In a game where players are expected to call their own penalties and scoring the least points leads to victory, decorum takes precedence over showmanship and philosophical questions become par for the course. Few other sports are as suited for ethical and metaphysical examination as golf. It is a game defined by dichotomies -- relaxing, yet frustrating, social, yet solitary -- and between these extremes there is room for much philosophical inquiry.

InGolf and Philosophy: Lessons from the Links, a clubhouse full of skilled contributors tee off on a range of philosophical topics within the framework of the fairway. The book's chapters are arranged in the style of an eighteen-hole golf course, with the front nine exploring ethical matters of rationality and social civility in a world of moral hazards and roughs. The back nine pries even deeper, slicing into matters of the metaphysical, including chapters on mysticism, idealism, identity, and meaning.

Taken together, the collection examines the intellectual nature of this beloved pastime, considering the many nuances of a sport that requires high levels of concentration, patience, and consistency, as well as upstanding moral character.Golf and Philosophy celebrates the joys and complexities of the game, demonstrating that golf has much to teach both its spectators and participants about modern life.

Andy Wible is an instructor of philosophy at Muskegon Community College.

Introduction: Warm-Up
1st Hole: Golf and the Importance of Play
2nd Hole: On the Beauty and Sublimity of Golf
3rd Hole: Finding the (Fair)Way with Confucious and Ben Hogan
4th Hole: Quiet Please: Reflections on Golf and Civility
5th Hole: How Golf Shapes and Builds Moral Character
6th Hole: Virtue Ethics: From Caddyshack to Better Golf
7th Hole: Cheating and Gamesmanship among Amateurs and Professional Golfers
8th Hole: Playing Through?: Considering Racism and Sexism in Golf
9th Hole: Is Golf Inherently Irrational?
10th Hole: Life Lessons
11th Hole: Philosophy in the Kingdom: Golf. Mysticism, and Philosophy
12th Hole: Mid-Life and Mid-Round Defining Moments
13th Hole: Free and Easy Wandering on the Golf Course: Swing Like a Taoist
14th Hole: Plate and Confucious on the Form of Golf--From the Real to the Ideal
15th Hole: Myths of Optimization in Golf: The Ideal Swing and Body
16th Hole: Golf and the Meaning of Life
17th Hole: More Than a Playing Partner: Golf and Friendship
18th Hole: Swing Thoughts: Tough Questions for a Tough Game