Greetings new golfer! Welcome to the most frustrating, infuriating, intimidating yet greatest of sports. Beware that, in taking up golf, your self-esteem is about to suffer irreparable damage. You have, no doubt, remarked, in scanning the myriad of available golf books, that the authors, all blessed with olympian reflexes and hand-eye coordination, first took up the sport before the age of ten. Insightfully, you have probably also concluded that there may be a communication gap between these venerated masters of the game and your own tired, ripened and athletically-challenged physique. Happily, you have just found the holy grail of golf wisdom for beginners. This book is about taking up golf - from a beginner's perspective. Like yourself, the author is a mere mediocre mortal who took up the game in his mature middle years and whose only previous athletic renown was winning a hula hoop contest in a church basement. There are two things to learn about golf - how to hit a ball and understanding the game. The former is best learned, not from a book, but on a range from a teaching pro. You must also learn about the game's culture, customs and conventions, which is what this book is all about.