Peter Jacobsen has a well-deserved reputation as one of the clown princes of the PGA Tour. He understands that golf is a game, after all, and should be played for fun. He’s not so focused on humor that he forgets he’s making a living at golf, but at least he’s not mistaken for a traffic cop or funeral director while he’s out on the course.

Jacobsen’s book ambles along in recounting bits and pieces of  his now two-decade career on the Tour. The golf stories range from funny to laugh-out-loud funny. The comic timing he shows during his stints as a TV commentator or after his PGA rounds is also apparent in this book. The stories are not just about him, either. He’s just as good describing Lee Trevino or Paul Azinger as he is when telling a joke on himself.

He also has a heartfelt appreciation for his family. The serious side of this player comes forth when he tells the readers about his brother Paul’s struggles in life, and his eventual death from AIDS. Some may quibble over his choice to add this segment to a book intended for mostly light-hearted entertainment, but obviously Jacobsen wanted to say something publicly about his brother, and used this opportunity to do so. It adds to the value of the book, not least of which because it brings home the importance of family for people whose careers are nomadic at best.

You won’t reduce your handicap by reading this book. On the other hand, you will appreciate the good-natured stories about a sport so many love.

Review Date April 26, 1998

Hole By Hole's
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Buried Lies: True Tales and Tall Stories from the PGA Tour

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