Paul Sochaczewski - Distant Greens: Golf, Life and Surprising Serendipity On and Off the Fairways

Distant Greens is an intimate golfing tour that travels to all corners of the planet and brings us into the heart, mind and soul of the game that we all love.

R ICK L IPSEY , Sports Illustrated

Distant Greens reminds us why we play the game. These enthralling stories take us to some of the worlds strangest golf courses. They are more than travel stories; they are insightful, funny, and often touching human tales that provide new insights on why we play the game. Proves the adage that the quality of sports writing is inversely proportional to the size of the ball.

M ICAH W OODS , director, Asian Turfgrass Center

Travels to golf courses where they oughtnt be, visits with some of the most intriguing golfic characters the world over, and never strays far from the readers heart. A quirky, funny, layered, insightful, beautifully-written collection for golfers who ponder the meaning of this ever-fascinating, eternally-frustrating, always-satisfying game.

D ANIEL N AVID , president, International Golf and Life Foundation

An impressive volume that links reportage on golf around the world with insights on the personal aspects of the game. But what makes Distant Greens so important, and a must-read, is how Sochaczewski addresses the role of golf in environmental destruction and, surprisingly for some, how golf can be a force for conservation. He offers new directions that golfers, and golf course owners and managers, should heed, for the good of the game and for the good of nature.

J EFFREY M C N EELY , chief scientist, IUCN-International Union for Conservation of Nature

More than a golf travel book; more than a discourse on the spiritual nature of the game, this collection of insightful (and funny) essays and exceptional reportage explores new vistas about some of golfs most interesting people and places, and gets to the heart of the very reason so many of us love this game.

F RED S HOEMAKER , coach, author and founder of Extraordinary Golf

Distant Greens gets to the core of golfs eco-spiritual essence with a collection of charming, insightful and often amusing stories, anecdotes and commentary that traverse the globe yet reside happily in the realm of good heart.

S TEVE C OHEN , president, The Shivas Irons Society, which promotes community, discovery and transformation through golf

Paul brings insight, awareness, vision and clarity to the unconventional and unsung parts of this historic game. His writing informs and illuminates while drawing attention to the importance of environment to the integrity and future of golf. Indeed, this is big writing.

R ON F REAM , golf architect, has designed golf courses in 65 countries

Golf isnt a real sport, is it?

The worlds greatest golfer? Hint: He rolled a perfect game the first time he tried bowling
In Zimbabwe, as in New Jersey, all fathers live their dreams though their kids
Self-described Golf Nuts risk life, liberty and marital bliss
Asian caddies suggest I might make the shot in the afternoon of the next life

Japanese monk invokes Goddess of Holes-in-One
Theres always possibility
And it never hurts to listen to your mother
Rule abuse is rampant among amateurs, yet professionals exhibit saint-like ethics
Why do we take such delight in golfs screwups instead of the great moments of success?

The love affair for the ages continues on a golf course perched on the shoulder of a volcano
Seeking protection and the long ball on the golf trail in Bhutan
And its coming home to the Middle Kingdom
The Indian Army controls the worlds highest golf course, bringing a breathtaking set of challenges

Could golf in Iran help people love one another?
Nat spirits, hermit monks and a farm boy who plays off eight make Mount PopaGolf Course an other-worldly experience
A visionary zillionaire has built a diabolical, eco-feel-good, fuzzy-spiritualistic (and vegetarian) course
Playing golf near the rainforest which revolutionized the game
That boom you hear in Vietnam is an explosion of golf courses

Natural golf roams the range in Mongolia

Solving the conundrum
Yes, theyre out there, and theyre pretty terrific
What could golf course owners and tax authorities do?
Taking golf personally
Even though they might be unredeemable; 14 tips to self-serving salvation
The eco-spiritual-golf-trend ten years from now

Unworldly bounces

LADAKH, India
Can a Tibetan monk explain the way stations on the road to golfing nirvana? Can this wise man help me understand the capricious nature of the golfing gods? And does he guard the secret of the ultimate swing thought?

Photo: Paul Sochaczewski