The Downhill Lie

A Hacker's Return to a Ruinous Sport

By: Carl Hiaasen

Narrated by: Carl Hiaasen

Originally drawn to the game by his father, Carl Hiaasen wisely quit golfing in 1973. But some ambitions refuse to die, and as the years–and memories of shanked 7-irons faded, it dawned on Carl that there might be one thing in life he could do better in middle age than he could as a youth. So gradually he ventured back to the dreaded driving range, this time as the father of a five-year-old son–and also as a grandfather.

“What possesses a man to return in midlife to a game at which he’d never excelled in his prime, and which in fact had dealt him mostly failure, angst and exasperation? Here’s why I did it: I’m one sick bastard.” And thus we have Carl’s foray into a world of baffling titanium technology, high-priced golf gurus, bizarre infomercial gimmicks and the mind-bending phenomenon of Tiger Woods; a maddening universe of hooks and slices where Carl ultimately–and foolishly–agrees to compete in a country-club tournament against players who can actually hit the ball. “That’s the secret of the sport’s infernal seduction,” he writes. “It surrenders just enough good shots to let you talk yourself out of quitting.”

Hiaasen’s chronicle of his shaky return to this bedeviling pastime and the ensuing demolition of his self-esteem–culminating with the savage 45-hole tournament–will have you rolling with laughter. Yet the bittersweet memories of playing with his own father and the glow he feels when watching his own young son belt the ball down the fairway will also touch your heart. Forget Tiger, Phil and Ernie. If you want to understand the true lure of golf, turn to Carl Hiaasen, who offers an extraordinary audiobook for the ordinary hacker.©2008 Carl Hiaasen; (P)2008 Random House, Inc.

One Man’s Hilarious Journey With Golf!

As a Carl Hiaasen fan, and a retread golfer, I enjoyed the stories of his pursuit of golf.

Filled with his patented dry wit and self deprecation, he chronicled his journey, which definitely describes golfers at many levels - their superstitions, pursuit of the “next BIG thing” to help their game, etc.

I saw myself and friends in his story. It’s a great read for anyone who #livesoverpar.

A Downhill Lie, not your usual Hiaasen

What did you like best about The Downhill Lie? What did you like least?

The book was entertaining, and the reading passably good. However, I rather expected the strange and tangential humor of the typical Hiaasen book, and it simply was not present. A good read for a golfer, but not for the mystery buff.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Rhys Bowen

What does Carl Hiaasen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

an insider's view of golf

Did The Downhill Lie inspire you to do anything?

not really

Good but not my best read

I love Hiaasen & his stories. However I think someone with some knowledge about golf would get a lot more enjoyment from this than I did. I know next to nothing about the sport. Walking around or, if you’re lucky, driving around a huge area that could have alligators and poisonous snakes and chasing a small round ball seems masocistic.

Hacker Humor

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

My father told me about this book because, like the story it tells, I am a middle aged guy coming back to golf after years away. I had read a novel by Carl Hiaasen before, a light but fun story, and thought this might be fun too. At times it is; Hiaasen is a reasonably good writer and tries to use humor throughout. Parts of the book are quite funny. The only problem is that almost all of the humor is self deprecating, so a lot of moderately funny jokes tend to add up to an overall downer. Anyone who gets to play that much golf on that many nice courses should find a little bit more to be happy about.

funny!

the sarcasm and wit were delightful. what a story teller Carl is. I thoroughly enjoyed it.