Golfing with the Master
by Phil Callaway
Published by Harvest House Publishers
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cover to order
at Amazon.com
Reviewed by Bob Pike CSP, CPAE-Speakers Hall of Fame
This is a book for golfers who are Christians. No, it's a book for Christians who are golfers. Actually it's a book for golfers who believe that golf is the great metaphor for life: You never master the game, you only master the moment. These same golfers also believe that there is a spiritual component to the game they love so much.
And that's what Callaway does in this delightful book--he shows the connection. He shares bits of the world of golf that make so many of us love the game, and helps us see the fit to the everyday world in which we live, and he most often does it with large dose of humor.
For example he shares the world's top twenty golf songs including: "Hit Me with your Best Shot," "Your Cheatin' Heart," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," and "Get A Grip."
He also notes that some of golf's rules are too penal and recommends changes like: A ball in the water is temporarily out of service. I have been punished enough by losing it, so I will close my eyes, throw another ball at the green and play it from there.
Along the way there are some:
-- Great quotes like, "You need a fantastic memory to remember the great shots you've played and a very short memory to forget the bad ones." -- Mac O'Grady)
-- Great tips (The greatest club you'll ever own is a good attitude. Play one shot at a time. Start again on the next hole. If that doesn't work and you've taken more than eighteen shots on the first hole or hit more than one person, ask the starter. Sometimes they'll let you start over again.")
-- Wonderful questions to think about ("Would you agree that failure is succeeding at something that doesn't matter? How can I resist accomplishing this?").
Armchair Interviews says: Any golfer will get the sense that you're reading the writings of someone who is your kindred spirit. Anyone who knows a golfer couldn't go wrong giving this as a gift.