Bestselling author Hiaasen pens a hilarious and compelling account of his return to the fairways after a 32-year absence.

Reviews

Hiaasen (Skinny Dip), an admittedly woeful golfer, recounts his clumsy resumption of the game after a 32-year layoff. Why did he take up golf so long after quitting at the age of 20? "I'm one sick bastard," he writes. Hiaasen interweaves passages about his return to the game with diary entries covering more than a year and a half on the links. He mixes childhood memories of playing with his father, who died prematurely, with anecdotes, including the time he and a friend ejected an invasion of poisonous toads from his friend's patio with short irons. His analysis of his lessons, hapless rounds and gimmicky golf equipment is hilarious, and his vivid descriptions are vintage Hiaasen, such as golf balls that are designed to "run like a scalded gerbil." Hiaasen also touches on topics he writes about in his novels and newspaper columns, lamenting the overdevelopment of Florida and skewering crooked politicians and lobbyists prone to lavish golf junkets. He finishes his journey with a detailed round-by-round account of his pitiful play in a member-guest tournament on his home course (his discouragement is cheered, however, when his wife and young son joyfully take up the game). With the satirically skilled Hiaasen, who rarely breaks 90 on the links, this narrative is an enjoyable ride. (May) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

Hiaasen returns to the green in midlife, backed by a five-city tour and a 200,000-copy first printing. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

"An extraordinary book for the ordinary hacker."--"The New York Times ""With biting humor and painfully honest self-humiliation, Hiaasen describes his 1-1/2-year journey into one of Dante's inner circles of hell."--"The Christian Science Monitor""A cleverly written, witty and sometimes wistful look at golf, marriage, human nature and life."--"The Tampa Tribune""Hiaasen's hilarious misadventures on the golf course are all too familiar to anyone who has ever flailed at the ball in futile attempts to conquer a sport that mercilessly strips us of our dignity."--"The New York Times Book Review""The foibles and embarrassments, as well as the joys, of casual and tournament golf ring true....Golfers should love this book."--"Rocky Mountain News""Memoir is new territory for him, but Hiaasen is Hiaasen. Fans of his bizarro novels will find his irony and sense of humor remain unaffected on the links." --"The Florida Times-Union""A return by Hiaasen to his best with the sport of golf providing the