Monday, December 28, 2009

Now reading...


"A Game of Golf" by Francis Ouimet


From DavesBookNook.com:


Francis Ouimet (1893–1967) was an awkward, relatively unknown twenty-year-old amateur and former caddy when he walked across the street from his modest home in Brookline, Massachusetts, and stunned the sports world by upsetting famed British golfers Harry Vardon and Ted Ray to win the 1913 U.S. Open in a dramatic playoff at The Country Club (TCC). His spectacular victory made him America's first golf hero, drew new fans to the sport, and forever altered the image of golf as a stuffy, rich man's game dominated by British and Scottish players.


In this engaging memoir, first published in 1932, Ouimet fondly reminisces about his life in golf and gives sage advice on playing the game. With charm, wit, and a passion for the sport, he vividly chronicles his boyhood in Brookline, recalling how he scavenged for golf balls and clubs, learned to play on a homemade three-hole course in his backyard, and sometimes sneaked onto The Country Club's fairways to practice in the early morning hours. He recounts his caddying years, starting at age nine, the early amateur competitions, and the momentous 1913 U.S. Open tournament on his neighborhood course. Included is the legendary story of Ouimet turning down the offer of an experienced TCC member to carry his clubs in the playoff, sticking instead with his ten-year-old caddy, the self-assured Eddie Lowery. Ouimet's narrative then journeys through his illustrious amateur career, over the fairways of Hoylake, St. Andrews, Garden City, and Pebble Beach, and concludes with his great sentimental victory in the 1931 U.S. National Amateur at Beverly Hills in Chicago.


Brimming with exciting matches and such great players as Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen, these colorful yet humble reminiscences of a working-class kid who changed the game of golf will appeal to golf enthusiasts and general readers alike.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Cara being Jacob Marley...

Just when I think this kid can't get any cuter, she does this. Right now, her favorite thing to watch is Mickey's Christmas Carol. Goofy plays the part of Jacob Marley, Scrooge's dead partner. In this scene, he visits Scrooge to tell him, well, you'll see. She even makes excellent use of a slinky as a prop. See underneath the video for translation.


"Ooooooooh (ghost noises). Ebeneezer, remember when I was alive, I robbed the widows and swindled the poor? I was wrong! My punishment is to carry these heavy chains for eternity! Doomed! Doomed! And the same thing will happen to you."

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Kaitlyn dancing to Wow Wow Wubbzy...

The title of this one is pretty self-explanatory. She really digs Wow Wow Wubbzy. Much like her sister.


Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Now reading...


"The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen" by Howard Carter and AC Mace


From DavesBookNook.com:

This book captures the painstaking, step-by-step process of excavation, and the wonders of the treasure-filled inner chamber. 106 on-the-spot photographs depict the phases of the discovery and the scrupulous cataloging of the treasures.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Now reading...



"I've got 99 Swing Thoughts but 'Hit the Ball' Ain't One" by Christopher Smith




From DavesBookNook.com:




A round of golf takes five hours to play, but only about three minutes are spent hitting the ball. The average golfer spends the other two hundred ninety-seven minutes thinking, rethinking, and overthinking, contemplating every aspect of his swing until the moment he finally hits the ball. Golf’s reputation as a thinking-man’s sport may have turned players into on-the-course philosophers, but all that navel-gazing hasn’t lowered anyone’s score. It may seem counterintuitive, but when you turn off your brain and play faster, you shoot lower scores. As one of the top-ranked speed golfers in the world, Christopher Smith knows this firsthand. He shot in the mid- 60s for eighteen holes on multiple occasions, playing for about forty-five minutes while using only six clubs. As a Northwest Section and Oregon Chapter PGA Teacher of the Year, he also knows how hard it is for players schooled in the tradition of the game’s great thinkers to get out of their heads. In I’ve Got 99 Swing Thoughts but “Hit the Ball” Ain’t One, Smith shows you how to make quick decisions, go with your gut, and get on with the game.




Greats like Jack Nicklaus, known for out-thinking his opponents, and Tiger Woods with his unbreakable concentration, know when to rely on their critical faculties and when to let the mind/body system take over. Every thought and movement they need to play well is embedded in their brains and muscles before the game begins. When you ride a bike or park your car in a tight spot, you’re using the same kind of “unconscious competency” these masters bring to their games. In this book, Smith helps you transfer that ease of movement to the golf course. Via a series of games that covers every part of the swing—from the grip and setup to getting out of sand traps—you’ll internalize the golf swing, leaving you free to get to the ball, see the shot in your mind, and execute it.




A top instructor and coach, Smith advocates finding your own unique fundamentals of the swing—plus the drills you need to turn them into second nature. The game-changing techniques in I’ve Got 99 Swing Thoughts but “Hit the Ball” Ain’t One will turn you into a free-wheeling, react-to-the- intended-target golfer who feels the game, plays faster and better, and, your mind free of paralyzing swing thoughts, gets on with the business of hitting the ball.