My Life in and out of the Rough: The Truth Behind All That Bull**** You Think You Know About Me

The sports autobiography may be one of the few genres in which the publishing industry has realized strong growth as there is no shortage of new releases concerning the athletes that so many of us admire. Golfer John Daly is the latest to tempt readers with an autobiography. Just after it was issued, it received considerable media attention, mostly due to its admission that the author gambled away, in the course of his career, over 50 to 60 million dollars.My Life in and Out of the Rough: The Truth Behind All that Bull**** You Think You Know About Me promises to be a wild and "shocking" ride, but, strangely enough, it isn't as John Daly is one of the few people on this earth whose personality and essence closely correspond with his physical appearance. Simply due to repeated observation, readers will not be surprised to learn that he is impulsive, undisciplined, gluttonous, financially reckless, extremely emotional, friendly, kind, prone to bad habits, and a complete "Razorback Redneck" (in his own words). Golf is the only thing in life that he's ever been really good at, and the links were the only place he felt comfortable during his troubled childhood. We can sum him up by saying that he is the epitome of a southern good old boy who happens to be plagued by, in the vernacular of our day, some serious issues.His daily behaviors exemplify that he is not one to idly chat about personal philosophy. Daly follows his mantra and is what he is which means he has little interest in self-improvement. "The Lion," the nickname he most prefers, will smoke, drink beer, and eat at McDonalds until one of the habits kill him. Intentional exercise also is not something to which he can relate. All of this leads us to the one aspect about the "Big `Un" not readily detectable via observation which is his toxic level of masochism.John Daly is a thoroughly self-destructive man. When he becomes upset, and this does not appear to be an infrequent occurrence, he responds by hurting himself as opposed to hurting others. He has trashed numerous hotel rooms, and even, after a fight with one of his wives, wrecked his own house. What these damages ended up costing him I cannot fathom.It is in this interpersonal area where his masochism is irrefutable. We know that he is perfectly aware of the pathology behind his matrimonial unions as he named one of his chapters, "All My Exes Wear Rolexes," but his cognizance has not altered his behavior. He is ripped off time and again by women who discard him as soon as they have put in the court mandated days for pension and earning vestment.All of these blunders should not amount to our being over-sympathetic towards the author as he is an adult who has made his own willful choices. He may be na�ve and ignorant but he is not stupid. These recurring disasters have been inflicted and enabled by his own mind. They are psychologically satisfying to him in a way to which the rest of us cannot easily relate. He rebelled whenever friends, family, sponsors, doctors, and society tried to change him which means that he will remain uneven and unfinished forever. The only consolation is that, when the final tallies are penciled onto the scorecard, the only person he's ever really hurt is himself.

If you're into a fun, easy bio and you like golf this book is for you. Daly pulls no punches about his many transgressions and shares his views on life (which are fairly simplistic). However, there's really nothing new in here that hasn't already been in the press. The book reads like it was written by a good ol' boy, which clearly fits the subject matter.

John Daly may be the most talented golfer ever to play the game. He's never had a lesson and hardly ever practices, yet he competes with the best of the world class golfers who have had hundreds of hours of instructions and live on the range and putting greens.Those who follow the game know the story of John - part acholoic, part gambling addict, multiple wives, a real 'bad boy'. This book talks about the reasons John is the way he is. He makes no bones about who he is or the life he leads. He is brutally honest and never makes any excuses, which is why he is one of the most popular golfers on the tour. You can relate to him as a person. He's turned his life around and is struggeling with his personal demons. The book talks about how is attempting to get past those demons, what works and what doesn't work. But he is doing it his way and will continue to do it his way forever.The book makes a great read about overcoming troubles in our own life. It doesn't have a fairy tale ending and is as honest as John is big.

An interesting insight into a complicated personality. No, wait- maybe not complicated at all. I’m happy for his accomplishments, sad about his demons.

Interesting and well told stories. Just read it this year although the book was written in 2004 or 05 which of course is as far as the story goes. Still really enjoyed reading it.

I'm an amateur golfer, having a lot of golfers in my family. I was never a fan of reading any professional golfers biographies, but I chose John Daly because this book looked good. So let me start off by saying this is a GREAT book for anyone who wants a true insight on John Daly. Of course he discusses a lot about the Tour and challenges he's been faced with but he also gives a truthful, clean insight on his life. It's hard to believe the "average joe" only knows one thing about him: he hits the ball long. Read this book and you won't regret it! It's a lot more info than that…

I wish I hadn't listened to Amy Sedaris. She said it was good. It's not

Good insight into John’s life. Thoroughly enjoyed.

As a book of prose and literature, not really, but for entertainment value, I liked it. JD does show the dark side of fame and fortune for a person who has no brakes and only knows full throttle. What does come through is his love of life and people. Like all his fans and supporters I wish him luck.

Daly's life story is truly remarkable. How he has been able to achieve what he has on the course is amazing considering how tumultuous his life is off the course. The man is a legend!

Brilliant read about one of golf's colourful characters, would recommend it especially for holiday reading as I couldn't put it down!.

Quite a short book and a lot more could have been written about his life. Like his golf career he doesn't put a huge amount of effort into it. An easy read though and will pass the time.

Not bad at all.