Book Review: Two Good Rounds -- Titans, Leaders in Industry & Golf

Each week GolfDigest.com will highlight a golf book that it finds of interest to readers. This week is:*

*Two Good Rounds: Titans, Leaders in Industry & Golf__

__[#image: /photos/55ad7bb0add713143b42bb1e]|||2-good-rounds-350.jpg|||

by Elisa Gaudet, Skyhorse Publishing, $19.95, hardback, 222 pages__

__This is Book 3 in Gaudet's Two Good Rounds lifestyle brand, which began with No. 1 in 2011 ("19th Hole Stories from the World's Greatest Golfers") and continued with No. 2 in 2013 ("Superstars: Golf Stories from the World's Greatest Athletes"). The books have been similar in structure: A few photos of the subject accompanying their responses to topics such as favorite 19th holes, drinks, course and swing tip, along with other specific golf details for each person. So the series has progressed from golfers only to other athletes to business people, which is why the third book has the most substance. That's important because it should be noted that the books aren't written but are collections of answers, as if you're reading a reporter's notes from responses given to questions in an interview.

Since you're not likely to get much in-depth knowledge from most athletes (sorry, the truth may hurt), I like this book best of the three, and it happens to be the most recent. The first two books felt more like a chance to name-drop the subjects. In Titans, more than 30 global business leaders -- many likely to be obscure to the average reader but some better known, such as Donald Trump, Herb Kohler, Mike Keiser and Peter Ueberroth -- talk about the unique connection golf and the business world have. It's still done in a breezy, quick-hit style as with the first two books, but one can hope to learn quite a lot from successful business people and what worked for them in life and the business world. Most of all they describe how what golf teaches -- honesty, integrity, patience -- can be used directly in other aspects of life.

I particularly enjoyed: Part 2 of the book, in which the business ventures of a handful of professional golfers are spelled out, beginning with Arnold Palmer's long business presence. Others in this section are Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tiger Woods, Annika Sorenstam, Ernie Els, Greg Norman and Ben Crenshaw.