Full Description
"Millions of words are written in this field every year, but few better than those that come from I.J. Schecter." -Jane Carter, Editor, Golf Monthly "In golf, there are the elite, and then there are the rest of us. We others, lumped together in the Duffer Zone--you know us from the formal announcements we send out whenever we break 100--are like the thousands who finish mid-pack in a big-city marathon: happily unremarkable, content just to enjoy the sunshine with some like-minded others, unconcerned about the guy who crossed the tape forty minutes earlier. We are competent but not brilliant. We are enthusiastic, though a far cry from intense. Our fairway woods are mostly reliable, but put a 3-iron in our hands and we might as well be swinging a screwdriver." To the low- and high-handicapper alike, golf represents an ongoing quest and an exhilarating challenge. In this brilliant collection, award-winning author I.J. Schecter embarks on a dogged pursuit of golf's elusive Holy Grail--breaking 100--with hilarious results.
Clinging to boundless (and often groundless) optimism, Schecter attempts to untangle the secret to good golf in increasingly desperate ways--like playing five different courses in five days, accompanying a greenskeeping team on their pre-dawn rounds, trying to replicate one of Tiger Woods' legendary shots, and turning to a three-year-old for guidance. Like any golfer, he comes to realize that the journey, though demanding, proves its own reward. A unique book from a gifted writer, Slices is an eloquent, witty celebration of both the game of golf and the unwavering efforts of those who try, again and again, to tame it.
Contents
Acknowledgments. Preface. 1. Home on the Range. 2. Young Drivers. 3. A Christmas Miracle. 4. With Resolve. 5. Ten Reasons I'll (Probably) Never Take a Golf Lesson. 6. Uncle Hugh's Rules for Maintaining a Ten Handicap. 7. Forces of Nature. 8. The Perfectionist. 9. Next on the Tee, Shaq. 10. Scoring with the Ladies. 11. Thoughts on a Backswing. 12. The Sweet Spot. 13. Longest Drive? How About Biggest Slice? 14. A Day at the Abbey. 15. Ira's 80. 16. Michael's 79. 17. Easy Ryder. 18. The Duffer's Guide to Poise, Panache and Popularity. 19. Till Death Do Us Par. 20. Golfing with Steph. 21. The Giant and the Devil. 22. Lob Wedge or Hand Shears? 23. The Twenty-Three Dumbest Things You can Say on a Golf Course. 24. Taking It to the Next Level. 25. The Fundamentals. 26. Putting My Game to the Test. 27. Everything I Needed to Know About Golf. 28. The Fakahatchee Whisperer. 29. One for the Ages. 30. The Scottie Principles.
