Best Selling Books by Lorne Rubenstein

Lorne Rubenstein is the preeminent figure in the world of Canadian golf journalism and a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. He has been reporting on golf for more than thirty years, and this is a collection of Rubenstein’s best and favourite pieces from 1993 to 2008, selected from thousands of newspaper, magazine, and Internet articles. In this book, readers will revel in the wide range of subjects, including course design; swing techniques (such as the stack and tilt); famous people, such as Moe Norman, Jack Nicklaus, Marlene Streit, Payne Stewart, and Ben Hogan; writers, such as Stephen Leacock; and reflections on the beauty and joy of the game. Two separate chapters are devoted to our most important golf heroes: the Canadian champion Mike Weir and the indomitable Tiger Woods. Within these pages, golf enthusiasts of every age and skill level will find something new to delight them. This is as much a celebration of the sport as it is a celebration of one of our most esteemed and beloved golf writers.

The town of Dornoch, Scotland, lies at nearly the same latitude as Juneau, Alaska. A bit too far removed for the taste of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, the Royal Dornoch Golf Club has never hosted a British Open, but that has hardly diminished its mystique or its renown. In an influential piece for The New Yorker in 1964, Herbert Warren Wind wrote, "It is the most natural course in the world. No golfer has completed his education until he has played and studied Royal Dornoch." If any town in the world deserves to be described as "the village of golf," it''s Dornoch. You can take the legendary links away from St. Andrews, and you''ll still have a charming and beautiful university town with great historic significance; take the links away from Dornoch and it would be as little noted or known as its neighbors Golspie, Tain, and Brora. (The town is forty miles north of Inverness, generally thought of as the northernmost outpost of civilization in Scotland.) The game has been played in Dornoch for some four hundred years. Its native son Donald Ross brought the style of the Dornoch links to America, where his legendary, classic courses include Pinehurst #2, Seminole, and Oak Hill. Lorne Rubenstein decided to spend a summer in Dornoch to clear the muddle from his golfing mind and to rediscover the natural charms of the game he loves. But in the Highlands he found far more than bracing air and challenging greens. He found a people shaped by the harshness of the land and the difficulty of drawing a living from it, and still haunted by a historic wrong inflicted on their ancestors nearly two centuries before. Rubenstein met many people of great thoughtfulness and spirit, eager to share their worldviews, their life stories, and a wee dram or two. And as he explored the empty, rugged landscape, he came to understand the ways in which the thorny, quarrelsome qualities of the game of golf reflect the values, character, and history of the people who brought it into the world. A Season in Dornoch is both the story of one man''s immersion in the game of golf and an exploration of the world from which it emerged. Part travelogue, part portraiture, part good old-fashioned tale of matches played and friendships made, it takes us on an unforgettable journey to a marvelous, moody, mystical place.

The obsessive book about the obsessive game, and more fun to read than a green at Ballybunion. Written by two authors who have misspent their lives in thrall to the sport, A DISORDERLY COMPENDIUM OF GOLF digs into the odd, the fascinating, the historical, the random, the unexpected, and the curmudgeonly, and serves up hundreds of pages of lists, anecdotes, humor, surprises, and the sheer compelling minutiae of a game whose pleasure lies in the details. It''s all here, including history: oldest courses, top 5 money-winners at 10-year intervals, the importance of James II of Scotland. Colorful characters, like the hustler who would bet you that he could roll out of bed in the morning and make a 40-foot putt on his first try, and his secret for doing it every time. Odd rules: Did you know youmay take a free drop from a fireant hill but not from poison ivy? Good golf instructionÑhow to hit Phil Mickelson''s trademark flop shotÑand confusing golf instruction: Tom Watson says ÒNever feel you''re reaching for the ball,Ó while Johnny Miller advisesÒ Reach for the ball. . . .Ó Embarrassing moments and helpful tips. The lexicon: professional caddie nicknames, terms for an ugly shot, names of golf balls. Plus gambling games, the grasses used in greens, unusual patents, Shakespearean quotes on golf, golf at midnight, longest and shortest holes . . . and more, and more.

Encounters with the enigmatic, troubled genius of golf: Moe Norman. Hall of Fame Journalist, Lorne Rubenstein investigates what made Moe such a unique character in golf. When Moe died he had won almost every title in Canada and was praised by Tiger Woods as one of the few players to ''own'' his swing. Yet he failed to make an impact on the wider world of golf, withdrawing from play at the Masters and crippled by insecurities and shyness. However he described himself as the ''happiest guy on two feet.'' Rubenstein investigates the man behind the enigma.

How Mike Weir became a Canadian hero, winning the 2003 Masters Tournament and proving that sometimes nice guys finish first Lorne Rubenstein has been following Mike Weir’s career since the slim kid from Brights Grove, Ontario, near Sarnia, started winning amateur tournaments. Weir was a star on the Brigham Young University golf team before turning professional in 1992. It was clear to Lorne Rubenstein that the gentlemanly left-hander had what it takes to make it to golf’s pinnacle. But there’s a world of difference between being a pro golfer who is good enough to make a living on the tour and the elite group that wins one of the majors: the Masters, the U.S. Open, the British Open, and the PGA Championship. Mike had done well on the PGA Tour in the past, winning three tournaments in his first few years there. Then came 2002, a season that began with great hopes that he would make it to the top flight. But the season proved a disappointment, and some golf observers whispered that Weir did not have what it takes to withstand the pressure and win a major. Lorne Rubenstein never wavered in his belief. Having followed Mike for so many years, he still felt that Weir could win a major. After Mike began the 2003 season with two wins, Lorne decided to write a book about his quest to win a major. Mike agreed to cooperate, and so Lorne followed his every shot at the Augusta National Golf Club during the 2002 Masters. After Tiger Woods has slipped the green jacket over Mike Weir’s shoulders, in the midst of one of the many press conferences, Mike smiled at Lorne and said, “I guess this will help the book, right, Lorne?” We guess so, too. We’re guessing that this chronicle of Mike Weir’s journey, with a heavy emphasis on the Masters win that set millions of Canadians cheering, will be a major sports gift book this Christmas. From the Hardcover edition.

