Phil Callaway - Under Par: Celebrating Lifes Great Moments On and Off the Golf Course

Table of Contents

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

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Cover design by Bryce Williamson

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Interior design by Rockwell Davis

Under Par

Previously published as Golfing with the Master , with extensive revisions and new material

Copyright 2020 by Phil Callaway

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97408

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-7922-1 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-7923-8 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

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Phil Callaway has a set of Callaway clubs but no endorsement deal. He plays golf with his grown sons but still pays for the rounds. Phil hosts the daily radio program Laugh Again , heard on 400 radio stations (check it out at laughagain.us). He speaks at golf tournaments and for corporations, conferences, and churches. Phils other books include Laugh Like a Kid Again , Tricks My Dog Taught Me (About Life, Love, and God) , To Be Perfectly Honest , Family Squeeze , and Laughing Matters . Hed love to hear from you. To contact him, check out his books, CDs, and DVDs, or find out more about Phils ministry, visit www.philcallaway.com.

This book will enrich your outlook on golf and life. Its filled with great homespun golf humor and enough personal experiences to keep you smiling for a week. Most importantly, it will help all golfers develop a stronger personal relationship with Jesus on and off the course.

Wally Armstrong, PGA Tour player, teacher, and author of The Heart of a Golfer

This book is a kick in the pants! Phil Callaway transitions seamlessly from the golf course to everyday life. One minute he gets me carefully considering my faith, and the next minute hes got me laughing out loud! I highly recommend this book.

Casey Martin, pro golfer and mens golf coach, University of Oregon

Playing golf with Phil Callaway is almost as much fun as reading this book. I laughed. I almost cried. I even forgot about my score. And when I least expected it, I learned something. If youre anything like me, youll want to keep several copies of this book in your golf bag for inspiration. Or to give out to people when you forget to yell Fore!

Ken Davis, bestselling author and speaker

Ive golfed with Phil, and he needs money for lessons. So buy armloads of this book. Give them out to friends and complete strangers. Amid the laughter theyll discover timeless principles that will change their game and their lives.

Mike Yorkey, coauthor of the Every Man series

Making sense of my golf game is like trying to understand the purpose of pain. Golf can be enraging, humiliating, and exhilarating all at once. I make just enough good shots to keep me coming back for more. I hoped this book would help me make sense of my golf game, but it healed something far deeper. Plain and simplePhilosopher Phils insights on the emotional and spiritual sides of life make sense. This is a must-read for anyone trying to grasp the meaning of life as seen through the game of golf.

Joel Freeman, motivational guru, author, and former NBA chaplain of the Washington Bullets

The majority of my life Ive been a competitive person learning life lessons from the game of hockey. Phil Callaway has shown me how the game of golf (another favorite of mine) demonstrates patience, perseverance, and integrityall characteristics God desires in our life. This book is an entertaining read that will have you laughing out loud (except for his comments on hockey in chapter 25!) while challenging you with the things that matter most.

Shane Doan, former captain, Phoenix Coyotes

Even if you think playing golf is a bit less fun than mall-walking, youre about to gain a new appreciation of the sport. Funny things happen to Phil when he plays golf, and he has a great time telling of his adventures and misadventureswhether playing on a homemade course or an actual course with flagsticks and everything. But beyond the humor and the tongue-in-cheek insistence that golf is the greatest sport on earth (has Phil never played basketball?), Callaway intersperses his lightheartedness with a healthy helping of biblical truth and godly wisdom. Each story points the reader toward a life of Christlikeness and faithsomething every duffer who ever drowned a golf ball needs to accomplish.

Dave Branon, Sports Spectrum, and writer for Our Daily Bread

Phils golf stories will touch the heart of every golfer, but his spiritual message is the best of all.

Bearcat Murray, former trainer, Calgary Flames

Phil Callaway finds ways to push life lessons through a tunnel of laughter. My funny bone gets tickled even while Im focused on the game Mark Twain suggested was little more than a good walk ruined.

Ryan Walter, sports broadcaster, Stanley Cup champion

S ome moments you never forget. The birth of a child. The death of a dog. The yes from a woman who will love you for life. I have experienced all three. When my son Stephen was ten, we shared another unforgettable moment. For the first time ever he saw his dad stroll into the clubhouse under par.

My clubs were batons in the hands of a great maestro that day. The greens threw out welcome mats. The fairways yawned widely. Ballsonce waywardfunneled toward the hole and leaped into the cup like reunited lovers. I could do no wrong.