Synopses & Reviews
“No one can completely cover the game of golf like Bill Pennington and no book can comprehensively tell the story of the sport with the same wit, wisdom and knowledge like
On Par. "—Jim Nantz, CBS Sports
Bill Pennington, the voice of the everyday golfer, has traveled the globe in search of golf’s essentials—those basic principles, those ultimate truths (and, who are we kidding, any trick or quick fix he can pick up along the way) that will improve anyone’s game. He has consulted elite golf instructors as well as countless caddies, groundskeepers, parking lot attendants, and bartenders. He has played rounds with Tiger Woods, Annika Sorenstam, and Justin Timberlake. He has spoken with psychiatrists, economists, and Zen masters. On a particularly bad outing, he even discoursed on the fickleness of golf with a wise raccoon.
In On Par, Pennington distills this wisdom in an insightful guide to the game. From equipment to the language of golf, from camaraderie to the short-game/long-game debate, Pennington informs and entertains readers as he gets to the essence of the game, including that Holy Grail, the hole in one. Part instruction, part therapy, and shot through with Pennington’s trademark wit and humor, this is a book for everyone who has felt the game’s distinct pull—and slice.
“A phenomenal guide . . . As all golfers know, the sport is about more than being able to hit a good shot and this book takes you through the journey, arming you with everything you need to know.”—Annika Sorenstam
“If you like golf, you’ll like [this book] . . . On Par blends practical advice for beginners . . . golf history . . . trivia . . . and Pennington’s entertaining dispatches from out on the course.”—NPR’s Only a Game
Review
"
No one can completely cover the game of golf like Bill Pennington and no book can comprehensively tell the story of the sport with the same wit, wisdom and knowledge like
On Par: The Everyday Golfer's Survival Guide."
-- Jim Nantz, CBS Sports "As a regular reader of Bill's On Par column in The New York Times, I was wondering what fertile golf terrain could possibly be left for him to farm? I soon found out his surplus was even better. And I know he can dig with the best of them. I played a round of golf with him!"
-- Dan Hicks, NBC Sports Golf Host "Bill Pennington takes his first-hand experience as a golfer, as well as his years of getting to know professionals, and delivers a phenomenal guide to the sport I love so much. He does a great job of breaking down the fundamentals of golf to something everybody can enjoy and understand. As all golfers know, the sport is about more than being able to hit a good shot and this book takes you through the journey, arming you with everything you need to know."
--Annika Sorenstam "Put a copy of Bill Pennington's On Par on your shelf and another copy in your golf bag. Often funny, always smart, Pennington zeroes in on the essence of a royally crazy old game."
--Kevin Cook, author of Titanic Thompson and Tommy's Honor "One of the great joys during the golf season is reading Bill Penningtons golf page, 'On Par,' in The New York Times each Monday morning. Imagine that - a whole page devoted to all things golf! My heart be still. And now we have this wonderful book thats much more than my Monday morning read. Trust me, if youre an avid golfer, youll devour each and every word."
-- Martin Davis, golf historian and author, The American Golfer "On Par is the ideal guide for golfers who dont hit their pitching wedge 160 yards, get paid for wearing white belts, or hang out with Las Vegas cocktail waitresses. And it wouldnt do those other guys any harm, either."
- David Owen, author of My Usual Game
Review
andldquo;All the notable moments are here . . . Baseball (and Yankees) fans will devour this like ballpark popcorn, and all will muse about the many what-ifs of Martinand#39;s motley life.andrdquo; andmdash;and#160;
Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewand#160;
andldquo;A motley cast of baseball Hall of Famers, including Casey Stengel, Mickey Mantle, Rod Carew, Ricky Henderson, Reggie Jackson, Tommy Lasorda, and Earl Weaver, make appearances in this must-read for fans of the great American pastime.andrdquo;and#160;andmdash;and#160;Publishers Weekly
andldquo;[Pennington] provides what is likely to be the definitive profile, which, as such, belongs in most library sports collections, especially those where Yankee fans cluster.andrdquo;and#160;andmdash; Mark Levine, Booklistand#160;
and#160;andldquo;His study of Martin is comprehensive and detailed, offering the reader rich details on his early years and his time as a player for several teams . . . Pennington expertly combines material from his subjectandrsquo;s personal and professional life, leaving the impression of a complicated and flawed but unforgettable man.andrdquo; andmdash;and#160;Library Journal
andldquo;Two words of advice: read this. Bill Pennington not only writes the sprawling, brawling, no-punches-pulled narrative Martin deserves, but also deftly illuminates the humanity of one of baseballandrsquo;s epic characters.andrdquo;and#160;andmdash; Tom Verducci, best-selling author of The Yankee Yearsand#160;(with Joe Torre)
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andldquo;The hair on my forearms was standing up by the end of the fifth paragraph of this bookandrsquo;s introduction. I knew Billy Martin. I covered Billy Martin. But I never knew him like this. Congrats to Bill Pennington for the definitive work on baseballandrsquo;s flawed genius.andrdquo;and#160;andmdash; Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe columnist and best-selling author of Francona (with Terry Francona) and Senior Year
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andldquo;Billy Martin has been dead for twenty-five years? Wow. That means thereandrsquo;s a generation or two that know nothing about this character of baseball characters, this incandescent ballplayer/manager/jerk/sweetheart, this irrepressible brawler with a grand mind for the game. Bill Pennington cures all that and#160;withand#160;Billy Martin: Baseballandrsquo;s Flawed Genius.and#160;This is a terrific tale about a roller coaster life. Pour yourself a cocktail and enjoy. The descriptions of the fistfights alone are worth the price of admission.andrdquo;and#160;andmdash; Leigh Montville, best-selling author of Ted Williams, The Big Bam, and Eveland#160;
andldquo;It has been easy to think of Billy Martin as a cartoonandmdash;one created by the media and abetted by the man himself. But he was a great American, as important to understanding our game, and our nation, as Ted Williams or Joe DiMaggio. Youandrsquo;ll never think of Billy Martin in the same way again, thanks to Bill Penningtonandrsquo;s masterpiece of a biography.andrdquo;and#160;andmdash; John Thorn, official historian, Major League Baseball
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Synopsis
Inspired by his New York Times weekly column "On Par," Bill Pennington has created a delightful compendium of all things golf that no golfer—whether a weekend duffer or a PGA pro—can afford to miss. Part instruction, part education, part hilarity, On Par is the go-to guide for the twenty-first-century golfer.
