The Birth of a Book

How humbling this glorious game can be. Just as you turn one corner thinking you have it all figured out and you are hitting the ball crisp and clean, the tide turns and it is a wonder to many that you have ever played the game before.

It was the 9th hole at De La Viega in Santa Cruz, CA in August of 1975 and I was poised to win another hole in the club singles match-play tournament when everything went south. I was 7 up as we approached the turn brimming with confidence. We were standing on the tee as I looked out over the mass of green about to hit my shot and suddenly my mind was on everything but golf and in the downswing I could feel the disconnect and, sure enough, I snap hooked the shot into the trees and out of bounds. In an instant, my confidence was gone. I hit a provisional and popped it straight up and out about 125 yards. The backside was going to be quite interesting.

On the 18th tee we were all tied up and even though I hit a decent shot, my competitor was the one with the confidence and he stuffed a nine-iron about 8 feet below the cup.

7 up with 10 holes to go and I was now going home

That was not going to happen again. I had to find a way to stay in the moment and not lose focus during the round.

Pocket Pro evolved out of this. It became my guide, my "center," my map for playing the course. My thinking now comes before and in between each golf round - while playing, I stay the course.

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