Little Balls Big Dreams, a novel by James Wolfe tells the story of average golfer Matt True who one day makes a hole in one at his home course and is instantly transformed by the golf gods into a Tour-class player. The story follows Matt as he makes the tough decision whether to follow his dreams and try and play on the PGA Tour or to put family first and stay home and let his dreams remain dreams. He sets out to refine his talent and see if he can make it. Along the way, he has to deal with intense pressure, family stresses, and the ever looming possibility that he might still fall short of the dream that has been with him since childhood. The Good The story was a fun ride. It was an interesting look at a situation where the talent issue is gone, so now what does a man do to reach his dream? As it unfolded, I found myself further wrapped up in wanting him to succeed. I enjoyed the

And Then, Arnie Told Chi Chi… by Don Wade is part of a series of books that relate the “best true golf stories ever told”. It all started in 1992 with “And Then, Jack Said to Arnie…“. From there, Arnie told Chi Chi, who told Fuzzy, who told Seve, who told Freddy, who told Tiger, who told The Shark, who told Justin, who finally told Sergio. Near as I can tell, that’s all the books in the collection. Back to that for a second. The basic premise of these books is simply a collection of great stories from every facet of golf history. Topics cover everything from individual players to the rules to individual courses to a whole host of other topics that are related to golf. I’ve read three books in the series, “And Then, Arnie Told Chi Chi…“, “And Then, Freddy Told Tiger…“, and finally, “And Then, Tiger Told The Shark…“. This review blankets those three books because I found them to be essentially of identical quality and style. Let’s jump right in.

Since my last post was about the pure in line square putting stroke (pils) featured in Dave Pelz’s Putting Bible, it seemed fitting to go ahead and just review the book, since I’ve been meaning to do it for a long time. Five or six years ago I took a golf trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with my brother and two friends. One afternoon one of my friends and I decided to play a late-afternoon 9-holes at the course where we were staying. We got hooked up with a nice guy who had driven down from Canada. He was a very good player but related to me how he previously had putting issues and that a book he read, called Dave Pelz’s Putting Bible, transformed him. I believe the exact quote was, “It completely changed my putting game. No exaggeration.” Well, if you’re a regular reader, then you probably guessed that I went out and picked up the book before the vacation was over and started reading it right away. I can say one

“Who’s Your Caddy?“, by veteran sports writer Rick Reilly is a humorous look at the ins and outs of being a golf caddy. The stories he amassed together with his sharp wit make this book a really fun read. He got inside the ropes with some of the greats in the game and managed to find himself looping during none other than the Masters, his introduction to the mystic art. He carried bags for the likes of greats like Tommy Aaron, Jack Nicklaus, John Daly and more. He also spent a round with someone whose name you might not know but whose story is still great: Bob Andrews, president of the U.S. Blind Golfers Association. From Donald Trump to Deepak Chopra, the tales he has to tell are funny, absurd, and inspiring. It’s pretty widely known that caddies are some of the most interesting characters in the game of golf. At the end of each chapter, Reilly drops a passage of caddy lingo followed by an English translation, a skill he no doubt mastered spending

Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book by Harvey Penick with Bud Shrake should be required reading for anyone who loves the game of golf or is interested in learning about it. According to the cover of the paperback edition, it is the highest selling sports book of all time, and there is little question why. Harvey Penick was one of the most respected teachers the game of golf has ever seen. One only needs to read the introductions in his Little Red Book to see that. The testimonials by Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Betsy Rawls, Mickey Wright, Kathy Whitworth, Mary Lena Faulk, Dave Marr, and Byron Nelson aren’t just evidence of what kind of teacher Harvey Penick was, but are a testament to the man himself. Throughout his over seventy years of teaching, Penick kept various notes and observations on topics from every facet of golf in a little red notebook. For a long time, he only shared the contents of his book with his son Tinsley and had no intention of publishing it. Late in