I have selected three texts for appraisal this overcast July morning. Be warned: it may not be overcast where you are. The first is a titanic crime novel titled Improved Lies by Brian Kennedy. The second is a humanized version of the USGA rules of golf, titled Golf Rules Quick Reference, by Yves Ton-That. The third is a putting primer titled Optimal Putting by Geoff Mangum. Believe you me, I could not have picked three more disparate efforts for one combined review. If all goes well, you’ll have a sense (albeit not a complete betrayal) of what they’re about.

Improved Lies stretches 620 pages. Not since the seven Harry Potter novels have I attempted a read this long. Around page 200, it dawned that I was a mere 1/3 through the novel. I considered yipping ahead a few hundred pages to uncover the conclusion. My decision was to stay the course and enjoy the pages in their proper order. Kennedy has experience in the legal and stock market fields. This is evidenced in his extremely-precise references (yet never obscure nor condescending) to important elements of each in the darning of his tale. The novel explores the dance around the murder of a country club wife and the partners who might have killed her. Twin neanderthals (cop and mob figure), a regal lawyer, and a few assorted club elitists make the job of Ken Edwards pretty difficult as he attempts to save his client, Ted Armbruster, from life in prison. I’ve read other reviews of the book and agree with them. Improved Lies is a fine first effort (more than I could ever produce) but the proof is in the pudding of the sophomore year. We’ll see if Kennedy is a one-hit wonder or capable of more. If you decide to put the novel down for a respite after a few hundred pages, fear not. The storyline and character references should be fresh when you return. Visit the Kennedy website to bone up on Improved Lies. The book is selling around $17 in paperback version on the major online book sale sites.

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Yves Ton-That makes a heroic attempt at easing the pain of determining rules decisions in his Quick Reference guide. The United States Golf Association (USGA) breaks down its rules in the following manner: The Game; Clubs and the ball; Player’s responsibilities; Order of play; teeing ground; Playing the ball; The putting green; Ball moved, deflected or stopped; Relief situations and procedure; Other forms of play; Administration. There we have 11 areas of potential violation or decision to consider. At times, there is difficulty in determining which rule applies to a specific situation. Ton-That has made an effort to update the appearance and functionality of the rules manual for a modern-day golfer. His tome is plasticized for durability, adorned with pictures for visual reference, color-coded for quicker access and, most important, reduced to eight areas of reference: Basics/dropping; Tee; Fairway & rough; Bunker; Water hazard; Out/provisional ball; Green; Ball moved/deflected.

Ton-That’s volume is the first corporate challenge to the monopoly that was the Rules of Golf. Time was, you bought your rules of golf at your local store without thinking. Cost you a couple Washingtons and that was that. In this increasingly graphic, iconic age, the Quick Reference version features a number of upgrades to the USGA booklet. To begin, the type size and boldness are more distinct in the Quick Reference guide. The organization is more concise and different, and different always catches the eye. Finally, the visual diagrams simply make Quick Reference a more accessible option. Retailing for $10 on one of the major, online sales sites, the book was also out of stock, indicating that its popularity might be rising.
Visit Ton-That’s site for more information.

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Geoff Mangum’s Optimal Putting is light reading in the way that Homer Kelley’s Golfing Machine is a introduction to golf. You won’t read Optimal Putting as a dalliance with putting. You won’t thumb through the book to find the single band-aid that will get you through the next 18 holes. You won’t abuse the book to fit your own putting style and confirm the flawed stroke that you currently make. Optimal Putting requires commitment, change, and corroboration, as any good instructional manual should. Mangum is a scientist who plays golf, much like his predecessor, Dave Pelz. I don’t know of a connection between the two, but I do recognize that Pelz (or his editor) is more capable of breaking down the putting stroke for simpler folk. Although Mangum reduces his theory to four bullet points (Read, Aim, Stroke, Touch), dedication is required for improvement to be gained. If you are a scientific sort and align yourself with Mangum, you will improve. Simply thinking about and testing some of his notions brought me two months (April and May) of excellent short- and medium-range putting in 2008. Mangum has a website devoted to his theory on putting and it is worth a half-hour of your time.

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