Aren't You That Golf Guy?: Doglegs and Detours from a Life in the Game Hardcover – June 9, 2026

Rich Lerner's unmissable collection of golf stories is a love letter to a game that is as elusive as it is emotionally transformative.From his early days working at his father’s driving range with his three brothers to his three decades covering golf’s biggest stars and most historic championships, Rich Lerner has lived a lucky life in golf. He went from rubbing shoulders with hard-drinking, Allentown golf pros in the ’70s to playing his first money match (against “The Pigeon”) to crossing paths with Arnie to a circuitous route to the Golf Channel just as Tiger Woods arrived on the scene.In Aren't You That Golf Guy?, the game's master storyteller Rich Lerner shares a collection of original essays and musings, by turns deeply moving and side-splittingly hilarious, featuring superbly drawn takes on Tiger, Phil, Bryson, Scottie, and so many more.We relive Rory’s epic 2025 Masters’ win from the standpoint of Rich and his Live From colleagues. We roll with Rich’s Dad on his 75th birthday to a poignant and funny meeting with Jack Nicklaus, as the proud father watches his son interview the Golden Bear. We reminisce about Payne Stewart on the day Kobe Bryant was tragically killed, a haunting memory, while Rich was on the call for a PGA Tour event in California. With the help of the unfiltered Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell, we at last find the answer to the burning question all golfers seem to have: who’s the biggest jerk in the game?We hang out and start golf claps with Will Ferrell at the Masters, witness Samuel L. Jackson go full Pulp Fiction on an unsuspecting fan in Scotland, and walk step-for-step, laugh-for-laugh with Bill Murray on a day when he delivers the best golf shot ever seen at Pebble Beach.Lerner’s been at it for almost 30 years, having encountered the bedrock legends of a bygone era (Snead, Nelson, Sarazen, and more) to the current crop (Jordan, Rory, Brooks, and more). There’s not a significant championship he has not covered in the last quarter century. He came of age in the game, and it proved a wonderful springboard to a career as the preeminent essayist in the sport. No one in golf television has written more pieces about Tiger, from the rise to the fall to the comeback, all prominently featured in the book. Phil Mickelson’s mercurial career is covered as well, along with a variety of quick reads on other stars.Relatable to anyone who’s ever tried to play this wicked game. Memorable to anyone who’s watched the legends of the last half century. It’s all here, in one easy-to-read, pick-up-at-any-point collection of stories. It’s all you love about golf, the experiences and characters, from a writer that’s not just in the game, but of the game. Read more