Beyond the Fairway: Zen Lessons, Insights, and Inner Attitudes of Golf Paperback - 1995

From the rear cover

Golf involves far more than hitting a perfect approach to the green. Every shot is an invitation to self-discovery, transcendence, and adventure. That is the theme behind Jeff Wallach's unique approach to a game that, as any true golfer knows, is much more than a game - it's an experience often bordering on the mystical. Beyond the Fairway explores the joys and subtle mysteries of golf and provides a whole new perspective on the game as it transports you through some of the world's most challenging, legendary, and downright strange courses to test yourself against their mental, physical, and spiritual hazards. From a venue hacked into the foothills of the Himalayas with a python loose on the first tee; to the annual Midnight Sun Tournament on the evening of the summer solstice in Fairbanks, Alaska; to the ancient home of golf in Scotland, where stone walls mark old property lines and sheep graze the fairways; to the Lakeview Challenge, the most sadistic par-three in the world, here is the rarely glimpsed wild side of golf. Here too is an irreverent insider's look at some of the game's most sacred rites and sites. Through it all, Wallach weaves the metaphysical lessons that golf teaches about life, friendship, competition, and even the fragile bond between fathers and sons. Beyond the Fairway is not about reducing your handicap or improving your swing (though it may do both), but about enjoying every stroke of the journey on the way to the pin.

From the jacket flap

"Beyond The Fairway is a guide for getting to the heart of golf and self by measuring a not by the score, but by the overall experience. Going against conventional approaches to golf, disproving that a straight fairway drive is golf's ultimate thrill, golfer and author Jeff Wallach steers his cart into the rough and even dangerous terrain where golf becomes an adventure into the unknown, into the greater mysteries of life, love, friendship, endurance, being a son, and being a man. Each chapter presents the unique physical and spiritual challenges of exotic and exclusive courses around the world from Scotland, Africa, and Thailand to Oregon, Alaska, and Nepal. The book gives an insider's often humorous, sometimes irreverent perspective on the sacred sites and rites of golf, and pros from around the world provide practical tips and insights into the game.