‘Slices: Observations from the Wrong Side of the Fairway’ by I. J. Schecter

By: Dr. John Wagner


This book has 30 different chapters in it. For me, it should take 30 months to read each one of them separately. I don’t mind a little Schecter (maybe once a month), but not a whole book of him within a short period of time.

I got tired reading the same story over and over. I’d enjoy it more if his stuff was in a golf magazine, trying for the thousandth time to correct my slice. Such an article gives me a little comic relief, but not a whole book of it at one time.

So “Slices” is a too-long read. I got exhausted reading, over and over, about Schecter’s attempts to break 100. You’d think that a person who can’t break 100 would learn he shouldn’t even think about carrying a 3-iron, let alone try to hit a golf ball with it.

Reading his tactics convinced me that a little of Schecter’s writing is better than a whole book of it. To me, the only way to really enjoy his work would be to read one chapter per month. But if you’re a Schecter fan and can’t wait until his next article, then this compendium should satisfy you.

“Slices: Observations from the Wrong Side of the Fairway,” by I. J. Schecter, John Wiley and Sons Canada, LTD, 250 pages, ISBN 1309780470837344 ISBN 100470837349

Dr. John Wagner has been a Seattle dentist for 37 years. He’s been published in several dental journals as well as had several articles appear in the turf magazine for Pacific Northwest golf course superintendents. John has served as a guest lecturer at the University of Washington Business School for several years and as a guest lecturer for several dental societies. Dr. Wagner is the co-designer (with Steve Shea of the Berger Partnership) of a golf course in Japan that cost over $120 million and was built by Wadsworth Golf Construction. He’s a Past President of the Washington State Golf Association and a Trustee of the Pacific Coast Golf Association. John is currently a Member of the USGA Green Section and a Director of the WSGA.