If your golf game has been plagued by inconsistency and less-than-peak performance, you may be going against your "natural swing". But you can improve your golf game dramatically and you can beat bad habits by drawing on talents you already possess. The Natural Golf Swing will: - introduce you to your natural balance and rhythm - let you play consistently to your potential - allow you to enjoy a repeating swing - help you increase power and control with every swing According to champion golfer George Knudson, your swing is governed by laws of nature, and is subject to logical, physical fundamentals that are all too often ignored. By learning the simple principles outlined in this book, you will generate more powerful, accurate swings, reduce your score, and gain control over your game. Take advantage of Knudson''''s more than 30 years experience on the pro circuit as he guides you step-by-step through the mechanics of the natural swing, from the important first step of maintaining proper balance through the backswing, down-swing, and finishing form. Extensive illustrations and drills help to clarify each step. Knudsen also shares his experience as a golfer on the tour, offering valuable insights into the roles that temperament and concentration play in winning.

WINNER OF THE 2019, 2005, 2002, 2001 and 1997 MASTERS. In UNPRECEDENTED: ME AND THE MASTERS, Tiger Woods shares in his own words the story of the original Masters tournament that took him to greatness, all of which has paved the way for one of the most phenomenal comebacks in sporting history. ''To come back and win the Masters after all the highs and lows is a testament to excellence, grit and determination'' BARACK OBAMA In 1997, Tiger Woods was already among the most watched and closely examined athletes in history. But it wasn''t until the Masters Tournament that Tiger Woods''s career would definitively change for ever. Tiger Woods, then only 21, won the Masters by a historic 12 shots, which remains the widest margin of victory in the tournament''s history, making it arguably among the most seminal events in golf. He was the first African-American/Asian player to win the Masters, and this at the Augusta National Golf Club, perhaps the most exclusive club in the world, and one that had in 1990 admitted its first black member. More than twenty years after his first historic win, Tiger Woods explores his life with the game, with the Masters tournament itself, about how golf has changed over the past twenty years, and what it was like winning such an event. Woods will also open up about his relationship with father Earl Woods, dispelling previous misconceptions, and will candidly reveal many never-before-heard stories. Written by one of the game''s all-time greats, this book will provide keen insight on the Masters then and now as well as on the sport itself. ''Greatness like no other'' SERENA WILLIAMS

Veinte años han pasado desde la irrupción del que muchos aseguran es el mejor jugador de golf de todos los tiempos. Esta es su historia. Marzo de 1997, Tiger Woods, con tan solo 21 años de edad, ya era una de las grandes promesas del deporte mundial. Pero no fue hasta el Masters de Augusta cuando su carrera dio un giro definitivo que cambió su vida y al golf para siempre. Con un triunfo histórico con un margen 12 golpes de ventaja, récord aún vigente en la actualidad, ese título se mantiene en el recuerdo histórico, marcando un momento icónico en su vida y en el torneo. Ahora, 20 años después, Tiger Woods nos relata su historia. Su relación con el juego, cómo ha cambiado con el paso de los años, y sus sentimientos ante la victoria de aquel evento que marcó su vida. Con historias jamás contadas anteriormente, este libro le dará al lector una visión mucho más cercana sobre el golf de la mano del más grande de todos los tiempos.

More than a half century after he began his professional career, Ben Hogan is still considered the purest striker of a golf ball in the history of the game. His was a swing honed to perfection, and teaching professionals agree that Hogan''s technique is the perfect platform on which golfers of all skill levels can build a fundamental understanding of golf. Unfortunately, photographs of Hogan''s full swing and detailed close-ups of his grip and positioning have never been available for analysis. Instructors from around the world have always begun with a serious handicap when explaining to their students how a man of average stature could generate exceptional power and control from tee to green. Now, thanks to the newly discovered critical photography featured in this book, the mysteries of Ben Hogan''s form are revealed. One vital characteristic of David Leadbetter''s teaching philosophy, which has made him the world''s #1 teacher, is his ability to translate very difficult swing concepts into easy-to-understand language. When the lost photographs from Hogan''s seminal instructional manual, Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf, were discovered by the Hogan estate, David Leadbetter was the immediate and perfect choice to craft the quintessential instruction book for today''s golfer, based on the Hogan form. By combining his exceptional skills as a communicator and his encyclopedic knowledge of the mechanics of golf, Leadbetter uses these remarkable images of the master at work to demonstrate the basic techniques of golf. The result is The Fundamentals of Hogan, the one book that all golfers who dream of breaking 80 need to have in their libraries. Golf''s #1 professional instructor translates Ben Hogan''s fundamentals for players of all skill levels

In the early 1990s, after years of struggle and determination, Nick Price emerged as the world''s finest golfer--"striking the ball" as Ben Crenshaw observed, "as well as anyone since Ben Hogan or Byron Nelson". Now, for players at all levels, Price reveals the game''s essential elements--from grip and set-up to downswing to the short game and effective putting--in both theory and practice. of photos. 100 illustrations.

The author examines the game of golf by discussing the negative changes made to the sport over the years, the joys and sorrows of caddying, different swing techniques, great golf courses, and more