If you'd rather place an order by talking to one of our cheerful order desk clerks, please call 1-888-232-4444 (USA and Canada only) or 250-383-6864. From Europe, ring our UK order desk clerk at local rate number 0845 230 9601 (UK only) or 44 (0)1865 722 113.

Duffer's Debut:
An Introduction to Golf,
Its Culture, Customs & Conventions

by Ted Ronberg; Illustrated by Kieron O'Gorman

130 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #00-0193; ISBN 0-9684551-0-7; US$12.95, C$17.95, EUR11.70, £8.10

There are 2 things to learn about golf: how to hit the ball and understanding the game. The former is best learned, not from the book, but on a range from a pro. Understanding the culture, customs and conventions is what this book is all about.

Read more!

about the book      Table of Contents      catalogue info

About the Book Greetings new golfer! Welcome to the most frustrating, infuriating, intimidating yet greatest of sports. Beware that, in taking up golf, your self-esteem is about to suffer irreparable damage. You have, no doubt, remarked, in scanning the myriad of available golf books, that the authors, all blessed with olympian reflexes and hand-eye coordination, first took up the sport before the age of ten. Insightfully, you have probably also concluded that there may be a communication gap between these venerated masters of the game and your own tired, ripened and athletically-challenged physique. Happily, you have just found the holy grail of golf wisdom for beginners. This book is about taking up golf - from a beginner's perspective. Like yourself, the author is a mere mediocre mortal who took up the game in his mature middle years and whose only previous athletic renown was winning a hula hoop contest in a church basement. There are two things to learn about golf - how to hit a ball and understanding the game. The former is best learned, not from a book, but on a range from a teaching pro. You must also learn about the game's culture, customs and conventions, which is what this book is all about. Media comments on Duffer's Debut: "This is the... book that should be mandatory for all golfers to read before they are allowed on the course." - Flagstick Golf Magazine "The book is... humorous and is written from a beginner's standpoint... middle aged and senior golfers would particularly appreciate it." - Myrtle Beach Golf News "...this golf book is a must-read... Great illustrations, a great gift, a great read*it might even turn you into a great golfer. " - Good Times Retirement Magazine "Ronberg... should be commended for his effort." - Lorne Rubenstein, The Globe and Mail "If you're thinking of taking up this sport, Ted Ronberg can save you some of the angst you experience." - Lee-Anne Cusack, CJOH TV "Not just for beginners, Duffer's Debut also has a wealth of valuable information for experienced golfers - A great read!" - Bob Durant - host of The Golf Report - AM 740 Radio, Toronto

---

Table of Contents, Quotes and Excerpts

Table of Contents

Part A: Understanding Golf

Chapter 1: The Environment What is golf?
Who plays golf?
Where is golf played?
Why play golf?
Chapter 2: Golf: The Game The Objective
Handicaps
Rules
The playing field
     First, the Tee
     Second, the Fairway
     Third, the Green
Equipment
     The Ball
     The Tee
     
Chapter 3: Off-course golf
Television
Magazines and Books
Computer games
Indoor Driving Ranges
Home Putting Greens

Part B: Getting Ready to Play

Chapter 4: Getting started
The initiation
Buying equipment
Lessons
     Golf school
     Golf Course Pro Shop
     Driving Range
     Winter Golf School/Night School Courses
A Place to play
People to Play with
Expectations
Pre-Season Fitness
Chapter 5: Preparing to play
Choosing the Tee-off time
Using Power Carts
Dress Code
Sign-in at the pro shop
Last minute checks
     The Golfer
     The Equipment
Stretching
Pre-game practice

Part C: Your Debut - First Time on the Course

Chapter 6: Scene I - The Tee
Chapter 7: Scene II - The Fairway
Chapter 8: Scene III - The Approach
Chapter 9: Scene IV - The Green
Chapter 10: Managing the Round
Chapter 11: The 19th Hole

Part D: Duffer's Do's

Checklists for Beginners
     A. Learning the game
     B. Being ready to play
     C. Playing safely
     D. Efficient golf
     E. Course Etiquette
     F. Low Stress golf
     G. Care of the Course
     H. Profile of an Ideal Beginner

Epilogue & References

Epilogue
Glossary of Golfing Terms
Index

Quotes and Excerpts

"Unlike many sports that are largely reactive in nature, golf is essentially pro-active."

"Golf is a good walk with a mission."

"Among sports enthusiasts...(golf)...is considered the great equaliser."

"The course may include housing bordering the fairways - confirmation that a benevolent developer has rescued a previously unproductive environmental wasteland by converting it into prime real estate."

"All courses are cleverly designed to disguise their true difficulty and to lure the unsuspecting amateur intoa false sense of security on approaching their lair of impeding tragedies."

"...when you begin by playing military golf (left, right, left, right down the fairway) recognise that golf (next to marriage of course) can be life's most infuriatingly frustrating and intimidating experience."

"To successfully learn to play golf, lessons are the essential starting point."

"Golf is a social sport. Bad golf with good people is unquestionably better than good golf with irritating people."

"If...you are not blessed with the metabolism of a fish or a farmer, you might choose to acknowledge your biological clock and postpone the tee-off time as much as possible."

"Similar to courting, greens are not attacked but seduced."

"...there are no losers on the golf course and to play is to win."

"Experienced golfers live in mortal fear of being maimed or mutilated by beginners."

"...beginners as a valued species rank somewhere between mosquitoes and poison ivy."

"...golf, like life, is a continuous learning experience."

---

Catalogue Information

---