Breaking Eighty: A Journey Through the Nine Fairways of Hell

Like many weekend duffers who don't play enough golf to significantly improve--just enough to evoke frustratration--Lee Eisenberg wanted to better his game. So he set himself a seemingly modest goal: to shoot one round of 79 or less. He spent 18 months practicing like a man possessed, reading books, watching instructional videos, and taking lessons from professionals. The result: He learned more about his temperament than about how to stay in the fairway. Not that he didn't try; until he became convinced of the futility of his efforts, Eisenberg spent nearly every waking moment consumed with conquering this myth of golfing prowess, agonizing over his scorecards, developing quarter-sized calluses, and stewing over what could have been. Rather than snap each cursed shaft over his knee and quit the game in a blaze of obscenities, Eisenberg did the only sensible thing: he gave in and embraced mediocrity. His account of this transformation, Breaking Eighty: A Journey through the Nine Fairways of Hell, is ultimately about finding pleasure in the game and proudly embracing the role of "The Hacker."