What John Hanlon has attempted to do here is to extend the metaphor, to examine it in depth and apply it to both the mental and physical sides of golf, as well as the business and personal sides of our everyday lives. He is not a scratch golfer or a qualified golf teacher, merely a competent golfer who is a master of metaphor and strives to do his best in all areas of a multi-faceted life. The book is structured with the left hand page identifying a golf experience, and its facing pair commenting on the life lesson that can be drawn from that experience.
"I'm well aware some will consider my view of the world to be anachronistic, na?ve and idealistic and, I admit, in some ways I doggedly cling to what many regard as old-fashioned values. However, I make no apologies for this. I have little time for cynics or so-called realists who abandon tradition in the name of progress or decry idealism as weakness. Cynicism is a close relative of apathy in my view and a man without ideals is a man without a soul. If you don't know what I mean when I say this, this book is not for you."