A lot of us have more sunlight and more playing time come summer, so maybe you’ll want to hang on to these suggestions. But for those who recognize that the eve of a new summer means finding a good read or two to accompany you on your travels or fill up your couch time under the fan, here’s what our staff is recommending right now.

THE DIVINE CONSPIRACY
By Dallas Willard; recommended by Bill Euler
From Richard Foster: “I am struck by the depth of this book. Willard is a master at capturing the central insight of Jesus’ teachings. Perhaps this is because he takes Jesus seriously as an intelligent, fully competent Teacher. He writes ‘Jesus is not just nice, he is brilliant.'”
 

EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY SPIRITUALITY
By Peter Scazzero; recommended by Tracy Hanson
From Amazon’s listing: “One percent of church leaders say that they are doing well in discipling new and young believers. After almost three decades of pastoring New Life Fellowship Church in the bustle of New York City, Peter Scazzero discovered that most people are not being changed in our churches, and, as a result, are not changing the world. Scazzero found two truths to be true: you can’t be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature, and unless you slow and quiet your life down for a first-hand relationship with Jesus Christ, little change is possible. The integration of these two truths unleashed a spiritual revolution in Scazzero, in his church, and now in thousands of other churches.”

THE FIRST MAJOR: THE INSIDE STORY OF THE 2016 RYDER CUP
By John Feinstein; recommended by Randy Wolff
From the Amazon listing: “Award-winning author John Feinstein takes readers behind the scenes, providing an inside view of the dramatic stories as they unfolded: veteran Phil Mickelson’s two-year roller-coaster as he upended the American preparation process and helped assemble a superb team; superstar Rory McIlroy becoming the clear-cut emotional leader of the European team, and his reasons for wanting to beat the US team so badly this time around; the raucous matches between McIlroy and American Patrick Reed – resulting in both incredible golf, and several moments that threatened to come to blows; the return of Tiger Woods not as a player but an assistant captain, and his obsession with helping the US win.”

THE GOLFER’S JOURNAL
Quarterly magazine; recommended by Jeff Hopper
From Jeff: “The Golfer’s Journal is a one-year-old quarterly periodical that emphasizes rich, thoughtful writing about course architecture, friendships, revitalization of communities through the game–just about everything you love about golf but don’t get in other golf magazines. And then there is the photography—wow! Don’t balk at the subscription price, because this is like getting four great golf books a year, and there is very little advertising to get in the way.” More here

THE GOLF OMNIBUS
By P.G. Wodehouse; recommended by Lewis Greer
From Lewis: “With this collection, you’ll have a book of short golf stories that will make you laugh and also see the game in a whole new way. To give you a flavor for Wodehouse, here are a couple of quotes:
‘The least thing upset him on the links. He missed short putts because of the uproar of the butterflies in the adjoining meadows.’
‘Golf, like measles, should be caught young, for, if postponed to riper years, the results may be serious.'”

THE GREAT DIVORCE
By C.S. Lewis; recommended by Lewis Greer
From Lewis: “A book I’ve found myself recommending to friends several times in the last couple of weeks. It is not about marriage and divorce, it is about heaven and hell, and the picture Lewis paints in this fictional presentation will make you think about both in terms you may never have considered.”

THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED
By Mark Frost; recommended by Lewis Greer
From Lewis: “Here is a book I recommend to everyone who appreciates either the history of golf or a great (and true) story exceedingly well told. This is both, chronicling not only Francis Ouimet winning the 1913 U. S. Open, but also giving well researched details on both his life and the life of the great Harry Vardon. The movie is good, the book is excellent.”

THE PRODIGAL GOD
By Timothy Keller; recommended by Marty Jacobus
From Marty: “Our Tuesday Links Fellowship read this book together. It brings great perspective on God’s love for us, the human heart and some messages locked inside the parable that are often missed in a Sunday sermon. We took nine weeks and discussed each chapter. Most people will see themselves in both sons. Keller also clearly shows both the intellectual and the common thinker the truth of the Gospel. A close look at this parable reveals how Jesus redefines how a person truly connects to God.”

A SEVERE MERCY
By Sheldon Vanauken; recommended by Lewis Greer
From Lewis: “I suppose everyone has read A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken, but if you are among those who haven’t, put it on your list. A true story of conversion to Christianity, terrible loss, and the ensuing doubt, the book contains letters between the author and C.S. Lewis, who was instrumental in his conversion.”

