The Playing Lesson

PRAISE FOR OTHER BOOKS BY MICHAEL BAMBERGER  The Ball in the Air  “The pleasure of The Ball in the Air is like that of an ordinary golf round… . Mr. Bamberger’s abiding love is for golf as it is experienced by everyday people.” —John Paul Newport, Wall Street Journal “I’ve devoured most everything from award-winning golf writer Michael Bamberger, including his previous seven books, and his latest offering may be his finest yet. The Ball in the Air is an engrossing ode to the game of golf… . A true feast for any golf lover.” —Les Schupak, The Met Golfer  The Second Life of Tiger Woods  “Reading The Second Life of Tiger Woods is like playing a great golf course without prior knowledge of the holes that lie ahead. You know they’re going to be good, and in the end, they add up to something special. To the extent that it’s possible to know what’s in Tiger’s mind, Bamberger delivers… . A terrific book.” —Gary D’Amato, Wisconsin Golf “This may be the most insightful and evenhanded book written yet about one of the signature athletes of the last twenty-five years.” —Booklist (starred review) * Men in Green “Maybe the best golf book I’ve ever read.” —Bill Reynolds, Providence Journal “I wish Men in Green were about four hundred pages longer than it is.” —Jeffrey Toobin, New York Times Book Review The Swinger “An entertaining, revealing, thought-provoking, and cautionary tale … It provides invaluable insight into the life and times of Woods.” —Bill Pennington, The New York Times To The Linksland “One of the best golf travel books ever written … The book reminds us that the game of golf has many treasures yet to be discovered.” —Michael Murphy, author of Golf in the Kingdom This Golfing Life * “The ultimate insider’s view [from] one of the modern game’s brightest observers and finest writers.” —Geoff Shackelford, Golf Observer

Michael Bamberger was born in Patchogue, New York, in 1960. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982, he worked as a newspaper reporter, first for the (Martha’s) Vineyard Gazette, later for The Philadelphia Inquirer. After twenty-two years at Sports Illustrated, he is now a senior writer at Golf.com. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Christine.