The Leaderboard: Conversations on Golf and Life

After years of watching golf on television and being enamored over the years by such professional players as Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Phil Mickelson, and Tiger Woods, I finally decided to take it up personally two years ago. Before I did this, I never really understood what all the fuss what about hitting this little white ball around on a bunch of grassy acres. Now I am a part of the lore that is the game of golf--and GLADLY so! Former LPGA Hall of Fame champion Amy Alcott along with a whole bunch of her golfing friends including Jim Nantz, Ben Crenshaw, Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb, and former President Bill Clinton share their personal golfing stories that go much deeper than a simple game. Reading through THE LEADERBOARD, you get a real sense that golf merely connects us all in the ultimate game of life. It is in these experiences on the golf course itself and the memories that we gather there that we realize what is most important to us. This is an ideal gift for the golfer in your life or anyone who is captivated by true stories that happen to famous people.

Just in time for Father's Day comes Amy Alcott's "The Leaderboard: Conversations on Life and Golf." Alcott, a former LPGA pro sits down to talk to other professional golfers, announcers, as well as a healthy dose of celebrities from Jack Nicholson to uh, Kenny G.? She introduces each person, discussing how she knows them and what or why she values knowing said person. She also usually closes the interview with a poignant point or thought. As the title might suggest, this book is often similar to the past-its-expiration-date "Chicken Soup For the Soul" series. Each chapter is quite short and it would be easy to read a few in a short sitting, making it a great book for someone not big on reading. I will spare going through each section, but collectively the various people interview trace the role golf has played in their life, usually starting the interview with how they started playing golf and why. Often for many like actor Dennis Quaid and composer John Williams, golf provided a kind of solace, if not salvation from life's hardships. As someone that enjoys reading, I wish some of the interviews were longer. Granted, some of the people interviewed may have not had much more to say that what is contained in The Leaderboard. Golfer Karrie Webb for example, only provides a few sentences to most of the questions Alcott asked her. In short, The Leaderboard would make a great gift to a golfer in your life, including your Father. I know I would know a thing about the game, if my Father hadn't dragged me to a course early one Saturday

Highlights: This was a great read on perseverance, the importance of planning, a great way to be alone in nature, long learning process, never the same everyday, humility, respect and etiquette. Afterthoughts: The bulk of people interviewed have played golf for most of their lives. It was great to see Leslie Moonves started playing until age early forties. That was encouraging for me since I am thinking of taking up golf. Jack Nicholson started playing in his fifties. Recommendation: BUY IT for yourself or as a gift.

I had not heard of LPGA pro Amy Alcott before reading this book and I haven't golfed for at least a decade, but I loved this book! This brief book is a collection of interviews of successful athletes, musicians and broadcasters about their relationship with the game of golf. This would make a wonderful gift for the golfer in your life - and you just might find yourself reading it too! Here are a few of my favorite parts, to give you a taste of the book: "I remember a quote from Winston Churchill: `Never give in, never give in, never, never, never - in nothing great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and sense'" "Like John Wooden said, they key to success is preparation. You have to work harder than everyone else. It's part of the karma to greatness." Kenny G on the comparison between golf and his music: "When I'm performing, I don't have a lot of specific thoughts, like I have swing thoughts in golf. I'm just playing the music. That's where I'm trying to get to in golf. I just want to play." The author tells us that Kenny G is a scratch golfer, by the way. Two themes come up often in "The Leaderboard" - one is the importance of etiquette in the game of golf and in life. The other theme is how golf unites parents and children. Another quote I liked: "Whoever teaches his son teaches not alone his son but also his son's son, and so on to the end of generations" Ken Venturi, when asked about doing the Superbowl broadcast if he is nervous thinking about the 140 million people watching him, replies, "I never thought about it. I was talking to one person: my father." These are just a few of the wonderful anecdotes and stories that come up in Amy Alcott's interviews.

Golfers have various motivations of why or how we started to play. Most of the elite players started at a very young age. The diverse group of golfers from television, the LPGA and PGA tour, politicians, other athletes, and actors are just a few people that Amy Alcott, an accomplished LPGA golfer, has had a chance to meet, play with and speak to about the game. Each chapter starts out with Amy's relationship with the various celebrities that she interviewed over time, followed by some candid questions in a question and answer format. In closing, she gives her summary of her impression of the respective golfer both from on the greens and in their respective careers. The book is entertaining and insightful about the motivations and struggles, as well as accomplishments, each 'golfer' has with their own game of golf. It is a different format of golf narratives from other books in the market. The book is in a more question and answer format with vignettes on each person featured. I enjoyed getting the insight into many of the golfer's lives and what priorities they have in achieving success, embarrassing moments, struggles, and just plain enjoyment of the game. As a golfer, I see a lot of similarities with many of the celebrities featured in the book. The writing style is straightforward and this is no dissertation about technique or methods of golf improvement. Unfortunately, there are no photographs or illustrations that are common in many golf related non-fiction books. Celebrities featured include the following: Professional golfers Jane Blalock Dottie Pepper Annika Sorenstam Karrie Webb Ben Crenshaw Ken Venturi Lorena Ochoa Politician President Bill Clinton Celebrities Jack Nicholson Kenny G (AKA Kenneth Gorelick) Robert Wagner Dennis Quaid Athletes (non-golf) Jerry West Pam Shriver Corporate excecutives and Network personalities Leslie Moonves Jim Nantz Don Ohlmeyer Donnar Orender Kyra Phillips Sandy Will Jerry Wintraub Tom Werner Jack Whitaker Screenwriter Rex Pickett Composer John Williams This is wonderful, little book for a golfer to read. I especially liked the insight Ben Crenshaw had on his mentor Harvey Penick, who was the author of the timeless classic "Harvey Penick's Little Red Book". If you're a golfer who is into trivia or interested in the lives of celebrities or these other public figures, it's a worthwhile read.