I'm Back...But in a Limited Way

Mrs. Muni Golfer and I have completed our move to our new clubhouse and we are still getting settled in. Some renovations are being done and this has caused me to have limited Internet access.  But a few things have taken place during the time I've been off-line.  I'll report on them more in detail in later postings once my computer and scanner are up and fully operational. In the meantime, I wanted to give a brief snapshot of what has been going on.

First, the URL of this blog has changed. It is now just www.themunigolfer.com. Blog has been officially dropped from the URL. I hope this hasn't caused you any problems.

Secondly, I attended the 3rd round of the AT&T National when it was held at Aronimink over July 4th weekend. It was a blast! I spent a great deal of my time at the practice range just watching. I'll post my observations in a later post.


Thirdly, I finally managed to get back on the golf course, playing my first round in nearly two months at The Fairways in Warrington, Pa., on July 18. Despite some rust and some hot, muggy weather, I shot a very respectable 89.

Fourthly, I finished reading John Feinstein's biography of Rocco Mediate, "Are You Kidding Me?" I have now started to read his latest golf book, "Moment of Glory: The Year Underdogs Ruled Golf." I'll post reviews later.

And lastly, I just received a used R9 Driver, which I order online at TaylorMade Pre-owned.com. Although it is used, it has hardly a mark on it and looks basically new. This is the driver that has the adjustable face settings, as well as movable weights.And I bought it at less than half the price of a new one! I can't wait to take it to the practice range and the course.

Well, that's about all for now. Look for more detailed posts about these and other developments in what I hope is the not too distant future.

Tiger Co-author Speaking at Temple April 1

Pete McDaniel, who covers Tiger Woods for Golf Digest and has co-authored books with the world’s number one golfer and his late father Earl, will give a free public talk at Temple University on Thursday evening, April 1, 6 p.m. on the 2nd Floor of the Entertainment and Community Education Center, 1509 Cecil B. Moore Ave.

He was originally scheduled to speak at Temple in February, but the event was canceled because of the weather.

In his talk, McDaniel will discuss the historic struggles that have been faced by black golfers. In addition, he will also show “Uneven Lies,” a documentary produced last year by The Golf Channel. Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, the hour-long documentary is based on McDaniel’s book, “Uneven Lies: The Heroic Story of African Americans in Golf.”

In addition to authoring “Uneven Lies,” McDaniel has also co-authored two best-selling books: “Training a Tiger--The Official Book on How to Be the Best” with Tiger Woods, and “Training a Tiger--A Father's Guide to Raising a Winner in Both Golf and Life” with Earl Woods, Tiger's late father.

The event, which happens one week before The Masters, golf’s first major championship of the year and the return of Woods to tournament play, is being sponsored by Temple’s Office of Community Relations.

For information or to RSVP, contact Temple’s Office of Community Relations at 215/204-7913.

Golf Digest Sr Writer to Speak @ Temple U

While the world's top golfer is a man of color, African Americans have historically struggled for the opportunity to tee it up, as well as access the nation’s golf courses and tournaments.

Golf Digest Senior Consultant Pete McDaniel will discuss the struggles that have been faced by black golfers in a free public talk at Temple University on Thursday evening, Feb. 25, 6 p.m. on the 2nd Floor of the Entertainment and Community Center, 1509 Cecil B. Moore Ave. His talk is being held in honor of Black History Month and is being sponsored by Temple University's Office of Community Relations.

McDaniel is the author of "Uneven Lies: The Heroic Story of African Americans in Golf," which was produced into a documentary called “Uneven Fairways”, narrated by actor Samuel L. Jackson, which aired last year on the Golf Channel.

I had the privilege of meeting McDaniel last year at Temple as he discussed "Uneven Lies" and the obstacles that African Americans have overcome to make it into recreational, amateur and professional golf. He is a very engaging speaker and I encourage anyone who has an interest in golf, particularly this often overlooked part of the game's history, to come out and hear McDaniel speak.

McDaniel's Book "Uneven Lies"

In addition to authoring "Uneven Lies" and being a Senior Consultant at Golf Digest, McDaniel has also co-authored two best-selling books: "Training a Tiger--The Official Book on How to Be the Best" with Tiger Woods, and "Training a Tiger--A Father's Guide to Raising a Winner in Both Golf and Life" with Earl Woods, Tiger's late father.

