Tour Tempo
Grade: B+

I've been working with Tour Tempo off and on all summer and into the fall. Author John Novosel's idea is that the difference between the hacker and the tour pro lies mainly in the tempo. Using high speed video, Novosel claims to have discovered that all tour pros have a swing that falls into a 3:1 ratio. Some swing faster, some a little slower, but they are always in the 3:1 swing-set-through tempo.

It's a slim volume, but it comes with a cd that has video -- and more importantly, different soundtracks with beeps that are supposed to ingrain the idea of 3:1 into your head.

When you set up to the ball, the only thought that is supposed to be in your head is the 3:1 tempo. Listen to the beeps on the cd long enough and it will be.

I'm a musically talented guy, from a musical family (both parents were music teachers), so the idea came pretty naturally to me. From years of playing in bands and orchestras, I can set a tempo inside my head automatically. After listening to the tracks, I just swung on tempo.

I think I did see some improvement -- especially on tee shots -- when I concentrated only on the tempo. The tempo thought kept me from being in such a rush and kept my swing smooth and fluid.

Now, if only I could get rid of that flying left elbow fault.

You Might Be A Hack

Grade: A

I got this book in the mail the other day, and I have to say that at first, I was a bit ... well ... underwhelmed. The cover has to be one of the worse I've ever seen.

But this book proves the rule about not judging a book by its cover.

What's inside is screamingly funny if you've played a lot of golf.

"You Might Be A Hack" is a variant of the old Jeff Foxworthy line about "You Might Be A Redneck." But the collaborators at Juggo Golf take it one step further: It's "You MIGHT be a hack if ...." and then, "You ARE a hack if ..."

Here's a couple of examples:

"You might be a HACK if: You lose your driver on the course.
"You are a HACK if: You ask in the golf shop if anyone turned one in and when they ask you what kind, you don't know."

"You might be a HACK if: You pull out an X-Out golf ball on a par 3 over water.
"You are a Hack if: X-out golf balls are the only balls you have."

The authors are right on the mark with most of these two-liners. You certainly will recognize some of the people you've played with. Unfortunately, you may also recognize yourself.

After reading it, I've resolved to stop doing some of the things that I've done. The Golf Blogger does not want to be known as a hack. He's already known by his wife and kids as a geek. Another title would not be seemly.

I recommend this book as a good stocking stuffer for the golfer in your life. Order it now, and you can have it for Christmas. You can get it by clicking on the banner below:

By Roberta Isleib

I’ll get right to the point: I thought this book was a great read.

Even better: my non-golfing wife couldn’t put it down.

Putt to Death is the third in a series of novels about LPGA tour pro Cassie Burdette. Burdette is a bit like Jessica Fletcher in “Murder, She Wrote” – death follows her wherever she goes.

However, that’s where the comparisons end. Burdette is a complex character whose emotional baggage has driven her from the LPGA tour. She has a love-hate relationship with her father, an uncommitted PGA tour boyfriend, and is trying to connect with a new shrink.

Putt finds Burdette (temporarily?) out of the LPGA tour, working as the “Touring Pro” at a Connecticut Country Club. It seems like an ideal place to work on her game to return to the tour.

But the discovery of the body of a club member during a lady’s outing leads Burdette to mystery and danger.

I used to make my living as a ghost writer, and the complement I most liked to receive is that my writing was “clean.” I’ll pass this complement on to Ms. Isleib. Putt to Death is cleanly written, with no distracting stylistic flourishes. The story moves quickly from set up to resolution; you will be amazed at how quickly the time flies.

I’m going to look for more in the series.