Golf Foreplay: Everything You Need to Know About the Game%E2%80%94Before You Try to Hit the Sweet Spot

Altshuler takes a rollicking trip across the course, mixing a lot of fun into a long list detailing the dos and don'ts of golf play. Such as, from Golf Lingo You Must Know, "...anything over a quadruple bogey is called a %E2%80%98this is not my day, so I will be in the clubhouse drinking Scotch and watching the latest PGA tournament.'" There are lists of courses and players "with whom you need to be familiar if you intend to distract your fellow golfers." Altshuler is quick with advice; when referring to the size of ball markers, he notes how embarrassing it is if you "need your partners to help you find the marker." Equipment, from golf covers to fairway woods to sunglasses is examined, and a history of the composition of a golf ball is surprisingly intriguing. Even hazard markers get lengthy explanations, and a segment on handicaps is thorough, although not for the mathematically challenged. Golf jokes tee off each chapter and range from amusing to side-spitting. Despite all the laughs, this is a useful book that looks seriously at the game. Photos. (Mar.)