Beyond The Fairways

Beyond The Fairway is a guide for getting to the heart of golf and self by measuring a not by the score, but by the overall experience. Going against conventional approaches to golf, disproving that a straight fairway drive is golf's ultimate thrill, golfer and author Jeff Wallach steers his cart into the rough and even dangerous terrain where golf becomes an adventure into the unknown, into the greater mysteries of life, love, friendship, endurance, being a son, and being a man. Each chapter presents the unique physical and spiritual challenges of exotic and exclusive courses around the world from Scotland, Africa, and Thailand to Oregon, Alaska, and Nepal. The book gives an insider's often humorous, sometimes irreverent perspective on the sacred sites and rites of golf, and pros from around the world provide practical tips and insights into the game.

"In 1988, a small group of wives of PGA TOUR players created a non-profit organization to support charities in communities they visited on the TOUR. Twenty-five years later, the PGA TOUR Wives Association has raised over $5 million and engaged in hundreds of charitable projects that have impacted the lives of thousands of children and families in need. This stunning 25th Anniversary "family album," compiled by members of the PGA TOUR Wives Association, captures the Association's quarter century of charitable work and, through hundreds of heartwarming stories and family photographs, offers readers a rare glimpse into the lives of PGA TOUR families -- both on and off the course" --Cover, p. [4].

"Dive into the captivating narrative of 'Beyond the Fairways: A Golfer's Journey to Mastery', where the pursuit of excellence meets the thrill of the game. Join our protagonist as they navigate the lush greens and daunting bunkers, transcending the ordinary to embrace the extraordinary. With each swing, every putt, and the unwavering determination to conquer both the course and inner challenges, this tale unfolds as a testament to passion, perseverance, and the relentless pursuit of perfection. Embark on a journey that transcends mere sport; it's a voyage of self-discovery, resilience, and the quest for mastery. Prepare to be inspired, challenged, and ultimately transformed as you journey beyond the fairways."

In this text, the authors begin at the beginning - in 15th century Scotland - and chart the rise of golf, which, from humble origins, has become a billion-dollar industry. They draw not only on their own experiences and observations, but also a selection of timeless articles from golf's literary elite - Henry Longhurst and Peter Dobereiner among them.

In golf the playing field is also landscape, where nature and the shaping of it conspire to test athletic prowess. As golf courses move away from the "big business, pristine lawn" approach of recent times, Bradley S. Klein, a leading expert on golf course design and economics, finds much to contemplate, and much to report, in the way these wide-open spaces function as landscapes that inspire us, stimulate our senses, and reveal the special nature of particular places. A meditation on what makes golf courses compelling landscapes, this is also a personal memoir that follows Klein's own unique journey across the golfing terrain, from the Bronx and Long Island suburbia to the American prairie and the Pacific Northwest. Whether discussing Robert Moses and Donald Trump and the making of New York City, or the role of golf in the development of the atomic bomb, or the relevance of Willa Cather to how the game has taken hold in the Nebraska Sandhills, Klein is always looking for the freedom and the meaning of golf's wide-open spaces. And as he searches, he offers a deeply informed and absorbing view of golf courses as cultural markers, linking the game to larger issues of land use, ecology, design, and imagination. Purchase the audio edition.

Jason Ridge and Buck Wheeler were born to play golf, in fact they might as well have been born on the golf course. They won so many events as young amateurs that the press nicknamed them “The Two,” a name they hated with a passion. After a stellar career in high school and college, they made their way to the ranks of professional golf, as a team, with Buck on the bag, and Jason lighting up the Nationwide Tour. It didn’t take long for the golf world to demand that these “Two” golfing greats face each other in a head-to-head match. The Two would not disappoint the golfing public, but more importantly, they would not disappoint each other or do anything that would damage the true friendship that they held much higher than any championship.

"The game," writes Michael Arkush, "is a rite of passage for the father sharing his expertise with the child he is training for the future--the same child who, almost inevitably, will dethrone him at the first opportunity." All of the 25 professional golfers who relate their tales of golf life with Dad eventually did out-drive, out-chip, and out-putt their old men, but all acknowledge appreciatively the essential roles their fathers played in the journey, and it is to them that they offer homage. Interestingly, the lasting legacies go beyond the essentials on grip and stance: it is the intangibles that fly the course from tee to green here. Jack Nicklaus thanks his father for instilling self-confidence; Arnold Palmer praises his father for teaching him how to lose; Amy Alcott is grateful that her father let her know the only barriers in her way were those of her own making; Calvin Peete extols his father's insistence that he be a leader, not a follower. If Fairways and Dreams fairly overdoses on its own inspiration and sweetness, that's its intention; you'll find testimonials worth respecting, and lessons worth learning and remembering. --Jeff Silverman

In this entertaining, endearing account of one of the greatest road trips the human mind has ever devised, Kevin Price and John Gardner take you from Pebble Beach to Bethpage Black and from Harbour Town to Piñon Hills with tales of adventure on and off the golf course. Bouncing back and forth between the misery of steamy summer nights in a little orange tent and the luxury of world-class resorts, Kevin and John drove almost 14,000 miles through 36 states to play 42 rounds of golf in 71 days. Their story exposes the soul of the game in the people who play it. From stroke victim Rico Paris to beach bum head pro Keith Stanzel, from the exuberant Bob Svihus to the goofy J. Traylor Johnson III, a colorful cast of characters brings this story to life. Beginning with the first blush of an idea and ending in an improbable, incredible conclusion, Fairways and Highways moves as briskly as the guys’ Honda Civic. Wish you could have joined them? Try the next best thing: Come along for the ride as Kevin and John search for the Perfect Drive.