For more information on McDaniel's talk or to RSVP for the event, contact Temple’s Office of Community Relations at 215/204-7913.

Book Review: The Scorecard Always Lies

I recently finished reading The Scorecard Always Lies, A Year Behind the Scenes on the PGA Tour. Written by Chris Lewis, who covers golf for Sports Illustrated, the book follows the players and events that shaped the 2006 PGA Tour season. From Phil Mickelson's triumph at The Masters to his collapse at the U.S. Open, the death of Tiger Wood's father Earl, Tiger's victories at the British Open and PGA Championship, John Daly's ongoing troubles both on and off the course, the emergence of long-hitting J.B. Holmes, and the European's crushing defeat of the U.S. at the Ryder Cup in Ireland, the year is vividly captured the compelling behind-the-scenes access of someone who regularly covers the tournaments and the people who play play them. The book is good read, entertaining read, although you will occasionally notice a few factual errors. Still, I would recommend this book to anyone who is a golf fan.

Book Review: Breaking the Slump

The the way my game has gone this year compared to last, I decided to read the new book Breaking the Slump, How Great Players Survived Their Darkest Moments in Golf--And What You Can Learn From Them. Written by Jimmy Roberts of NBC Sports, the book looks at 16 golfers, plus former President George H.W. Bush (41) and Olympic athlete Dan Jansen, and tries to unlock the secrets of how they dealt with adversity in the golf games as well as their lives. Among the golfers featured are Paul Azinger, Jack Nicklaus, Scott Verplank, David Duval, Justin Rose, Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson, Ben Crenshaw, Johnny Miller, Davis Love III, Justin Leonard, Arnold Palmer, Dottie Pepper, Tom Watson, Steve Stricker and Hal Sutton. Roberts spends a chapter on each, interviewing the players about the severe down times in their games and what they did to get back to the highest level. While all of them suffered a slump in a different, their advice was pretty universal: don't panic, don't try so hard and go back to basics. The best quote in the book is from Bobby Jones, as repeated by Crenshaw: "The hardest course of all is only five inches long--the one between your ears." Another interesting observation came from Tom Watson, citing Harvey Penick: "If you have one bad round of golf, just forget about it. If you have two straight bad rounds, you might want to start thinking about it. A third consecutive bad round of golf, and it's time to get some help." While I'm not sure Breaking the Slump will get your golf game back on track, it is a very good, entertaining and easy read.

An Eternally Good Read

The Eternal Summer

Palmer, Nicklaus, and Hogan in 1960,
Golf's Golden Year

I have recently finished reading The Eternal Summer, an excellent book by Curt Sampson, the bestselling author of Hogan and The Masters. The book chronicles the unique set of circumstances that occurred in golf during the your 1960. Sampson calls it "the golden year" because it was a time when golf was finding its way into our living and consciousness through the magic of that emerging technology: television. It was also a time in which a golfer from Western Pennsylvania, Arnold Palmer, was capturing the hearts and minds of the public via the black and white imagines on the television screens. It was also the year in which a golfing legend, Ben Hogan, was making one final attempt at greatness, while a future legend, Jack Nicklaus, was slowing making a name for himself as an up-and-coming amateur from Ohio.

Sampson takes through the year: from Palmer's heroic wins at The Masters and U.S. Open, to his near miss at The Open Championship at St. Andrew's--which put the British Open back on the map for American golfers--to Nicklaus' near miss at the U.S. Open, to Hogan's last hurrahs at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. Only 233 pages, it is a short, but very entertaining read which I highly recommend for anyone who is interested in the history of golf as well as professional golf.

The Green Road Home

I just finished reading The Green Road Home: Adventures and Misadventures as a Caddie on the PGA Tour by Michael Bamberger. Today, Bamberger is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, but in 1985, at the age of 24, he had left a budding journalism career to experience the vagabond life of a PGA Tour caddie. Bamberger is probably best known for being the reporter who questioned a drop Michelle Wie took in the third round of the 2005 Samsung World Championship--her first tournament as a professional--which led to her disqualification. He is also the creator of the e-club, which looked like a small fairway wood head mounted on a putter for use in chipping around the greens. But in The Green Road Home, Bamberger gives an interesting view of Tour life from the often anonymous men who tote those large staff weeks week after week.

