Why Golf?: The Mystery of the Game Revisited

Many like golf. Some of them are obsessed by it. The only people who truely seem to object to it are those who have never even picked up a club and simply tried to hit a ball, despite the outcome. What everyone, despite their own personal connection (or lack of) to the game, would like to know is why. Why do people spend sums great and small to play a game with more furver than has been seen in virually all of human history? Why do they keep it up year after year, even if they see to sign of improvement, or even a glimer of hope that they may some day win a championship? Simply put, why golf? Cullen's journey to find this answer takes him to many possible fonts of wisdom: psychology, evolutionary science, Greek philosophy... His answer is, of course, not singular. He finds that, from an elemental instinctive level to a higher appeal to our intelects, golf satisfies and entices us in more ways than we are conciously aware. The questions that come up and their answers will be of interest to the duffer and duffer-hater alike. If you still have a few weeks before the course thaws off, or you want to know what your spouse keeps sneaking out on Saturday morning to do, this is the book to go to.

This is a good book for people who like to read about golf. The author's thoughts on the sources of golf's appeal to the human psyche and well observed accounts of golf charcters and out-of-the-way golf places yield intriguing insights into the special qualities of the game. The author's tone is genial and unpretentious. Reading it is a bit like meeting a pleasant stranger on the first tee and sharing some thoughts about golf as you play a round together.

As a curious, but skeptical non-golfer, I hoped Why Golf would reveal something which would turn around some dubious stereotypes about the game and the reasons people play it with such apparent zeal. To my surprise, I learned that while golf may appeal to primal human attraction to stretches of clipped grass, it is as much about enduring human nature as any endeavor which seeks perfection rarely if ever attainable. Bob Cullen's personal journey through an unlikely array of sites and characters made for an engaging, often funny, and inspiring read. Cullen provides insight into male fellowship in a sporting environment unique to golf that has nothing to do with making deals on the course. While Cullen's experience in Iran may not have exposed him fully to the cultural attributes of that society, his point relating to the ethnic origins and and ability to master the game are well taken. Fortunately, he does not stretch the point to cover geo-political themes beyond the game itself. I'd recommend Why Golf to anyone considering taking up the game for the first time. The reassurance he gives to the novice that it is possible to experience the same satisfaction as the veteran in exploring this highly complex game, has nudged me closer to the links.

This wonderful book answers the question that every golfer has been asked: "Why in the world do you play that stupid game?" Part of the answer that we duffers already know is that even the most modest golf course is a pretty nice place to take a walk. But Cullen goes beyond that, and shows that there might actually be a deeper reason, reflecting our species' emergence from the forest on to what Cullen calls the "clipped grassland" savannas of Africa, and thus the genetically-wired comfort a modern day "clipped grassland" can give. Another reason we love the game is that it's eminently companionable, allowing two, three or four people to spend a few hours together in an atmosphere wholly unlike that of any other sport. Cullen fleshes this out beautifully, with chapters on both an annual trek he takes with friends for several days of golf and side bets, and the delights of "twilight golf" with his kids when there are few other people around and you only play with the old balls at the bottom of your bag. He also points out that golf is the only sport where the weekend duffer can play as well as the pros, even if only for a hole or two or even if only once in his life. I once played with a friend, who could never hit a Randy Johnson fastball or dunk over Shaq, who had a hole-in-one during the round. It was a wonderful, exciting achievement, one that many pros never experience, but one which happens every summer weekend in foursomes of even high handicappers. Read this book, and you'll never be at a loss to explain this most benign of obsessions.