Book Review
Inside, Outside and On the Ropes
Life Lessons from Q-School & The Majors
Inside, Outside and On the Ropes is Keith Gockenbach's story of top level golf at the Senior level.
If you had a steady job that produced a good stream of income and only had a few years to reach a full pension, would you quit your job and attempt to make it on the PGA Senior Tour. Most people wouldn't even think about it. That's exactly what Keith Gockenbach did.
The beauty of the game of golf is that at age 50, a golfer can experience the chance to make it on the pro circuit. The opportunities on the Senior circuit are limited, making it the toughest tour to break into in the game of golf.
"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." Thoreau *
Keith decided not to lead a life of quiet desperation, but give his all to make his living playing golf and Inside, Outside, and On the Ropes is his song. If you want to experience how demanding the pro golf circuit is, visit www.insidetheropesgolf.com to read some excerpts from the book. If you decide to buy the book, just let Keith know that Gooch recommended the book. I've also included the forward from the book below.
*I realize that this is a misquote of Thoreau's line from Walden but it truly fits Keith's adventure.
The forward from Fred Funk:
If you had a steady job that produced a good stream of income and only had a few years to reach a full pension, would you quit your job and attempt to make it on the PGA Senior Tour. Most people wouldn't even think about it. That's exactly what Keith Gockenbach did.
The beauty of the game of golf is that at age 50, a golfer can experience the chance to make it on the pro circuit. The opportunities on the Senior circuit are limited, making it the toughest tour to break into in the game of golf.
"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." Thoreau *
Keith decided not to lead a life of quiet desperation, but give his all to make his living playing golf and Inside, Outside, and On the Ropes is his song. If you want to experience how demanding the pro golf circuit is, visit www.insidetheropesgolf.com to read some excerpts from the book. If you decide to buy the book, just let Keith know that Gooch recommended the book. I've also included the forward from the book below.
*I realize that this is a misquote of Thoreau's line from Walden but it truly fits Keith's adventure.
The forward from Fred Funk:
Dreams. We all have them.
Often our dreams seem out of reach, unattainable, beyond reality. Only the
special few make dreams reality.
No matter what sport we
play, dreams of making the big leagues float around in our fantasy world.
Whether it’s football, baseball, basketball, or golf—the glamour sports create
dreams of doing something extraordinary, defining moments that make us a part
of history.
Anyone who has pursued golf
with dreams of playing on Tour fantasizes making putts to win the U.S. Open or
the Masters. We’ve seen it happen many times on TV: Jack, Arnie, and Lee
Trevino easily come to mind. Names such as Ben Curtis, Larry Mize, Bob Tway,
and even yours truly, Fred Funk, have had moments when dreams came true.
Keith Gockenbach has a
dream, a dream of making the Champions Tour, golf’s highest level for the 50
and over crowd. The deck is stacked against anyone who hasn’t spent a
successful career on the regular tour. The odds of locking down one of the few
spots available to the qualifiers seem insurmountable. In reality, qualifying
for the Champions Tour is considered the most difficult entrance exam in all of
sports. But, guys like Jay Sigel, Allen Doyle, Rod Spittle, and my great friend
Mike Goodes are examples of guys that made it without playing on the regular
tour. Dreams come true for the few.
Follow Keith’s journey to
capture his dream. The ups and downs that are inevitable on the road to living
his fantasy. Life lessons are learned and success re-measured. The great game
of Golf creates the highest highs and the lowest lows, but what we learn along
the way is the best dream of all.
Fred
Funk
2009
U.S.
2005
Tournament Players Champion
Eight-time
winner on the PGA Tour
Six-time
winner on the Champions Tour