With his savings of $5,000, Bamberger, who also served as golf writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer from 1986-1995, gave himself six months to try to make it as a Tour caddie. He began his caddie career by writing to three golfers asking if he could caddie for them. One of them, Randy Erskine, responded and Bamberger's adventure began. Over the next six months he caddied for Brad Faxon, Al Geiberger, George Archer, Steve Elkington (in the Dutch Open, the Aussie's first tournament as a professional), along with lesser known players such as Billy Britton, Larry Rentz and Jamie Howell. In 1985, only the star players had regular caddies. Many players often switched from tournament to tournament.

Bamberger takes us through the long drives between tour stops, the cheap hotels and fast food, as well as the anxiety of arriving at a tournament with a guaranteed "bag" for the week. On a few occasions, Bamberger did what other caddies did when they didn't have a "bag"--he worked as a spotter for CBS' broadcast or drove a shuttle van at The Memorial Tournament.

Although a short read, it was very enjoyable as Bamberger shines the spotlight on the colorful characters who we often only see carrying the bag down the fairway or walking across the green to tend the flag on our televisions. I highly recommend this book as a short summer read.

Uneven Lies with Pete McDaniel

This past Monday I had the opportunity to hear Pete McDaniel, Golf Digest Senior Writer and author of Uneven Lies, The Heroic Story of African Americans in Golf, speak at Temple University. McDaniel talk was part of the University's observance of Black History Month and sponsored by Temple's Office of Community Relations. McDaniel's book has also been produced into a documentary, "Uneven Fairways," which is currently airing on The Golf Channel.

In his talk, McDaniel took us on a bus ride through time, back to 1896, when the first U.S. Open was being held at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Long Island. Many of the top players of the day, who hailed mosted from Great Britain and Europe, threatened to withdraw because John Shippen, a black caddie had qualified to play in the Open. The USGA held firm that Shippen and another minority--a Native American--would be allowed to compete. Shippen led the tournament after the first round, and later finished fifth, before becoming this country's first golf professional.

Our journey, via McDaniel, took us to Boston in 1899 where dentist George F. Grant, an African-American, avid golfer and Harvard graduate, developed and patented the first wooden golf tee. We stopped in Harlem, N.Y., to learn about Althea Gibson, a celebrated tennis champion, winning the 1957 U.S. Open and 1958 Wimbledon Championship, before later becoming the first black female pro golfer, competing for more than a dozen years on the ladies pro golf tour.

We met such notable black golfers as John Brooks Dendy, who once opened a round with a 1, 2, 3 and 4 on his first four holes en route to shooting a 59. Ted Rhodes, who was nicknamed "Rags" because of his always stylish attire, while winning 150 tournaments, but never was allowed to compete on the PGA Tour.

McDaniel enlightened us about Dewey Brown, a light-skinned African American who earned membership in the Professional Golfers Association of America and worked in the Poconos as a club professional at Shawnee-on-the Delaware in the 1920s and 30s. In 1934, his membership in the PGA was revoked and the "Caucasian only" rule was added into the PGA's by-laws. This rule wasn't rescinded until 1962.

We also ventured to nearby Cobbs Creek Golf Course, which was the home course for awhile to Charlie Sifford, who at age 39 finally made it to the PGA Tour when the "Caucasian only" rule was abolished. Sifford received death threats at tournaments and once had someone defecate into the cup on the first hole while attempting to qualify for a PGA event in Phoenix. But Sifford persevered thanks to advice from Jackie Robinson, who had broken the color barrier in baseball about 15 years before.

We learned about Joe Louis, the Brown Bomber, who is probably better known for his exploits in the boxing ring, but was a very good golfer and became the first African American to compete in a PGA event when he was allowed to enter the 1952 San Diego Open as an amateur on a sponsor's exemption. McDaniel said that Louis was "civil right leader without ever knowing it."

McDaniel's talk was educational, entertaining, but more importantly, enlightening. We learned about the many talented golfers who were denied the opportunity to compete on the professional tours, simply because of their skin color. We heard about the UGA, or "Chitlin Circuit," where these golfers who ply their trade, hone their game and compete against each other less-than-pristine courses for meager purses in pursuit of a dream.

