The Downhill Lie: A Hacker's Return to a Ruinous Sport | 
 enlarge | Creator: Carl Hiaasen
Publisher: Random House Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $17.34
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Avg. Customer Rating:  42 reviews
Sales Rank: 178473
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unabridged
Number Of Items: 5
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.8 x 5.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 0739358316
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.352092
EAN: 9780739358313
ASIN: 0739358316
Publication Date: May 6, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
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Product Description
Originally drawn to the game by his father, Carl Hiaasen wisely quit golfing in 1973. 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 offers an extraordinary audiobook for the ordinary hacker.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 37 more reviews...
 Poking fun at Golf August 28, 2008
In true Hiaasen form, this is a humorous look at what many contend to be a serious sport. I was laughing out loud by page 20, and appreciating his serious rant by page 38 as he decried the development of ever more golf courses and golf course subdivisions chopping up his beloved Florida landscape. Hiassen is a great writer, one of the best at using current situations to develop biting humor.
This personal account of his return to golf after a 30-year hiatus is a great read.
A really fun book August 25, 2008
I very much enjoyed this book as I do all of his books. This is a light fun and quick read. Being a duffer myself I can relate to what he went through.
 Complete boredom August 16, 2008
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".
 He's Got It...By George, He's Got It.... August 11, 2008
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..."
A great read August 7, 2008
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.
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