WITH POWERFUL STORMS on tap to slam the North Olympic Peninsula with heavy rain and high winds for the next few days it’s not likely that much golf will be played on our area courses.
As the weather makes a turn toward the frightful, what better time than now to pick up a good golf book and while away some time in front of a roaring fire?
Or, at least in my case, a highly effective wall-mounted heating unit. It’s downright tropical in the Carman cabin so far this fall.
The books I’ll mention below also would serve as great gifts for golfers this holiday season.
I was recently surprised at work with a review copy of The Golf Book: 20 Years of the Players, Shots and Moments That Changed the Game by Chris Millard —
Released in advance of The Golf Channel’s 20-year anniversary in 2015, and with a foreword from golf legend and The Golf Channel co-founder Arnold Palmer, this coffee-table book chronicles the game’s transformation over the past two decades.
I was beyond thrilled to be sent this tome, I’ve only had a coffee table for a few short months and had no large books worthy of gracing this Ikea-designed table top.
Now I kid, but I was pleased to be given the book since it’s in the last 20 years that my appreciation and respect for the game — if not my abilities at it — grew.
There’s a 30-plus page section on Tiger Woods — where would golf be without his impact over the past two decades? I certainly wouldn’t be writing a golf column without watching his rise (and fall).
There are stories and anecdotes from contributors like Nick Faldo, Brandel Chamblee, Kelly Tilghman, Rich Lerner, David Feherty and Johnny Miller; profiles of golf legends; top 20 lists galore and beautiful, full-color photography splashed across all of its 236 pages.
Another recommendation is small and red and written by a golf pro and coach who, so long as this book retains its popularity, will maintain relevance even decades after the author’s death.
Harvey Penick’s Little Red Golf Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf by Harvey Penick with Bud Shrake is a must-own for those serious about the game.
It’s not really written for the beginning golfer, more for someone who’s been bit by the golf bug and wants to shave strokes from each round.
One of my favorite pieces of advice, and one that helped me get a birdie during a competitive high school round (cue “Glory Days”), was when to know when to chip versus pitch around the green.
Penick taught to chip when the lie is poor or downhill; when the green is hard; when the wind influences the shot and when you are under stress.
He said to pitch when the lie was good, uphill, or with a soft green, and if there is an obstacle in the way.
Another way to improve was to take a bottle of talcum powder out to the range or putting green and dust the ball.
When you hit your next shot or roll your next putt, you’ll see where the club face impacts the ball — i.e. you can see where your swing is on or off-target.
The book is full of gems from this genius — a former University of Texas golf coach that mentored professionals like Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite.
Another good one in the instructional realm is Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf, a book written in 1985 by golf legend Ben Hogan.
The book requires readers to believe the simple premise that an average golfer is entirely capable of building a repeating swing and breaking 80.
If you aren’t looking for instructional help and want a good historical read, I suggest author Mark Frost.
His first nonfiction book The Greatest Game Ever Played is the story of the 1913 U.S. Open, where Francis Ouimet, a 20-year old American, shocked the golf world by defeating British champion Harry Vardon, the most famous pro of his time and who is credited as the inventor of the modern golf grip and swing.
The book was made (and the story changed) into a 2005 movie starring Shia LeBouf as Ouimet.
Frost’s The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever is a chronicle of a 1956 money match between the top two professionals, Hogan and Byron Nelson, and the top two amateurs Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward.
The match came together because of a bet between Eddie Lowery (who caddied for Ouimet’s win against Vardon 43 years earlier) and fellow millionaire George Coleman.
Each one is a good read but Ouimet’s win is far more historically important and thus, I give it the nod in a head-to-head matchup.
Pre-Christmas 18
SkyRidge Golf Course in Sequim will present the Pre-Christmas 18 Hole Golf Tournament on Saturday.
The event has a triple-six format, all from the green tees, with the first six holes a scramble format, the second six holes better ball and the last six of aggregate.
A 9:30 a.m. shotgun start is planned, barring frost or a return of snow.
Only 28 two-person teams are available to sign up.
Cost is $60 per team and the price includes golf, range balls and a meal.
An optional $30 honey pot per team also is available and power carts are $15 per seat.
Handicaps are determined by taking 10 percent of the total for scramble, then strokes where they fall for better ball and aggregate.
To sign up, phone the course at 360-683-3673.
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Golf columnist Michael Carman can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5152 or pdngolf@gmail.com.