I also had the opportunity to have lunch with McDaniel on Monday, where he updated on the current status on Tiger Woods. McDaniel has co-authored co-two books: "Training a Tiger--The Official Book on How to Be the Best" with Tiger Woods, and "Training a Tiger--A Father's Guide to Raising a Winner in Both Golf and Life" with Earl Woods, Tiger's late father. McDaniel says that Tiger's game is in very good shape and he has spoken with Tiger's swing coach, Hank Haney. McDaniel predicts that Tiger will return to the PGA Tour at Doral, instead of the World Match Play, as many are predicting. He believes that Tiger will then play at the Arnold Palmer Invitational tow weeks later, before taking a week off before The Masters.

Golf Digest's Pete McDaniel to Speak at Temple

Golf Digest Senior Writer Pete McDaniel, the author of "Uneven Lies: The Heroic Story of African Americans in Golf," will speak at Temple University on Monday evening, Feb. 9, 6 p.m. on the 2nd Floor of the Entertainment and Community Center, 1509 Cecil B. Moore Ave. McDaniel's book has been produced into a documentary, narrated by actor Samuel L. Jackson, which will debut on the Golf Channel Feb. 11. As someone interested in golf and its history, we invite you come hear McDaniel speak. His free public talk is being held in honor of Black History Month and is being sponsored by Temple University's Office of Community Affairs. In addition to authoring "Uneven Lies" and being a Senior Writer at Golf Digest, McDaniel has also co-authored two books: "Training a Tiger--The Official Book on How to Be the Best" with Tiger Woods, and "Training a Tiger--A Father's Guide to Raising a Winner in Both Golf and Life" with Earl Woods, Tiger's late father.

A Wickedly Good Read

The Wicked Game: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and the Story of Modern Golf is a must read for any golf fan. Wonderfully entertaining, author Howard Sounes chronicles the rise of golf through three of modern golf's most prominent players--Palmer Nicklaus and Woods--as well as their impact on the professional game as we know it today. From Palmer's humble beginnings as the son of a course superintendent in Western Pennsylvania, to Nicklaus' Country Club education, to the training of Woods by an overzealous father, the book gives some fascinating behind the scenes views of how these three have impacted the game, as well as their successes and shortcomings.

Palmer, who became the first truly marketed golf superstar by Mark McCormack, and was used Palmer to build International Management Group, perhaps the most influential agency in sports. Nicklaus, who, while surpassing Palmer on the golf course, remained envious of his success off the course and nearly went bankrupt trying to maintain a lifestyle similar to Palmer's. And of course Woods, who has become the most recognized golfer, and perhaps athlete, of all time, yet remains a mystery to most.

The book also looks at how racism has long been a hallmark of golf and how these three leading golfers have done little to open the top echelons of the sport to minorities and women. It also paints a very revealing portrait of Tiger's late father, Earl Woods, who long held that he was a constant victim of racism, abandoned his first wife and children for Tiger's mother and believes he was chosen by God to raise Tiger and nurture his special talent.

Although a short read at 260+ pages, it is well worth it and I highly recommend it if you want a better understanding of the figures who have shaped the game we love.

Fore at the Shore in Delaware

Labor Day has come and gone, which means my annual trek to the Delaware shore is over for another year. This year, I was able to get in four rounds of golf -- well actually one round was only 17 holes and the finished in complete darkness. I played at Baywood Greens, Old Landing, The Rookery and Jonathan's Landing. I'll be detailing each over the next few posts. I also did some shopping, adding a club to my arsenal, picking up a new putter cover, buying a new golf book to read and adding some clothes to my golf wardrobe. It was a fun eight days, but also a sign that the fall golf season is now here.

Big John, Big Jooooooooohn, Big Bad John

John Daly: My Life In and Out of the Rough is attempt by the two-time major champion to give his fans and the golfing public "the truth behind all that bull**** you think you know about me." After reading the short, 203-page book, it became clear to me that John Daly is golf's version of the Jerry Springer Show. While he is noted for the distances he hits a golfs ball and winning the 1991 PGA Championship after getting into the tournament at the last minute as the ninth alternate, he is just as well know for his drinking, his gambling, his (many) failed marriages, walking off the course and not signing his scorecard when he shoots a high number and his sometimes out-of-control anger.

