The Downhill Lie: A Hacker's Return to a Ruinous Sport

Ever wonder how to retrieve a sunken golf cart from a snake-infested lake? Or which club in your bag is best suited for combat against a horde of rats? If these and other sporting questions are gnawing at you, The Downhill Lie, Carl Hiaasen’s hilarious confessional about returning to the fairways after a thirty-two-year absence, is definitely the book for you.

Originally drawn to the game by his father, Carl wisely quit golfing in 1973, when “Richard Nixon was hunkered down like a meth-crazed badger in the White House, Hank Aaron was one dinger shy of Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record, and The Who had just released Quadrophenia.” But some ambitions refuse to die, and as the years—and memories of shanked 7-irons—faded, it dawned on Carl that there might be one thing in life he could do better in middle age than he could as a youth. So gradually he ventured back to the dreaded driving range, this time as the father of a five-year-old son—and also as a grandfather.

“What possesses a man to return in midlife to a game at which he’d never excelled in his prime, and which in fact had dealt him mostly failure, angst and exasperation? Here’s why I did it: I’m one sick bastard.”

And thus we have Carl’s foray into a world of baffling titanium technology, high-priced golf gurus, bizarre infomercial gimmicks and the mind-bending phenomenon of Tiger Woods; a maddening universe of hooks and slices where Carl ultimately—and foolishly—agrees to compete in a country-club tournament against players who can actually hit the ball. “That’s the secret of the sport’s infernal seduction,” he writes. “It surrenders just enough good shots to let you talk yourself out of quitting.”

Hiaasen’s chronicle of his shaky return to this bedeviling pastime and the ensuing demolition of his self-esteem—culminating with the savage 45-hole tournament—will have you rolling with laughter. Yet the bittersweet memories of playing with his own father and the glow he feels when watching his own young son belt the ball down the fairway will also touch your heart. Forget Tiger, Phil and Ernie. If you want to understand the true lure of golf, turn to Carl Hiaasen, who has written an extraordinary book for the ordinary hacker.

Customer Reviews:

Complete boredom

I used to play golf and quit for various reasons. I couldn't even finish this book because of the bad memories. Mark Twain said it best...." golf is a ruin of a perfectly good walk".

2008-08-16

He's Got It...By George, He's Got It....

With apologies to Henry Higgins, "He's Got It...By George, He's Got It..."

Carl Hiassen is one of us. He knows what its like to make a "comeback" for someone who never was (a golfer)!!!

And he puts it all into a most readable book: the joy, the laughter, the heartache, the sorrow, the ectasy, the agony, the anger of it all, especially the downhill lie.

For a would-be comeback golfer, reading this book is kind of like looking up at the night sky and knowing, "We are not alone...we are not alone..."

2008-08-11

A great read

As a "golfer" (and the quotes are necessary in the interest of truth), this is one of the funniest books ever written about this most confounding and frustrating sport. If you ever or never played the game, you'll enjoy it. If you've played a round and are ready to give up, but then remember the one or two respectable shots you hit, you'll relate to his story of returning to the game after a decades long lay-off. A great gift for anyone with an interest in the game.

2008-08-07

Got Golf?

For anyone who plays or wants to learn to play golf, this book is real life experience of the games frustrations. Written in Hiaason's humorous style, you empathize with his struggle. Easy read and fun book.

2008-08-04

Most Enjoyable Book

I enjoyed reading this book more than I have enjoyed any book in the past several years.

2008-07-26