Beyond the Fairway: Zen Lessons, Insights, and Inner Attitudes of Golf
Product Description
Golf involves far more than hitting a perfect approach to the green. Every shot is an invitation to self-discovery, transcendence, and adventure. That is the theme behind Jeff Wallach’s unique approach to a game that, as any true golfer knows, is much more than a game – it’s an experience often bordering on the mystical. Beyond the Fairway explores the joys and subtle mysteries of golf and provides a whole new perspective on the game as it transports you through some of the world’s most challenging, legendary, and downright strange courses to test yourself against their mental, physical, and spiritual hazards. From a venue hacked into the foothills of the Himalayas with a python loose on the first tee; to the annual Midnight Sun Tournament on the evening of the summer solstice in Fairbanks, Alaska; to the ancient home of golf in Scotland, where stone walls mark old property lines and sheep graze the fairways; to the Lakeview Challenge, the most sadistic par-three in the world, here is the rarely glimpsed wild side of golf. Here too is an irreverent insider’s look at some of the game’s most sacred rites and sites. Through it all, Wallach weaves the metaphysical lessons that golf teaches about life, friendship, competition, and even the fragile bond between fathers and sons. Beyond the Fairway is not about reducing your handicap or improving your swing (though it may do both), but about enjoying every stroke of the journey on the way to the pin.
Beyond the Fairway: Zen Lessons, Insights, and Inner Attitudes of Golf
Andrew Larson said,
Wrote on August 12, 2010 @ 5:41 am
I loved this book. I’ve read a lot of instructional works, but I think this book may do more for my game than all those others put together. I was not familiar with the ways of Zen before I read this, and I think Jeff gave just enough information about it to intrigue me. This book will help your game.
Rating: 5 / 5
Dave Berner said,
Wrote on August 12, 2010 @ 6:15 am
Author Jeff Wallach takes the golfer to places he may never have been. Not only physically, but spiritually. Jeff writes about playing golf in many areas of the world, but also about using golf to explore many areas of the mind and one’s own emotions. The Zen philosophy is clearly the road map for this journey, and Wallach is able to pull together aspects of the sport’s traditions, frustrations and beauty to show us how golf is far more than just a game. The chapter about playing golf in Scotland and the one on meeting Peter Martin, a golf professional in New York state’s Adirondack mountains who believes golf can enlighten us, are the two most enjoyable passages in this book. It’s a better read and any overly detailed instructional book. And it probably will help your game more, too.
Rating: 4 / 5
Martin Barrett said,
Wrote on August 12, 2010 @ 7:44 am
This is a very hard book to enjoy. Although it is written about my favorite subject, it is also written with a somewhat snobbish attitude. I don’t care to be told that all the courses I play and have played don’t constitute real golf because they aren’t in Scotland. Once I got past my annoyance at these revelations, I found there are actually many good moments in the book. The Zen golf koans are also enjoyable. I’m glad I bought it used.
Rating: 3 / 5
Anonymous said,
Wrote on August 12, 2010 @ 10:24 am
Jeff Wallach succeeds in every way in his book, Beyond The Fairway. A collection of apparently simple anecdotes takes the reader into a variety of unusual golfing experiences. Mr. Wallach sews the game of golf to the divergent realities of life itself, indicating that an underlying meaning and message exist for each action, experience and moment. Beyond The Fairway transforms into a didactic treatise (that’s not a bad thing, folks) on golf and life. Each anecdote is to be pondered, meditated, and ultimately related to the reader’s similar experiences. I do promise you, as well, that you will laugh out loud as you pass over a number of passages in the book. As soon as I turned the last page, I rued its end, and looked forward to the day on which I could pick it up and begin again. I hold out tremendous hope for the next piece by this writer. He is a gifted storyteller and a true lover of the English language. I recommend his work wholeheartedly.
Rating: 5 / 5