"A lot of stuff has come down on my head in the last five years. My father pulled a gun on me, my mother died, my best friend since first grade walked out on me, and my wife was convicted of a felony and sent to prison. All that in five years. Sometimes I feel like a character in a bad soap opera that's stuck in replay mode. Sometimes I feel like getting in my bus and just driving away from it all. And sometimes I feel like kicking my own fat butt for feeling sorry for myself. Everybody goes through tough times. Everybody has troubles. Everybody has personal problems, family problems, relationship problems."

~ Chapter Twelve~

Daly has had enough problems for several people. And while he always tries in the book to take responsibility for his actions, he always seems to have an excuse. Like the many times he went to rehab, Daly repeatedly insists it was because other people wanted him to go, never because he realized he had a problem and needed help. Or, when he went off the wagon and drank several beers from the mini-bar in his hotel room during a tournament in Sweden. Daly called his agent to his room and told him and rationalized it by saying he was honest and not trying to hide. But he didn't ask his agent to get rid of the remaining beers and get him help.

Please don't get me wrong. I like John Daly. And Daly has a heart bigger than himself, if that's even possible. An example is the scholarship fund he established with part of his winnings from the '91 PGA Championship for the two young daughters of a man who was killed when he was truck by lightning on the first day of the tournament. Or the time he came out of a casino after losing a large sum of money and handed a homeless man $1,000. Or the numerous charity events he has established and plays in throughout the year.

Throughout the book, Daly refers to himself as a "redneck." Sometimes, I think he is trying harder to live up to that than being a professional golfer and two-time major champion. He has undeniable talent, but has squandered that and more money than most of the Third World nations combined. He reminds of a line Kevin Costner's character in Bull Durham, Crash Davis, says to Tim Robbins' charatcer Eppy Calvin 'Nuke' LaLoosh: "C'mon Rook--show me that million dollar arm 'cause I'm gettin a good idea about that five cent head of yours." John Daly has a million swing. Too bad it's guided by a five cent head.

Who's Your Caddy

Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly gives a unique look into what it takes to serve as a pack mule, psychologist, confident, coach, and even travel agent -- inotherwords, a caddy -- to the best golfers in the world in his book, Who's Your Caddy? Looping for the Great, Near Great, and Retrobates of Golf. Reilly convinced such golfers as Tommy Aaron, Jack Nicklaus, John Daly, Tom Lehman, David Duval, Casey Martin, and Jill McGill, as well as business tycoon Donald Trump, spiritualist Deepak Chopra, gambler Dewey Tomko, comedian Bob Newhart and blind golfer Bob Andrews to let him loop for them in every thing from The Masters to a PGA event to a course opening to a high-stakes betting match to a casual round. In his own entertaining style, Reilly finds out what it is like to lug a staff bag around 18 holes while trying to meet the wishes, needs and requirements of his golfer, while trying to take notes and ask questions at the same time. There are some very funny moments in the book. Like when Jack Nicklaus advised, while Reilly was caddying for him at the opening of the Nicklaus-designed The Summit at Cordillera in Vail, Colorado, "Don't quit your regular job." Imagine Reilly's surprise when he shows up at Jill McGill's motel room and her caddy answers the door while McGill comes out of the shower wrapped in a towel. Or when John Daly revealed to Reilly why he is known as "Long John" not only for how far he hits a golf ball. And learn why high-stakes golf gamblers carry as many clubs as they want and put gobs of Vasoline on the their clubfaces. This book is a very entertaining, light short read that I highly recommend for all golf fans.

The Ramblings of Gary McCord

I recently completed reading Just a Range Ball in a Box of Titleists, On and Off the Tour with Gary McCord. First published 10 years ago, the book was the second written by Gary McCord, the CBS golf commentator and part-time Champions Tour player. His first, Golf for Dummies, was co-authored with former Golf Digest Senior Editor John Huggan.

At just over 200 words, the book is more a collection of short essays, with each chapter written in much the same way McCord commentates during CBS golf broadcasts. Some give an insightful, witty look into McCord's playing days, his early tour sponsorship by Lawrence Welk, his start in broadcasting, being banned from The Masters telecast, working with Kevin Costner on the movie Tin Cup, the difference between the U.S. and British Opens, and the golf games of celebrities such as Alice Cooper, Hootie & the Blowfish, Clint Eastwood, Eddie Van Halen and Charles Barkley. He also delves into his life off the tour; playing at San Luis Rey Downs Golf and Country Club with his compadres Fairway Louie, Willie "Brain Damage" Rains, Unemployed Lloyd, Mad Max and Lock & Load; playing in their nine-hole worst-ball scramble with their ex-spouses, affectionately known as "The Ex-Wives Conflict."

