John Steinbreder - Golf Rules & Etiquette for Dummies

There are, I have found, remarkable similarities between two things that occupy a great deal of my time these days golf and writing. Both are often solitary pursuits, and it is almost impossible to be any good at them without lots of help. Caddies, for example, make sure their players survive all the ups and downs a round frequently brings. And friends, agents, editors, and sources assist writers in getting their work done well and on schedule, and in keeping their sanity throughout the process. So it is not surprising that in writing a book about golf, I found that I needed and received lots of help. And it is easy for me to say without the slightest bit of hyperbole that I could not have completed this opus without it.

It was Mark Reiter of the International Management Group and Stacy Collins of Wiley who brought me into this project and helped see it through. Mark is a terrific agent who is always looking for ways to make me more solvent, and I appreciate his efforts. As for Stacy, she represents everything a writer wants in a publisher, and I am grateful for her friendship, enthusiasm, hard work, and choice of restaurants in Chicago. I also admire the deft way with which she cracks the whip; I guess all writers need to get roughed up on occasion.

In addition, I am thankful for the fine editing skills and saintly patience of my editor, Elizabeth Kuball, as well as the aid of Stacy Klein and Tracy Boggier of Wiley. Then, of course, there is Jack Druga, a PGA professional who served as Technical Editor. Jack is not only a keen student of the game and a valuable source but also a good friend and a topflight player and teacher. He selflessly completed his work in the midst of some terribly trying personal times.

I spoke with dozens of sources during the writing of this book, and there are several I am deeply indebted to, including Mark McCormack, who is always available to help out; Alastair Johnston, another valuable and accessible contact; Jack Nicklaus, the paragon of the gentleman golfer; Jeff Hall and the people at the United States Golf Association for all their assistance and counsel; Hootie Johnson and Glenn Greenspan from Augusta National; Willie Nelson for his time and, of course, his music; Larry Lambrecht for his photographs; Herky Williams, Rich Katz, Vinnie Giles, Scott Tolley, Terry McSweeney, Leslie King, and Chris Millard for running interference; Tom Graham for his friendship, insight, and sportsmanship; Brian Hewitt, who provided good information from the tours he covers so well; Bob Ford, who never fails to return a phone call; Mike Downey, for all he taught me over the years; Joe Cantwell, for his words of wisdom; Millie Foote, for never sugarcoating it; and Ken Baron, for his articles on business golf. I would also like to thank Sean McManus, Jim Baugh, Billy Casper, and Ty Votaw for their endorsements; Jeff Bernstein, for his sharp pencil; Renee for her phone calls and friendship (even though she did walk away); and those roguish men of goat, Duncan Christy, Tim Harper, and John McLaughlin, for their incomparable inspiration.

Over the past 20 years, I have been fortunate to make a nice living as a writer, and I am especially pleased that golf has become the primary focus of my work. It is a great sport, and I am very fond of the friendships and business associations I have made through the game. Among the relationships I value most dearly are those I have established with the folks who run Golfweek. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Dave Seanor, Jim Nugent, Dale Gardner, Gene Yasuda, Jeff Babineau, Alayna Gaines, and Bradley Klein for all they do to make my job there fun and stimulating. I must also acknowledge those who print and pay for my work elsewhere, especially Il Duce at