Since his own boyhood growing up on the links in upstate New York, Bob Duval has lived the life of golf in all its incarnations--as student, mentor, teacher, playing professional, and, more recently, as proud parent of a star player on the PGA Tour. Whether telling a story about his son David playing with Tiger Woods or revealing the secret of hitting a long bunker shot, he has always shown a remarkable ability to find an emotional and highly personal resonance when communicating with other people. This book celebrates that ability with an inspirational collection of letters about golf and the joy and passions it arouses. In Letters to a Young Golfer, Duval writes to David, sharing not only his wisdom as a golfer and a father but also expressing his bond with David as a friend and fellow professional. Other letters address golfers of every age and ability who seek to improve their game, from Sunday amateurs to seasoned Tour professionals. With stories from his own career playing with and observing golfers both famous and unknown, Duval goes beyond the sport and explores what it means to live a fuller life. Finally, he writes to his deceased father and probes the spiritual mysteries of golf, this sometimes maddening, always exhilarating game that has been a healing force in his life. New in the Art of Mentoring Series From Letters to a Young Golfer:The first time I played in a Senior PGA Tour major championship, I cold-topped my first drive. The ball landed in a cactus plant, where it was unplayable, so I had to retrieve it. As I walked back to hit another drive, the starter raised his voice to the gallery: "Now at the first tee--for the second time--Bob Duval. "When I was teaching David to play golf, I used to tell him, "Your score is just a succession of numbers. Don't add them up until your round is done. " I say the same to you: Don't dwell on the past. Play the next shot.

Author Biography

Bob Duval joined the Senior PGA Tour in 1996, after nearly thirty years as a teacher and golf pro in Northern Florida. In 1999 he won the Emerald Coast Classic, his first win, on the same day that his son David won the Players Championship on the PGA Tour. He is a playing editor for Golf Digest magazine. He lives in Ponte Vedra, Florida.Carl Vigeland is the author of several books, including, with Wynton Marsalis, Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues of Life (see page 33). He has written about golf and many other subjects for such magazines as Golf Digest, Playboy, The Atlantic Monthly, Fast Company, and DoubleTake. He lives in Massachusetts.