<![CDATA[The Downhill Lie: A Hacker's Return to a Ruinous Sport]]>

false <![CDATA[The Downhill Lie: A Hacker's Return to a Ruinous Sport]]>

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Ever wonder how to retrieve a sunken golf cart from a snake-infested lake? Or which club in your bag is best suited for combat against a horde of rats? If these and other sporting questions are gnawing at you, The Downhill Lie, Carl Hiaasen’s hilarious confessional about returning to the fairways after a thirty-two-year absence, is definitely the book for you. Originally drawn to the game by his father, Carl wisely quit golfing in 1973, when “Richard Nixon was hunkered down like a meth-crazed badger in the White House, Hank Aaron was one dinger shy of Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record, and The Who had just released Quadrophenia.” But some ambitions refuse to die, and as the years—and memories of shanked 7-irons—faded, it dawned on Carl that there might be one thing in life he could do better in middle age than he could as a youth. So gradually he ventured back to the dreaded driving range, this time as the father of a five-year-old son—and also as a grandfather. “What possesses a man to return in midlife to a game at which he’d never excelled in his prime, and which in fact had dealt him mostly failure, angst and exasperation? Here’s why I did it: I’m one sick bastard.” And thus we have Carl’s foray into a world of baffling titanium technology, high-priced golf gurus, bizarre infomercial gimmicks and the mind-bending phenomenon of Tiger Woods; a maddening universe of hooks and slices where Carl ultimately—and foolishly—agrees to compete in a country-club tournament against players who can actually hit the ball. “That’s the secret of the sport’s infernal seduction,” he writes. “It surrenders just enough good shots to let you talk yourself out of quitting.” Hiaasen’s chronicle of his shaky return to this bedeviling pastime and the ensuing demolition of his self-esteem—culminating with the savage 45-hole tournament—will have you rolling with laughter. Yet the bittersweet memories of playing with his own father and the glow he feels when watching his own young son belt the ball down the fairway will also touch your heart. Forget Tiger, Phil and Ernie. If you want to understand the true lure of golf, turn to Carl Hiaasen, who has written an extraordinary book for the ordinary hacker.

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2008

The Downhill Lie: A Hacker's Return to a Ruinous Sport

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1 1 false false Fri Jun 27 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jul 11 14:10:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jul 11 14:26:00 -0700 2008
It is unfortunate, then. t...more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Sep 23 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 16 02:50:43 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 25 06:05:27 -0700 2008
Turning his eye to the non-fiction realm, Hiassen looks at his taking up the game of golf again after a 32-year break. Hiassen's look at how the game can grow into an obsession i...more...]]> 4 0 false true Mon Apr 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 12 17:43:30 -0700 2009 Thu May 07 05:22:26 -0700 2009
Hiaasen tells the story of his long twisted journey back to the game of golf. He played as a younger fella, but mostly to spend time with his dad and to get out of church on Sundays. He exclaims on more than a few occ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun May 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 21:25:04 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 21:29:09 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Jul 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 14 08:29:31 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 15 10:52:15 -0700 2009
I think its great. I can't compare it to his other works yet, but on its own its pretty funny. I love jargon...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jul 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 03 18:46:59 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 03 19:00:52 -0700 2009
As a hacker in his teens, he had given up golf until mid-life. This book is a diary of his efforts to exceed his best teen score, having wondered what it would be like to play the gam...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jun 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 21 17:24:39 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 23 17:27:05 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri Apr 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Feb 27 18:34:53 -0800 2009 Fri Apr 17 13:57:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jan 20 12:29:31 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 20 12:34:55 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Sep 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 02 11:53:07 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 08 20:39:49 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu May 15 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon May 19 12:07:17 -0700 2008 Mon May 19 12:16:13 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Aug 27 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Mar 03 20:25:34 -0800 2008 Wed Aug 27 23:34:49 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Mar 28 14:17:42 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 28 14:17:42 -0700 2009
But I do love some people who play golf, some of the t...more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Mar 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 08 15:19:09 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 08 15:19:51 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jun 24 13:33:06 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 24 13:35:33 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Nov 30 17:38:12 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 30 17:40:10 -0800 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jun 26 23:50:58 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 26 23:53:41 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jun 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 16 19:12:05 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 16 19:16:39 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Dec 14 18:53:38 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 16 08:29:49 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 14 18:53:38 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jan 02 19:34:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 02 19:35:24 -0800 2009