In Lawrence Block's "Welcome to the Real World," something metal, cold, and definitely not a club saves a bad day on the links . . . a sly adulterer dangerously fakes a love for the game in "The Man Who Couldn't Play Gold" by Simon Brett . . . a pioneering player makes the wrong kind of history in H.R.F. Keating's "Miss Unwin Plays by the Rules" . . . Ian Rankin shows how one game's outcome secretly determines a young couple's fate in "Graduation Day" . . . and in "Lucy Had a List," John Sandford introduces a female pro with a daring approach to an unwelcome obstacle.

More masterful literary strokes show how a golf course makes an excellent burial ground . . . warn you of the perils of mistreating your caddy . . . and reveal why even top pros should avoid too much sun. From Ken Bruen, Christopher Coake, Stephen Collins, Tom Franklin, Jonathan Gash, Steve Hamilton, Laura Lippman, Bradford Morrow, William G. Tapply, and John Westermann, you'll discover stories too bold, too confounding, and too shocking to be whispered on the course or in the clubhouse . . . all published here for the very first time.