But McCord also waxes poetic about climbing inside a golf ball as it flies down the faiway, the idiosyncrasies of the golf swing, getting a lesson at night in the dark, filming a FootJoy commercial underwater, a tournament ending written as a Shakespeare play and other stuff that just makes you scratch your head and hope the next chapter will be better.

If you love listening to McCord on the weekends, you'll love this book. I enjoyed it, but not as much as some of the other golf books I have read over the past few years. But if, like Tom Watson, you believe McCord is over-the-top and disrespectful to the traditions of the game, then I recommend you read something else.

One Magical Read: Mickelson's First Major

I recently finished One Magical Sunday (But Winning Isn't Everything), Phil Mickelson's account of his first Major Championship, The 2004 Masters. The book was very interesting in that each chapter was a different hole in Sunday's final round. Phil starts each chapter by describing the hole, his strategy and a shot-by-shot recounting of how he actually played it. It then leads into a narrative of Phil's life, from his introduction to golf, his childhood, his focus on becoming a PGA Tour Pro, meeting and marrying Amy, the birth of his children, his philosophies on parenthood, and his life on tour. One unique feature is that as Phil tells his stories, recollections from his family, Amy, her family, his daughters, his caddy Jim "Bones" Mackay, his former college coach and current agent Steve Loy, and his coaches Dave Pelz and Rick Smith, are interspersed. A short read (only 200 pages), it is a unique and fun look at one of the most popular players in golf.

Behind the Scenes at Bethpage Black

I just finished reading Open: Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black, John Feinstein's chronicling of the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black in New York. The Open at Bethpage Black marked the first time the U.S. Open was held at a truly public course. If you might not be familiar with Bethpage Black, it is one of five courses that comprise Bethpage State Park on Long Island. The Black Course was designed by the famous golf architect A.W. Tillinghast. The course is so famous and desirable to play, even though it is suggested for only low handicapped golfers, that people literally sleep in their cars overnight for the opportunity to gain one of the coveted daily tee times.

In his book, Feinstein takes us from David Fay first developing the idea in 1995 to play the Open at Bethpage, the logistics and difficulties behind making that idea a reality--including the fallout from 9/11, the actual tournament that was won by Tiger Woods, to the USGA's agreement with the State of New York to have The Black again host the Open in 2009. In this book, Feinstein gives us an in-depth look at people who run the United States Golf Association, as well what it takes to stage one of the largest and most prestigious golf championships in the world. It is both fascinating and entertaining, and I highly recommend it for any true golfer's reading list.

By reading Open, I have now completed the John Feinstein "Grand Slam" of golf books, which also includes A Good Walk Spoiled, The Majors, and Tales from Q School. Tonight at Borders I picked up my next read: One Magical Sunday: (But Winning Isn't Everything). Co-authored by Phil Mickelson, it is his firsthand account of his life leading up to his winning his first major, The Masters, in 2004.

The Soul of Golf

I have just finished reading The Soul of Golf by William Hallberg, the story of one golf writer's ultimate road trip across the country to find the true soul of the game we are all addicted to and love with an unyielding passion. Hallberg, who writes for various golf magazines, is better known as the author of the golf novel Rub of the Green. In The Soul of Golf, Hallberg chronicles his 1996 trek across the United States in which he plays large private country clubs, small nine-hole public courses, and such hallowed linked as Pebble Beach and Cypress Point, playing with whomever he can can get paired with on the first tee in order to find what makes this golf so wonderful and appealing. Throughout his travels, Hallberg must cope with the constant thoughts of ailing parents, a sister who is dying of bone marrow cancer, and a daughter who severely breaks her leg on summer vacation. Although Hallberg does to ramble on about things unrelated to golf, it was enjoyable to read about his quest to play small, unique, out-of-the-mainstream golf courses with everyday people. For them, these courses are the very lifeline to their passion for the game. The Muni Golfer can relate to these people as I too enjoy playing these type of courses.