The Poetics of Golf: Meditations on the Meaning and Beauty of a Game

Many golfers would agree with Andy Brumer that there is poetry in the game of golf. And Brumer is not the first to insist that there is more to the game than the superstars, swing gurus, and high-tech equipment that dominate talk of the game today. In this series of essays, Brumer, one of the most insightful writers on golf, considers the game from unexpected and often surprising angles. At once contemplative and compelling, The Poetics of Golf explores the links between golf and life by way of art and literature, philosophy and psychology. In portraits of various players—including Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam, and Arnold Palmer, among others—Brumer teases out the truths that their games can tell us, not just about golf, but about character and courage. And he also offers an unconventional yet enlightening look at the intricacies of the golf swing, course architecture, and golfing equipment. Finally, his book reveals to us—in its content and also in its wide-ranging, often lyrical style—that golf is by no means only a game.

Andy Brumer is a freelance writer specializing in golf, art, and literature. Formerly the editor of Golf Tips magazine and Petersen’s Golfing, he is the author of Guide to the Golf Revolution: How Technology Is Driving the Game and the coauthor, with Bobby Clampett, of The Impact Zone: Mastering Golf's Moment of Truth.