Touring Prose: Writings on Golf

C. Stephen Gray is the director of information services at the Institute
of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.

Lorne Rubenstein enjoys a reputation for being Canada’s best (and
best-known) writer on the subject of golf. Although that reputation is
based partly on articles he has contributed to major publications such
as Esquire, Golf Monthly, and Golf Digest, Rubenstein’s writings are
most widely known to readers through his regular column. This
representative collection of those columns proves that Rubenstein’s
reputation is well-deserved.

The columns span the years 1979 through 1992, and cover most aspects of
the game, from course design and the history of the sport to the legends
and big-name stars most people associate with golf today. Rubenstein
writes knowledgeably and lucidly about the technical aspects of the
game—from finding the right clubs and “that special putter” to
choosing the ball that works best in various wind and weather
con-ditions—as well as about the professional achievements of its
practitioners. Rubenstein refers often to his late mentor and friend
George Knudson, a Canadian professional still considered by many experts
to have been one of the world’s best “strikers” of a golf ball.

While he clearly takes his golf very seriously, Rubenstein reminds his
readers on every page that, whatever else it is—ancient pastime,
fanatic modern cult, profitable business, big-league sport, or ineffable
mystery—golf is, above all, a game to be played and enjoyed.