My Usual Game chronicles David  Owen's funny and enlightening quest to come to  terms with a game that has frustrated and fascinated  him ever since he was a child. Follow Owen as he  rescues his swing at golf school, spends a week  with the inventor of the modern golf club, nearly  wins a three-day Pro-Am at a tournament on the PGA  Tour, travels with three golf-crazed friends to  tacky Myrtle Beach, follows Fred Couples and Paul  Azinger at the Ryder Cup, and discovers what may be  the darkest secret of the golf swing: The difference  between a slice and a draw is a certain number of  beers. My Usual  Game is a hilarious and wonderfully literate  tour through the sometimes peculiar culture of this  very popular sport. Golfers of all ages will  discover My Usual Game for many years  to come. It is destined to become a classic of  golf literature. The title sets the tone for David Owen's delightful romp through golf's mysteries, marvels, and malevolences: "Just once," goes the traditional Scottish lament, "I wish I would play my usual game." Owen, who turned away from golf as a kid because Richard Nixon played it and Jerry Garcia didn't, sets out anew to find his game in all the usual--and not so usual--places: he searches for a swing at golf school; pursues golf's enigmas in Scotland; explores the secrets of club design at the Ping factory; follows Freddie Couples at the Ryder Cup; and, once he gets his handicap down to a respectable single digit, sets out to tear up some of the best courses in the land. This is a wonderful odyssey into a maddening game, and Owen covers his course with sharp insight, prose as smooth as Augusta's greens, and wit as inviting as the bottom of the cup. But don't let his sense of humor lull you; Owen is serious about his quest to come to terms with this game. His ability to accept "the difference between a slice and a draw is a certain number of beers" is--no kidding--sober testament to that. No hacker on the planet would disagree. --Jeff Silverman "Owen's droll  asides are as memorable as a chip-in  birdie."-- People "Mr. Owen's style might be best described as part  John Updike and part Johnny  Miller."-- Newsweek My Usual Game chronicles David Owen's funny and enlightening quest to come to terms with a game that has frustrated and fascinated him ever since he was a child. Follow Owen as he rescues his swing at golf school, spends a week with the inventor of the modern golf club, nearly wins a three-day Pro-Am at a tournament on the PGA Tour, travels with three golf-crazed friends to tacky Myrtle Beach, follows Fred Couples and Paul Azinger at the Ryder Cup, and discovers what may be the darkest secret of the golf swing: The difference between a slice and a draw is a certain number of beers. My Usual Game is a hilarious and wonderfully literate tour through the sometimes peculiar culture of this very popular sport. Golfers of all ages will discover My Usual Game for many years to come. It is destined to become a classic of golf literature. "Owen's droll asides are as memorable as a chip-in birdie."-- People "Mr. Owen's style might be best described as part John Updike and part Johnny Miller."-- Newsweek al Game chronicles David Owen's funny and enlightening quest to come to terms with a game that has frustrated and fascinated him ever since he was a child. Follow Owen as he rescues his swing at golf school, spends a week with the inventor of the modern golf club, nearly wins a three-day Pro-Am at a tournament on the PGA Tour, travels with three golf-crazed friends to tacky Myrtle Beach, follows Fred Couples and Paul Azinger at the Ryder Cup, and discovers what may be the darkest secret of the golf swing: The difference between a slice and a draw is a certain number of beers. My Usual Game is a hilarious and wonderfully literate tour through the sometimes peculiar culture of this very popular sport. Golfers of all ages will discover My Usual Game for many years to come. I "My Usual Game chronicles David Owen's funny and enlightening quest to come to terms with a game that has frustrated and fascinated him ever since he was a child. Follow Owen as he rescues his swing at golf school, spends a week with the inventor of the modern golf club, nearly wins a three-day Pro-Am at a tournament on the PGA Tour, travels with three golf-crazed friends to tacky Myrtle Beach, follows Fred Couples and Paul Azinger at the Ryder Cup, and discovers what may be the darkest secret of the golf swing: The difference between a slice and a draw is a certain number of beers. "My Usual Game is a hilarious and wonderfully literate tour through the sometimes peculiar culture of this very popular sport. Golfers of all ages will discover "My Usual Game for many years to come. It is destined to become a classic of golf literature. David Owen  is a staff writer for  The New Yorker  and the author of 14 books. He lives in northwest Connecticut with his wife, the writer Ann Hodgman.