Breaking Eighty: How I Learned to Play Winning Golf: A Journey Through the Nine Fairways of Hell

Eisenberg, former editor of Esquire and currently a consulting editor at Time, was a sporadic golfer who stayed away from the game for long stretches after adolescence. Then in 1995, he resolved to lower his usual score, in the low 100s, to break 80, all in an 18-month concentrated effort. His quest involved reading or rereading the famous authors on the subject from Bobby Jones onward and working with teachers around the country, starting with Brad Redding, his long-time coach. He found that techniques he read about may have been effective for their authors but were not necessarily helpful for everyone else. He also discovered that coaches often disagreed with one another, and many of the younger ones were caught up in trendy technology like the use of videos, while others offered New Age philosophy, Zen or even supplementary physical therapy. After he put everything together, Eisenberg hit consistently in the mid- to high 80s, but never reached his goal. The book may reassure those who see themselves condemned to a lifetime as hackers that they are not alone. (June)