My Life in and out of the Rough by John Daly

I must start off by saying I was raised on golf. Some of my earliest and fondest memories are of going out to the local course with my Dad on Saturdays and Sundays, not to mention all the afternoons at driving ranges, learning about the game (and life as well). Just thinking about tagging along with my Dad, toting my cut-down 7 iron, brings a smile to my face as I write this. I have never been able to break 80 (nowadays if hit in the low 90’s I feel good about my game), but that never bothered my father in the slightest, even though he was what I consider a true golfer (he had a respect, knowledge, and passion for the game that you don’t often see - plus he could play), he ultimately knew it was just a game. When he passed away, I inherited a nice little collection of golf books which I dip into from time to time - for what it’s worth; this is not one of those books...

Love him or hate him, if you are a golfer, you know him. Chances are, even if you are not a golfer, you know of him - a hard drinking, long driving, self described redneck, John Daly is to the golf world what... ah crap, I’ve got no comparisons here - John Daly is like no other figure in the sport that I can think of, and his autobiography, My Life in and out of the Rough: The Truth Behind All That Bull**** You Think You Know About Me, is a sports memoir of a different sorts - a professional athlete taking an actual honest-to-god honest look at his life, both in and out of the sport. I found the candor here to make for a truly unique reading experience... not only do you get the birdies and bogeys talk of a typical golf memoir, you get a truthful and frank glimpse behind the off course life of Daly.

In My Life in and out of the Rough, Daly delves into many of the stories that made headlines throughout his career, from winning the 1991 PGA Championship to his off course escapades. He holds nothing back as he talks about his drinking, weight problems, legal issues, multiple marriages, and gambling (among other topics)... in some ways this book can be considered a case study in excess and compulsive behavior (and it actually raises, maybe unintentionally, some good points on the makeup of bad behavior and poor decision making - let’s be honest, just because you drink too much it doesn’t mean you are an alcoholic).

For casual golf fans, I’d say this is a fun and fascinating look into one of the sport’s true characters. Coming clearly through all the off-course talk is Daly’s love of golf. It is written in a highly readable conversational style, often taking advantage of vernacular you don’t hear too often off of a golf course. On a rainy afternoon when you can’t make it out to the club for a round, it will entertain you - and an afternoon is all you will need to get through this book (even for this slow and easily distracted reader). It gives nice little insights into the sport (yeah, Tiger shows up a couple of times) and will most likely leave you rooting for a JD comeback. If you like John Daly, you’ll enjoy this book. If you don’t like John, chances are you won’t. I like John Daly.