Chasing Bogeys

Few golf books have emerged from the unlikely golfing haven of Duluth, Minnesota; in fact, A Beautiful Friendship: The Joy of Chasing Bogey Golf (Calyx Press Duluth, www.chasingbogey.net), by Phil Fitzpatrick ’67, may be the first. Fitzpatrick, an educator who began golfing “seriously” only in 2001, calls Duluth’s Lester Park Golf Course home. The book refreshingly mixes a commitment to golf mastery with a generous dose of whimsy; allusions range from Zen to the Rolling Stones, from Phil Mickelson to Bob Dylan.

The author (whose two favorite golf books are the Bible and the Tao Te Ching) suggests exercises like putting blindfolded, and titles one chapter, intriguingly enough, “The Most Important Split Second in Golf.” To Fitzpatrick, “bogey” means not only one over par, but Humphrey Bogart—gaining, with the capital B, overtones of “muscle and swagger.” The title echoes the final scene of Casablanca, and Fitzpatrick’s radically amateur approach suggests that most of us will do well to emulate Claude Rains and forge “a beautiful friendship” with the underappreciated bogey.

Click here for the May-June 2009 issue table of contents

You might also like

Centralizing University Discipline

Harvard establishes new disciplinary procedures for campus protest violations.

Five Questions with JoAnn Manson

A veteran women’s health advocate on federal funding cuts

Doctors for Change

Countway Library exhibit explores historic anti-nuclear activism

Most popular

Blanche Calloway, Cab’s Enterprising Older Sister

The success and struggles of a pioneering musician

Harvard Sues Over Funding Freeze

The University takes the Trump administration to federal court.

The New Gender Gaps

What to do as men and boys fall behind

Explore More From Current Issue

The Trump Administration's Impact on Higher Education

Unprecedented federal actions against research funding, diversity, speech, and more

89664

Jessica Shand—Math and Music at Harvard

Jessica Shand blends math and music.

89677

Paper Peepshows at Harvard's Baker Library

How “paper peepshows” brought distant realms to life

89684