Synopsis
“It should be handed to every first-time golfer as part of a welcome packet. Better yet, it should be in the zippered compartment of every new golf bag, like an in-flight magazine. Or a Bible.” —
New York Times Book Review
Bill Pennington, author of the beloved and widely read “On Par” golf column for the New York Times, knows how to interpret the experts and pros for the rest of us. For years, he has traveled the globe in search of golfs essentials—those basic principles, those elusive truths (and who are we kidding, any trick or quick fix he can pick up along the way) that will improve anyones game. He has consulted the worlds leading golf instructors as well as countless caddies, groundskeepers, parking lot attendants, and bartenders. He has played rounds with Tiger Woods, Annika Sorenstam, and Justin Timberlake. He has sought the advice of psychiatrists, physicists, economists, zen masters. And on a particularly bad golf outing, he has even discussed the fickleness of golf with a quite helpful raccoon.
On Par captures it all: From equipment and instruction, to the rules and language of golf, to camaraderie and psychology, to the short game/long game debate, Pennington informs and entertains as he gets to the essence of this mercurial game, including golfs holy grail, the hole in one.
Part instruction, part education, part therapy, and shot through with Penningtons trademark wit, this is a book for everyone who has ever felt the games distinct pull—and slice.
Synopsis
From an award-winning New York Times sports columnist, the definitive biography of one of baseballand#39;s most celebrated, mercurial, and misunderstood figuresandmdash;legendary manager and baseball genius Billy Martin
Synopsis
and#160;and#160;
The definitive biography of one of baseballandrsquo;s most celebrated, mercurial, and misunderstood figuresand#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160;
Billy Martin is a story of contrasts. He was the clutch second baseman for the dominant New York Yankees of the 1950s. He then spent sixteen seasons managing in the big leagues, and is considered by anyone who knows baseball to have been a true baseball genius, a field manager without peer. Yet heandrsquo;s remembered more for his habit of kicking dirt on umpires, for being hired and fired by George Steinbrenner five times, and for his rabble rousing and public brawls. He was combative, fiery, intimidating, and controversial, yet beloved by the everyday fan. He was hard on his players and even harder on himself. He knew how to turn around a losing team like no one elseandmdash;and how to entertain us every step of the way.
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Now, with his definitive biography Billy Martin, Pennington finally erases the caricature of Martin. Drawing on exhaustive interviews with friends, family, teammates, and countless adversaries, Pennington paints an indelible portrait of a man who never backed down for the game he loved. From his shantytown upbringing in a broken home; to his days playing for the Yankees when he almost always helped his team find a way to win; through sixteen years of managing, including his tenure in New York in the crosshairs of Steinbrenner and Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin made sure no one ever ignored him. And indeed no one could. He was the hero, the antihero, and the alter egoandmdash;or some combination of all threeandmdash;for his short sixty-one years among us.
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About the Author
BILL PENNINGTON is an award-winning sportswriter for the New York Times. A former syndicated columnist, Pennington was a beat writer who covered much of Billy Martinand#39;s tenure with the New York Yankees. A fifteen-time finalistandnbsp;and six-time winner of the Associated Press Sports Editorsand#39; annual writing award, Pennington lives with his family in Warwick, New York. This is his fourth book.
Table of Contents
Introduction xi
1. Essential Golf 1
2. The Rules of Golf 20
3. The Language of Golf 42
4. Being a Good Golf Partner
(and Surviving a Day with a Bad One) 56
5. Youre Not Alone Out There 79
6. If You Had One Wish . . . 99
7. Our Biggest Fears 115
8. Golfing Gods 139
9. Golf Is a Sport; Are You Game? 162
10. Golf Safety 180
11. The New Culture of Golf 193
12. Shanks, Choking, and
Other Tales of the Dark Side 214
13. Nine Places Every Golfer Should Play 245
14. Golfs Holy Grail 276
Acknowledgments 287
Index 289