In may the WallStreet Journal asked me to review John Feinstein's new golf book, Inside QSchool: Tales from Golf's Fifth Major, and I thought, Why not? I had read andliked several of Feinstein's books and, like many golfers, I enjoy readingabout the game almost as much as playing it.
Everyone remembersFeinstein's 1986 best seller on Bob Knight's Indiana Hoosiers, A Season on theBrink. (Coach Knight once gave me a capsule review that's unprintable.) Ienjoyed A Season on the Brink as well as Feinstein's A Good Walk Spoiled, whichto me ranks up there with the greats: Harvey Penick's Little Red Book; TheLegend of Bagger Vance; the unforgettable Golf in the Kingdom; Dead SolidPerfect (what a great title); my fellow hoosier Pete Dye's Bury Me in a PotBunker; and even Rick Reilly's books, which crack me up.
Tales from QSchool struck me as good but not great, with so much on-course detail that itsanecdotes can blur together. "I suspect that many fans of A Good WalkSpoiled will find themselves longing for that book's adept storytelling," Iwrote in my review. Still, I recommended Tales from Q School to devotedgolfers, and I know from friends that I helped Feinstein sell a few books.
As for my owngolf, it's a work in progress. I have loved the sport since I was eight, andwhile I was never a great player, I had some game--captained my college team atDePauw, won the Congressional Golf Tournament, got my handicap down to scratch.Then I had back surgery in 2004 and began shooting more 80s than 70s.
Now, at 60, I'm onthe comeback trail. I have a wealth of instruction books: Ben Hogan's classicFive Lessons, Dr. Joseph Parent's Zen Golf, David Lee's Gravity Golf and booksby David Leadbetter, Jim Flick and my friend Jim McLean. If you see me on TV atthis week's American Century celebrity event in Lake Tahoe, I'll be working onmy preset position--it's like the one Ryan Moore used to employ--and my new,improved swing using my new, improved Pings.
I call it theSwing of the Future. My golf buddies at Whisper Rock in Scottsdale call it theSwing of Futility, but I'm going to stick with it and take some of theircapital.
Former vicepresident Dan Quayle is chairman of Cerberus Global Investments and a sevenhandicap.
TRUST ME
by RICK LIPSEY
Woody Austin gets in the Scott Hoch Hall of Shame for turning down his BritishOpen exemption.
New Math
Jason Day becomes youngest winner of PGATour-sanctioned event
AUSSIE GOLF BOOM + EARLY START+19 YEARS, 7 MONTHS [1911U.S. OPEN WINNER+19 YEARS, 10 MONTHS] = YOUNG GUN
PHOTO
CHRIS CONDON/PGA TOUR/WIREIMAGE.COM (QUAYLE)
EXECUTIVE COURSE As captain at DePauw, Quayle was a scratch player.
SIX PHOTOS
GALEN ROWELL/CORBIS (KANGAROO); CORBIS (BABY); CORBIS (CAP); FRED VUICH (TROPHY); CLINTON HUSSEY/SOLUS-VEER/CORBIS (TODDLER); STAN BADZ/PGA TOUR/WIREIMAGE.COM (DAY)
