never figgered for trouble like this. Maybe I'll link this to my review of the book Bad Lies, and vice versa . . . 8^) . . .

I chipped it with a 7iron one handed, my left hand holding the tree like a lady . . . I hadn't practiced that . . . it came out ok, but long, and it took 3 more to get down. Bogey, to make 5 6s in a row. Ouch.

SO

Maybe it's not Shakespear, nor Wind nor Darwin nor Updike, nor Jenkins, neither -- but here is my point, it IS a bad lie, and not

• 
  
  a picture of the backsides of some gallery at a golf tournament, nor
• 
  
  some stagey, fakey looking picture, nor
• 
  
  a apparently unrelated picture of Paula Creamer in the fairway or Natalie Gulbis on a green (and don't get me wrong . . . I am fully in favor of as many pictures of the beautiful and talented ladies of the LPGA being made as widely available as possible -- just -- this is where I am questioning the judgement? what is being said about these good young woment in a book about trouble where they're not in Golf Trouble? Pictures of puchritudinous young women in a book called Bad Lies is just asking for a locker room joist, if you see what I mean.)

I had oughtta say that the picture of the duffer looking for his ball in the fescue was a good 'un. A book of those would have been good . . . but dude -- Drop a Ball and move on!

Well, one last carp and then I'll sum up: I can't believe the best picture of a golf ball in a saguaro available is the one he published . . . any duffer that's played in AZ has seen better examples, and me and Mr Science played every course in the valley of the sun we could get on . . . from the early days on the Kokopelli Golf Stance you might find a better picture, but I know after a while it just wudn't funny no more.

Bottom line, if you're thinking of buying this for the duffer in your  family, don't do it . . . 5 minutes and onto the shelf for good . . . if you're thinking of buying it for yourself, back off and restart your pre-purchase routine again . . . look at it again from both sides of the hole, if you see what I mean, Before . . . .