Distant Greens: Golf, Life and Surprising Serendipity On and Off the Fairways - Softcover

Sochaczewski, Paul Spencer

9782940573219: Distant Greens: Golf, Life and Surprising Serendipity On and Off the Fairways

Softcover

ISBN 10: 2940573212 ISBN 13: 9782940573219

Publisher: Explorer's Eye Press, 2016

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Distant Greens travels to the highest golf course in the world, where breathless Tibetan precepts come face to face with the oxymoron of Indian military intelligence. To a golf course in the Amazon rainforest, near the source of rubber, which revolutionized the game. To the Middle Kingdom, to examine claims that it was the Chinese, and not the Scots, who invented golf. And to a volcanic Indonesian course where the Mermaid Queen ensures that “her” sultan always has good weather when he plays. Distant Greens also travels into the soul of golf, the rituals, the belief that a tetrachaidecohedron-dimple-pattern can make a difference. Why can throwing junk-shop 4-irons provide an insight into the soul? What does a Zen priest in Japan hope to teach his acolyte golfers? Why do people cheat? Why do golfers remember the bad shots instead of the good shots? And why is golf more important, to some folks, than sex? What is the future of golf? Can golf and nature support each other? What can golfers do to ensure that their golf course is environmentally responsible? And what happened when Jesus, Moses, and Mohammed played a round?

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About the Author

Paul Spencer Sochaczewski has written 12 books and has had some 600 by-lined articles published in major international publications, including The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, CNN Traveller, Geographical, Reader’s Digest, and Travel and Leisure. Paul has worked in some 80 countries. He served in the United States Peace Corps in Sarawak, Malaysia (on the island of Borneo), and subsequently lived in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Switzerland. While with WWF – World Wide Fund for Nature International, Paul created international campaigns to protect rainforests, wetlands, plants, and biological diversity. He walks his hilly home course (Maison Blanche Golf Club, near Geneva, Switzerland) and carries his clubs. He has a lucky charm. Several, in fact. Visit Paul at: www.sochaczewski.com

Review

"Distant Greens is an intimate golfing tour that travels to all corners of the planet and brings us into the heart, mind and soul of the game that we all love."
-Rick Lipsey, Sports Illustrated, and author of Golfing on the Roof of the World

"These enthralling stories take us to some of the world's strangest golf courses. They are more than travel stories; they are insightful, funny, and often touching human tales that provide new insights on why we play the game. Proves the adage that the quality of sports writing is inversely proportional to the size of the ball."
-Micah Woods, director, Asian Turfgrass Center

"Travels to golf courses where they oughtn't be, visits with some of the most intriguing golfic characters the world over, and never strays far from the reader's heart. A quirky, funny, layered, insightful, beautifully written collection for golfers who ponder the meaning of this ever-fascinating, eternally frustrating, always-satisfying game."
-Daniel Navid, president, International Golf and Life Foundation

"More than a golf travel book, more than a discourse on the spiritual nature of the game, this collection of insightful (and funny) essays and exceptional reportage explores new vistas about some of golf's most interesting people and places, and gets to the heart of the very reason so many of us love this game."
-Fred Shoemaker, coach, author, and founder of Extraordinary Golf

"An impressive volume that links reportage on golf around the world with insights on the personal aspects of the game. But what makes Distant Greens so important, and a must-read, is how Sochaczewski addresses the role of golf in environmental destruction and, surprisingly for some, how golf can be a force for conservation. He offers new directions that golfers, and golf course owners and managers, should heed, for the good of the game and for the good of nature."
-Jeffrey McNeely, chief scientist, IUCN-International Union for Conservation of Nature

"Distant Greens explores 'inner' golf - the golf of the spirit and heart as well as 'outer' golf - the magic of playing exotic courses and meeting extraordinary people. Equally interesting and important, the book suggests a new eco-spiritual relationship with the game that each golfer can adopt. Essential (and elegant) reading for anyone who loves the game."
-Dennis Cone, founder, Professional Caddies Association

"Paul Sochaczewski has created an exceptional book that gives the reader insights into the internal and external journeys of golf. I'm particularly impressed by the chapters on the psychology of golf. Distant Greens is both insightful and thought provoking, particularly since many of the themes in the book relate to how we manage our emotions and how (and why) we create 'core beliefs' based on performance. Why do we make ourselves 'wrong'? Why do we beat ourselves up when we hit bad shots instead of patting ourselves on the back for good shots? What is going on in our complex brains? Golf is a beautiful game, and Paul provides insights into how we might enjoy it more."
-Jennifer K. Jones, consultant in sport and performance psychology, Staffordshire University

"Distant Greens gets to the core of golf's eco-spiritual essence with a collection of charming, insightful, and often amusing stories, anecdotes, and commentary that traverse the globe yet reside happily in the realm of 'good heart.'"
-Steve Cohen, president, The Shivas Irons Society

"Paul Sochaczewski brings insight, awareness, vision, and clarity to the unconventional and unsung parts of this historic game. His writing informs and illuminates while drawing attention to the importance of environment to the integrity and future of golf. Indeed, this is big writing."
-Ron Fream, golf architect of courses in 65 countries