SPEAKING OF JESUS: THE ART OF NOT-EVANGELISM
By Carl Medearis; recommended by Josh Nelson
From the Amazon listing: “Some of us fear moments when we need to defend our theology and some of us seek them out. Regardless, we often miss the mark because we don’t follow Jesus’ lead. So how do we draw others to God in the midst of these ordinary conversations the way Jesus did?”

STAY: LESSONS MY DOGS TAUGHT ME ABOUT LIFE, LOSS, AND GRACE
By Dave Burchett; recommended by Randy Wolff
From the Amazon listing: “You’ll be enthralled by this story of a man and his lovable Labrador retriever, Hannah, and what their canine friendship can show us about life, grace, and long walks in the park.”
 

UNSCRIPTED: THE UNPREDICTABLE MOMENTS THAT MAKE LIFE EXTRAORDINARY
By Ernie Johnson; recommended by Jeff Hopper
From Jeff: “We were blessed to spend some time in Q&A with Ernie Johnson in this year’s Links Players Magazine, but you really want to read his whole story in this book. It captures a life full of hard choices, bad news, amazing opportunity, and joyful mercies. Ernie’s life and family have much to offer your own.”

WHISPER: HOW TO HEAR THE VOICE OF GOD
By Mark Batterson; recommended by Randy Wolff
From the Amazon listing: “The voice that spoke the cosmos into existence is the same voice that parted the Red sea, and made the sun stand still in the midday sky. One day, this voice will make all things new, but it’s also speaking to you now! That voice is God’s voice, and what we’ve learned from Scripture is that He often speaks in a whisper. Not to make it difficult to hear Him, but to draw us close.”
 

Drew Coffman

Golf is a game often passed from one generation to the next, father or mother to daughter or son. Our staff tell stories of the way the game was given to them.

JOSH NELSON, ATLANTA
The first time I played in a Father/Child golf tournament with my dad I was only six or seven years old. It was part of the family fun at the PGA Tour’s Walt Disney World Oldsmobile Classic. My dad, Larry Nelson, would play with both me and my two year-older brother, Drew, at the same time.
I remember a few holes into the tournament hitting a good shot to about six feet that bettered my older brother’s shot to about twelve feet.
My dad made the 12-footer for Drew and then proceeded to miss the 6-footer for me. I walked off the green crying, thinking my dad loved my brother more than me.
To this day, my father, who won three major championships and played on three US Ryder Cup Teams, says, “The most pressure I ever felt in my professional career was after making a 12-foot putt for Drew and having to make a 6-footer for Josh to tie.”
Golf with Dad has provided many of my favorite memories associated with the game. I’m thankful that the love of my father could create more pressure over a six-foot putt for a Mickey Mouse trophy for his son than any other he can remember.
Thank you, Dad, for always making your family priority over worldly success!

BILL EULER, SOUTHWEST TEXAS
I loved seeing my dad play Beechwood Golf Course in La Porte, Indiana, where I grew up, on the weekends. He had a regular game with four or five friends. They would always walk and played a low ball-high ball game. Probably exchanged a dollar or two each round.
He wanted me to play golf, so he had me caddie, knowing I would get hooked on the game. He was right.

MARTY JACOBUS, CALIFORNIA DESERT
I played my first round of golf with my dad 55 years ago on a nine-hole course in Southern Illinois. He was a pretty good 11- to 14-handicap and we played together many times during the spring/summer throughout his life. He was my favorite golf partner in friendly matches and in tournaments. I was 14 when I beat him for the first time and he never beat me again after that.
My dad and I won a few member guests and a couple father son events over the years. One of my favorite memories was at The Connecticut Golf Club where I was a member in the late 80s and 90s. He had been diagnosed with leukemia and would pass away a few years later. We were competing on Father’s Day weekend in 1990 and he was not feeling well at all, but we played anyway. He managed a par on the short par-4, seventeenth (which was the only hole he counted on all day). I played some of my best golf that weekend and somehow we won low gross. I will never forget the smile on his face when they gave us the crystal trophy for first place. I miss him a lot and am grateful for the start he gave me to the game I love so much.

