“Golf Course of Rhymes” began in December of 2009, when I decided to share what I was learning about the history of golf poetry and to publish my golf poems on the Internet. I had no idea if the poems would attract readers. Now as the Blog begins its 18th year, I can report the following: The Blog has had more than 59,000 visitors from 164 countries. It has also led me to write and publish two books, Golf Course of Rhymes – Links Between Golf and Poetry Through the Ages and If Golf Ball Could Talk - Collected Golf Poems.
New Year’s Greetings to My Readers in 164 Countries
Thank you all for stopping by
To read a poem or two;
Among each country’s visitors
More than 30 from Peru.
The United States is first in line
While only one from Granada;
And one as well from Kyrgyzstan
Cape Verde and Rwanda.
Moving farther up in numbers
There are golfers who let fly
From countries that you might not guess
Djibouti and Brunei.
Other countries, Germany, France,
Belgium, Italy, Spain,
Russia, Poland, Serbia,
Venezuela and Ukraine.
Uganda, Bermuda, Denmark,
Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan;
The Isle of Man, Angola
China and Japan.
Of course, the U.K.’s golfers come
They hardly miss a day;
And Canada’s, Australia’s, and India’s,
For sure some from Bombay.
If your country is among the many
That I just could not include;
All poems have their limits,
Please do not think me rude.
The total one hundred and sixty-four
I never would have guessed;
Golf poetry lives because of you,
Happy New Year, all the best.
Leon S White, PhD
New Year’s Greetings to My Readers
January 7, 2026 by Leave a Comment
The Ball (Again)
October 11, 2024 by Leave a Comment
I began this blog in December 2008 to introduce golfers to a golf history they were not likely to have encountered – poetry about golf. I also wanted to share golf poetry that I was writing. Now, after more than 15 years, the blog has grown to maybe 250 or so entries and lately interest seems to be increasing. Understanding that blog readers have limited time to spend on the internet, and recognizing that many entries have been read rarely, I have decided to re-introduce some of the poetry that you might have missed and would enjoy. I’ll begin with a poem I wrote in 2013 called “The Ball.”
The poem was inspired by one written by Raymond Carver (1938-1988), a famous American short story writer and also a poet. His poem was called “The Car.” It begins,
The car with a cracked windshield.
The car that threw a rod.
The car without brakes.
The car with a faulty U-joint.
And continues in a similar fashion for 44 additional lines!
Using Mr. Carver’s poem as a model, I wrote a more modest poem of 20 lines:
THE BALL
The ball with a smile.
The ball with dimples.
The ball with two colors.
The ball with a liquid center.
The ball with mud on it.
The hard wooden round ball.
Old Tom’s featherie ball.
The Woodley Flyer ball.
The balata ball.
The three piece ball.
The ball that missed the tree.
The ball that hit the spectator.
The ball that hung on the edge.
The ball that sits on the tee.
The ball that lands in a trap.
The ball lofted in the air.
The ball lost in the gorse.
The ball left on the range.
The ball belted with a driver.
The ball signed by Tiger.
Leon S White, PhD
(“The Ball” is included in my book, “If Golf Balls Could Talk,” available on Amazon for $6.95.)
Have You Met Him
March 15, 2023 by 1 Comment
Thanks for visiting again or for the first time. As you may know (from reading this Blog) I’ve recently published a book called If Golf Balls Could Talk – Collected Golf Poems (available on Amazon). Here is a poem from the book that tells a familiar story:
HE TALKS A GOOD GAME
He talks a good game
You know the guy
He judges each swing
With a critical eye.
He talks a good game
Awash with advice
He’s off to the races
When he sees you slice.
He talks a good game
He studies the pros
He is eager to tell you
All that he knows.
He talks a good game
Can he turn a phrase
He talks a good game
But it’s not how he plays.
He talks and he talks
With eyeballs that glisten
But even the duffers
No longer listen.
If you’ve met this guy, you are welcome to share the experience in the comments section.
Golf Course of Rhymes 
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