Written in 1908 by a Canadian belletrist who fancied himself a golfer, this classic treatise explores man’s age-old love affair with golf – and pronounces it incurable. Just as a careful player sizes up a putt from all possible angles, so does Haultain examine this curious game, from the physiology of the perfect swing, to the psychology of a sport in which the opponent is oneself, to the peculiar brand of spirituality that leads people around eighteen holes with the promise of nothing more than “almost.” THE MYSTERY OF GOLF may not help shave strokes off your game, but its delightful meditations on why we care so much make for “pure, evergreen entertainment”