RAY CARRASCO, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
This is about how my father helped me become a good putter. My father never really played golf. Yes, he played about three or four times with me after I had started playing on my own. I actually “played” for about a year and a half on a large school field before I set foot on a real golf course. I was about 10 years old at that time.
About four years later, I had started playing in junior tournaments. My father would dutifully watch me as I shined and struggled. He encouraged me to keep working on the right stuff.
One evening, while relaxing at home after a tournament, he turned to me and asked, “Son, how long have you been playing golf?” I answered, “I guess about five years now.” He looked at me and said, “Isn’t it about time you started becoming a good putter? There is no one throwing a fastball at your head, no one trying to block or tackle you, and no one is trying to take your head off with a wild right cross. Why don’t you just step up there and roll the ball where you are looking?”
I thought about that for a few seconds and decided that he was right. From then on I became a very good putter.

LEWIS GREER, ARIZONA
Like many kids, I loved golf because my dad loved golf. I have a picture of me with a plastic club when I was about two, and throughout my childhood “the country club” was one of my favorite places. We lived in a small rural town, and the golf course was nine holes with two sets of tees. Our church picnics were often held in an open area near the fourth tee, and at least one high school party was held in the clubhouse, which was about 3,000 square feet if you counted the basement, where the concrete-floored men’s locker room was.
My dad was a solid player, winning the A flight of the club championship when I was very young, but mostly he played on Sunday after church with Doc and Tommy and Kell. I took up the game with some seriousness when I was 10 or 11, and I first beat my dad when I was 14. He was much happier about it than I was, though it had been a goal of mine for a while. The best thing about it was that I then got to play more often with my dad, and with other adults at the club. Once on number seventeen (eight from the back tee), our longest par-4 at about 390, I hit a long drive down the middle. Dad asked, “What were you thinking about when you hit that shot?”
I pondered for a moment and then answered honestly, “Nothing.” And he said, “That’s a good thing to think about when you play golf.”
These days it is rare for me to play golf and not quote my dad, who passed away in 2001. The one I use most is, “As my dad used to say, Confucius said,’He who looks up sees bad shot.’”
Perhaps because I picked up the game easily, or perhaps because he didn’t feel qualified, my dad never really tried to teach me how to play. But on the golf course he taught me a lot about the game, and he taught me even more about how to conduct myself, about playing by the rules, and about the joy of both the game and the friendships that came with it.
My dad, widowed when I was 11, cared deeply about two things outside of taking care of his kids: God and golf. I followed his lead in both, and I am forever grateful. Happy Father’s Day, Dad. You were the best.
(Photo: Lewis on the right, his brother Bill on the left, flanking Carolyn, the daughter of one of their father’s golfing buddies, Doc Harrell. Carmi Country Club in Carmi, Illinois. Circa 1950.)

Retired PGA professional Craig Williamson used to have his name on a lot of golf bags. As the founding professional at Silverado Resort in California’s wine country and Kapaula Resort on Hawaii’s island of Maui, Williamson learned how to treat resort guests well and trained his golf staff to always do the same.

We sat down with Craig in La Quinta, California, where he is involved as a host for several Links Fellowships each week, and asked him how to make the most of your golf vacation.

How do I take advantage of a vacation opportunity at a nice resort?
Begin by asking why you’re going. Were you recommended to go to that property? Was there advertising that piqued your interest? Do they have a TV event there? It might be on your bucket list. And probably the weather is going to have an awful lot to do with your choice.

I get to a place I really want to go. How do I make the most of my experience?
Get the lay of the resort before you tee it up. Then you’ll know whether you’re better to play in the morning or the afternoon, depending on some of the other things that are available at that resort. If you’re going catamaraning or whale watching, that’s going to dictate what time of day you might play. In Hawaii, sometimes there are some properties where it is windier during a particular portion of the day than another. Those are considerations.

The only people that don’t have a great experience at a resort—if the resort is doing things correctly—are those people who didn’t do their research and have ended up at a place that is out of their comfort zone. People show up who can’t be comfortable. Maybe their playing skills are such. The resorts are going to have some pretty good golf courses and the designs are often by some of our finest designers. They don’t make it just a walk in the park.

At a resort, who is the most helpful person I can find?
You can be led in the right direction by the concierge, but the first point of contact is the person who receives you upon your arrival. These people should be welcoming and doing their work from their heart. This person can put you at ease and point you in the right direction.

If I’m weighing my dollars, what’s the best dollar I can spend at a resort?
Sometimes the accommodations are off the charts, and this eliminates some people. Yet sometimes you will find different options at the same resort—hotels, condos, etc.—with different price points for different people. So research the property and go to a place that you know before you arrive. Don’t be surprised. That’s a big mistake that a lot of people make. Research it so you know where your dollars are going.