Golf and the Spirit

Rating:
Summary: Nice shot, but in the rough: `the fairway less traveled?'
Review: A fascinating idea (not the only time someone's tried it, though) which ends up being somewhat pretentious and forced. In terms of the running metaphor which Peck uses throughout, he's played a nice shot, struck the ball quite cleanly, but either his feet or his hands weren't in exactly the right position, and the ball ends up in quite a tricky bit of rough, from where he'll have difficulty with the iron to the green. Cashing this out, he does explain a lot for the non-golfer (some of it a bit ponderous for the golfer, who is the much more likely reader), but the lessons he draws from the game to the rest of life often feel somewhat forced. Granted that golf is indeed one of the best games for bringing out, or for inculcating, human character, I think Peck's material here was worth perhaps a 90-page paperback, not this rather long treatment. The best thing about the book was the invisible subtitle which I guessed at: The Fairway Less Traveled.

Rating:
Summary: Not up to his other books.
Review: Golf and the Spirit just doesn't come up to M. Scott Peck's bestseller The Road Less Traveled.He promises golfers and nongolfers alike that this book will "go beyond mechanics to explore the deeper issues, ways of successfully managing the emotional, psychological, and spiritual aspects" of the game of golf. Unfortunately, it seems to read more like Peck's frustrations of the game, and less about the ultimate metaphor for life. Too bad.

Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone, but still a great book.
Review: I agree with the reviewer from San Diego. If you're looking for a treatise on how to play golf, you'll probably be disappointed, but you have little right to be since Peck makes no representation that his book is that. Likewise, if you're looking for profound psychological analyses on the basis of Peck's background and/or other works, you will similarly be disappointed. But, again, he makes no such representation.

It is simply an analogy between situations in life and in golf, and the ways we may respond to them. And though I did not expect it, I think Peck does offer some good golf lessons, especially for the beginner, since most of what plagues their play is the way they psycholgically and emotionally respond to the game, rather than their techniques of backswing, grip, etc.

Rating:
Summary: A Hole In One!
Review: I listened (more than once) to the very well read audio tapes while traveling. You must pay attention the detail is superb.

As a golfer for 46 years and earning three letters at Indiana University, I can attest that golf can teach a great deal about life, pursuing happiness, developing patience and spiritual growth if you go beyond your score. Especially as you take the competition out of golf can you realize what this game has to offer and how you can grow as a person from it.

Peck designs a wonderful exotic golf course with all the hazards and obstacles similar to which you find in life. He provides great analogies, excellent knowledge of the game which can help someone unfamiliar with the sport, and makes it all very interesting. The tapes are excellent because you can go back again and again, each time gaining new insights to golf and yourself.

A great companion reader to Golf and the Spirit tapes is Pecks book, "The Road Less Traveled." Happy reading and Spiritual growth.

Rating:
Summary: Peck makes the cut
Review: If you like Peck and like to play golf, this book is a tap in birdie. More about life and golf as spiritual journeys than about technical golf, Peck connects golf (life condensed) and our spiritual side. Very readable and humorous at times with basic practical tips for golf and life woven in throughout the round. It may inspire you to approach your next round differently and possible apply some of the ideas to your non-golf life. Great book for spiritually alive golfers.

Rating:
Summary: Golf?
Review: Lighten up critics. This is not a book about golf. Just a book about using the GAME of golf as part of your life journey. You may not learn how to play golf, but let Peck teach you something else.