Ken Altshuler, a Portland divorce attorney and admitted golf addict, has written a book, “Golf Foreplay,” to help beginning golfers learn things they should know before they play.

The book can help golfers avoid embarrassing moments, such as the one that happened to Altshuler, 58, before he become serious about golf. Those moments can happen to anyone starting out if they don’t know the rules or etiquette. There’s ample help in Chapter 4 “Basic Golf Rules You Must Memorize.”

“The goal (of the book) is to make every golfer feel comfortable playing with any golfer of any proficiency,” said Altshuler.

Because of golf’s handicap system, players of all abilities can comfortably play with and against each other.

“I can’t teach anyone how to swing the club,” he said, “but I can tell them about the do’s and don’t’s of the game.”

Altshuler remembers being invited to play at a local country club several years ago, and how excited he was.

“I showed up wearing a T-shirt and shorts,” he said. “I didn’t know collared shirts were required because I had never played at a country club before. My friend must have been so humiliated and wondered what kind of rank amateur he had invited, but he never said anything. We just went out and played.”

The genesis for the book began about two years ago during a round with his son-in-law.

“I asked him if he played golf and he said he did,” said Altshuler. “I thought it would be a good bonding experience. After his tee shot on the opening hole, he teed the ball up in the fairway. I told him he couldn’t do that. He asked why and I told him it was against the rules. I thought there must be a lot of people like him and that I should write a book to help them out.”

Altshuler has a friend, Ron Sellers, who runs Sellers Publishing. He agreed that Altshuler should write a book, but he first wanted a table of contents and a central chapter to determine if the book had potential.

“He had five editors look at it and they all liked it. I started by writing down everything I could think about golf. I ended up with 75 to 80 different categories. I started writing two days a week in November when the golf season was over. It took me six months and 13 rewrites to finish it. I had an editor who was tough.

“The book ended up being 300 pages, which they said was too long. I cut out about a third of the book.”

The book has 18 chapters (naturally) and is 218 pages. An unusual aspect of the book is that every chapter begins with a golf joke.

“I looked at over a hundred golf jokes,” said Altshuler. “I think you should tell at least one joke a round. It’s a great way of keeping the mood up.”

Altshuler writes about the right time to tell a joke and the wrong time.

“A good time to tell a joke is when you’re waiting for the group in front,” he said. “You don’t want to tell one when someone is about to swing.”

In the opening chapter, Altshuler gives a short history of the game. The book covers golf terms in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 lists nine courses and nine golfers you should recognize, with a paragraph on each. St. Andrews in Scotland is listed first, followed by Pine Valley in New Jersey and then Augusta National. Some of the players include Young Tom Morris, Jack Nicklaus. Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods. Other chapters cover golf magazines, books or movies you must read or watch; golf equipment and accessories; selecting a course to play; rules and explaining golf’s handicap system, which is no easy task.

Altshuler checked and rechecked his facts. He also had help with accuracy from several friends who know golf.

Altshuler was an original member of The Woodlands club in the late 1980s. He didn’t play golf at the time so he gave up his membership, but rejoined about 10 years ago when he got hooked on the game. Several of the photos in the book are from the course.

The book has received strong reviews. One review said it was a must-read for young golfers. Altshuler said seasoned golfers will enjoy the book because “you would be amazed at how many rules and procedures are misunderstood and misapplied on a daily basis.”

The book sells for $15.95 and is available at local bookstores.

TEE TO GREEN: Several golf courses opened in southern Maine last weekend. By this weekend, most of the courses should be open. Some of the courses opening early were Nonesuch River in Scarborough, The Links at Outlook in South Berwick, Toddy Brook in North Yarmouth, Riverside in Portland, Old Marsh in Wells, Willowdale in Scarborough, Penobscot Valley in Orono, Biddeford-Saco in Saco, Dutch Elm in Arundel, Highland Green in Topsham.

The field for the Paul Bunyan Tournament was 80 percent full as of last week.

The tournament has a 288-player limit. The tournament will be played June 4-5 at Kebo Valley in Bar Harbor and Penobscot Valley.

The first two Maine State Golf Association weekly tournaments have been swapped. Biddeford-Saco Country Club will now host opening day next Friday and Saturday while Fox Ridge Golf Course in Auburn will host the second week, April 29 and 30.

Staff Writer Tom Chard can be reached at 791-6419 or at:

tchard@pressherald.com

 

Copy the Story Link