Bill Pennington is the author of the witty "On Par" column for the New York Times, but On Par isn't a collection of those columns. Instead, it's a separate work whose length allows him to ponder in-depth "solutions to the seemingly unsolvable" and to examine two basic tents of the game: the utter conviction that your game will get better and your ability to distort yourself into thinking you've actually gotten better.
On Par is filled with good advice that will help everyday golfers enjoy playing the game more: "good karma leads to good golf." He reminds us that golf is flog spelled backward; we absolutely must not beat ourselves up over the game. He highly recommends that all golfers take regular lessons. He teaches us about the Voldemort words; we never say shank, slice, choke, or yips. Get to the course early and just walk around, look around at the course, watch others tee off; you'll learn a lot. Keep your eyes "quiet" before hitting a putt; it really works.
If you end up with a bad partner--"the bad ones tend to stick with you longer, like a persistent grass stain you can't wash out"--focus on your game; don't let him ruin your day. Pennington is a goldmine of facts and figures about golf, like the average age when a person has their first hole-in-one--44.7. Ordinary golfers may appreciate this book the most, but golfers of all levels will find much of value here.--Tom Lavoie, former publisher and golf addict