Books

Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2011 What a Character - math and physics whiz; card counter; humanitarian whose heart and talents are best served re-constructuring burned and disfigured kids of the third world; only to end up as a card carrying PGA'er on a rutted course whose best quality fairway would put to shame the roughest rough stateside; with some of the most questionable military characters; who answers his own phone - you figure? I went in search for a good qualified, honest, and talented surgeon as rare in Cambodia as a snow-free winter on top of Grandfather Mountain (NC). A couple of expats referred me to Dr. Reid (Sheftall) and his American Medical Center (AMC) across from the French Embassy. Dr. Reid was a puzzle waiting to be solved. Why would so talented an individual be living and working in of all places Cambodia? In the waiting room I picked up a copy of Striking It Rich; left with a copy (half of profit goes to Operation Kids) and could not put it down until I finished in the wee-hours of the next morning. You won't either. I found a new definition for "rich." And I had no interest in golf at all...until now February 26, 2010 This was a very interesting book about a doctor who decides to take up golf after not playing more than ten rounds since high school. He is 47 when he decides to play again. A few months later he is discovered chipping balls by Paul azinger and Mark McCumber in Florida. They tell him he is very good and with some practice, he could maybe do well on the pro tour. The author has had an interesting life as he was a physics graduate of MIT and a card counter in Blackjack and he was living in Cambodia and working as a plastic surgeon. He tried to continue his golf while still working as a surgeon and after going to monday qualifying he tries for Q school. I don't want to spoil it for you but suffice it to say it is full of interesting stories about Cambodia Thailand and Malaysia (where Q school was held). The golf tips are so helpful- so "pure" that they can be applied to life on or off the course. I think the tips found in this book are more valuable to your game than 10 books written by David Ledbetter. That's because he communicates how to succeed on the course in ways that have nothing to do with your swing yet the advice has absolutely zero new wave guru aspect to it. It is very practical just like you would expect from a pro who has to score well enough to make a living at it. No stupid "golf in the kingdom" crap here, thank you very much!. It was like the show "Playing Lessons with the Pros" on the Golf Channel but I read many many things I have never heard before. I think its because he was very smart about the way he plays golf and he learned alot of it from the other stuff he had done in his life like count cards and study physics. Also the fact that he had not played much golf for a long time and didn't practice much (working as a doctor) that he had to use his brain to shoot good scores. His interesating way of looking at things came through again and again. I think it was the most fascinating "golf" book I have ever read. I use quotes because it is really a book about surgery, Southeast asia, acid attacks, disfigured children who need help, but most of all its about you and me and everyone else in the world, and many other things but most of all how we all are part of humanity, some unfortunate, some beautiful, some brilliant, some average but all of us just people.

Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2007 I loved this book. More than a golf story, there is a surprise around every corner. There are so many take home lessons in this book about golf that apply equally well to life and about life that apply equally well to golf. "You can do yourself just as much harm by being overly conservative", the doctor tells us "as you can by taking foolish risks." How true. The thing that struck me most was the reality of the story. It wasn't just about golf but that was the main part. It was an unpredictable mixture, just like life. Discovery, tragedy, accomplishment, making a plan and executing it to reach a goal, moments of genius and naivete. How this guy used his mind was amazing. I was familiar with the story of the experiment with the larger hole to put more emphasis on the long game and then this doctor explains how it was the opposite of what they needed to do. I never heard that before but he`s right. Its so obvious after he explained it. The other books that told the story missed it. Then he found the flaw in the handicap formula. Its amazing that the golf world never noticed these things before and then this guy comes up with it. I'm glad he put the picture section in the middle. I enjoyed looking at the condition of the courses in Cambodia. I always wondered about what it would be like in a 3rd world country living among the poverty. My favorite parts were the part about playing with the generals in Cambodia and the parts about Q school at the end and the story about the little girl who was able to walk after surgery and about the burned prostitute. It was a very quick read and never got bogged down because it was so unpredictable. I recommend it to golfers and non-golfers because it is a study of how a gifted person goes about actually achieving something that most of us only could dream about in our fantasies.

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2008 I first noticed this book while looking for something new to read about Cambodia which is the birthplace of my adopted daughter. Being the father of an avid junior golfer myself, I figured this book would be a great change of pace from the usual geopolitical issues which plague this poor nation. The fact that the photographer who took the cover photo was a college friend of my wife's and that Dr. Sheftall practices both golf and medicine at the hotel where my only Cambodian friend is employed as a bellman made the book irresistible. I was not disappointed. This book is about golf and much more. It is about a man who has made the most of his talents both on and off the course. It is about taking a healthy attitude toward golf and life, about being part of something bigger than yourself and recognizing both the obligation and reward of giving back to others. Perhaps most importantly, Dr. Sheftall shows that it is possible to have a heck of a good time along the way and this is how you'll feel as you read this book. Sure, both life and golf can be really bad at times, but if you, like this truly gifted man, really want to be a player in both, you can have a grand time. So pick up this book and have a better time than you probably will out on the golf course. The author is one of the good guys in the world and I hope he takes the time to write a sequel. With or without golf, this is one fascinating life.

Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2011 Verified Purchase I heard about Reid's story on a golf forum I use. My first reaction was, "No way, that cannot be true!". I was intrigued enough to hunt down and buy a copy (not easy in the UK) and was blown away by how interesting Reid's life has been and by how many lessons are there to be learned in his book, not just concerning golf but also life in general. I corresponded with Reid and found him to be humble, honest and intelligent with great love for his twin passions, golf and medicine. You won't regret purchasing this book and you will return to it after reading. I think it would make a great movie and hopefully we'll see that happen over the next few years, I know Reid is working on an even better fairy tale ending!!! It is not just for the golf fan as there are many thrills and stories in this book which will keep you turning pages to find out what happens next. I highly recommend this book!

Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2011 Verified Purchase I am first off, a golf fanatic. I hope to have a story one day like Dr. Sheftall where golf hasn't been a part of my life and all of a sudden I am a touring pro. The Doc is very passionate about everything that he is involved in and it will show as you read. He is a very dedicated person with a good soul. I exclaimed out loud in anger or in happiness when I would read about a missed putt or a birdie under pressure. I felt very attached and connected to the story. As the title says, I really don't like to read at all. I'm more of a magazine or video kind of guy. I also would like to say that I work 70 hours a week and would not spend my free time reading. It took me less than two days to finish this book and I am actually reading it again as the book really motivates me to become a professional golfer.

Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2007 First, in full disclosure, I went to MIT with the author. We were fraternity brothers and fellow physics majors. Unlike Reid, my natural athletic talents were much more modest. I recall watching Reid hit a tennis ball in college and think what the hell happened to my DNA. His movement was so natural and intuitive. I did not even know he played golf until he showed up at a pre-wedding golf outing years later. He tells the story in the book of how he pulled an all-nighter in surgery, drove from Ohio to Connecticut to get there right as we were teeing off, borrowed clubs, played barefoot and shot in the mid 70's. What he left out is that he was wearing tight black jeans on one of the hottest days that summer when we were all in shorts. Yet for him it was effortless. He was somehow just born to swing a golf club. He talks a lot in the book about the importance of the short game. I vividly remember on that golf outing he hit a ball that ended up resting between the fork in the roots of a large tree fifty or so yards from the green. There was no shot unless one had left handed clubs. He hit the ball with the back of his club to within a few feet of the hole for a birdie. I remember this hole so clearly because it was the day I gave up any serious idea that I would ever be a golfer. Thank you Reid for saving me and my family thousands of hours of wasted effort. I decided to be a mediocre tennis player instead. With that disclaimer in mind, let me tell you why I think you non-golfers like me should read this book. Well obviously there is the simple fact that every book about golf is really a book about life and how to live it. This book is no exception to that rule, yet instead of getting a life lesson from some famous super pro like Tiger Woods with whom you probably have almost nothing in common, this book is about someone always on the edge of qualifying for greatness. It is about maximizing your talent to hang on and improve day by day in the hopes of getting a glimpse of greatness, of running with the big dogs even if in the back of the pack. It is about juggling your dreams with your professional career. It is also about learning to relax and enjoy every swing of the club and every rough and hazard and hole. In many ways, the book is also about our world and our need to fit into it no matter how confusing and at times scary it might be. The stories about being a surgeon in Southeast Asia removing acid burned skin in a shower stall and performing delicate surgeries in urine smelling shacks were very powerful. It was also a much needed jolt for someone living in an affluent suburb to be reminded of the importance of giving and helping those in true need. The photos and stories of severely disfigured children whose lives were turned around by the skills of our clever surgeon were far more important to me as inspiration than the golf advice I will never really use. Lastly, I was brought back time and again to my college days whenever Reid found another amazing but elusive beauty among all of the poverty of Asia. Somehow, he was also able to do this at MIT. He would frequently show up with some young startlingly beautiful girl on his arm (for an MIT student without a medical degree this is harder than you might imagine). To sum it all up, I guess what I got out of this book is not just to pretend you are keeping your dream alive by continuing to dream it, but to actually go after it with some degree of thoughtfulness. Figure out why you are not the best by studying those that are and then use that information to get as close to greatness as you dare. It's a great read. Enjoy

Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2007 Verified Purchase Or Doctor Tom Dooley for the 21st Century! Give this book to your teenage son or daughter to read. It may inspire them to broaden their global perspective while preparing them for the pleasures and responsibilities of adulthood. Along the way they'll feel the sweat dripping off the doctor's chin as he sizes up a four iron, attempts something romantic or applies his surgical skills on the truly needy. If they are scientifically inclined Doctor Sheftall will amuse them with card counting systems or the mathematical intricacies of golf handicapping. Those less studious will probably skip ahead to the amusing and informative vignettes that concern his youth, golf and golfers, advanced bachelorhood, doctoring, Southeast Asia and its denizens among others. We can all look forward to reading of the doctor's continuing adventures and accomplishments as he navigates the Senior Tour. One almost wishes he doesn't get married and settle down. Wonderful book!