I've never considered myself a novelist even though I've written a number of books and happily made some money, i've always considered myself a journalist first or a sports writer first and always will. That's the business I've loved. It's the only thing I ever wanted to do.

Dan Jenkins

Categorized in : Sports

The golfer has more enemies than any other athlete. He has fourteen clubs in his bag, all of them different; 18 holoes to play, all of them different, every week; and all around him is sand, trees, grass, water, wind and 143 other players. In addition, the game is 50 percent mental, so his biggest enemy is himself.

Dan Jenkins

athlete player golf

Part of the charm of basketball lies in the fact that it's a simple game to understand. Players race up and down a fairly small area indoors and stuff the ball into a ring with Madonna's dress hanging on it.

Dan Jenkins

basketball funny lying

A good one iron shot is about as easy to come by as an understanding wife.

Dan Jenkins

iron wife golf

Only two things can stop Tiger — injury or a bad marriage.

Dan Jenkins

bad-marriage injury two

Always keep in mind that if God didn't want a man to have mulligans, golf balls wouldn't come three to a sleeve.

Dan Jenkins

mind golf men

In a story, you have to have a theme and an angle, you have to have a beginning, middle and an end. You have to have a defining moment and kick it to death. You gotta be able to recognize that, by the way. It probably takes experience.

Dan Jenkins

able stories way

The maplewood flat-finished Martin had represented the most outrageous luxury in her life when she bought it in 1971 for four hundred dollars. But Lonnie Slocum assured her the Martin was a good investment, even if she never learned to play it better than an acid head who was into heavy metal.

Dan Jenkins

luxury music play

Laughter is the only thing that'll cut trouble down to a size where you can talk to it.

Dan Jenkins

size laughter cutting

I had always suspected that trying to play golf in the company of big-time pros and a gallery would be something like walking naked into choir practice.

Dan Jenkins

practice play golf

The devoted golfer is an anguished soul who has learned a lot about putting, just as an avalanche victim has learned a lot about snow.

Dan Jenkins

soul golf snow

Professionalism in tennis ... only resulted in making billionaires out of rude children, producing an onslaught of moody defectors, and a lot of guys with hair that looks as if bats slept in it... Meanwhile, my head swims with the thought that I have watched tennis progress from Don Budge and Alice Marble to Farrah Fawcett becoming John McEnroe's mother-in-law.

Dan Jenkins

mother hair children

A sportswriter's life means never sitting with your wife or family at the games. Still working after everyone has gone to the party... Digging beneath a coach's lies, not to forget those of athletic directors and general managers and owners of pro teams. Keeping a confidence. Risking it.

Dan Jenkins

party team lying

I am among those who firmly believe that a round of golf should not take more than three and a half hours, four at most. Anything longer than that is not a round of golf, it's life in Albania.

Dan Jenkins

albania golf believe

The golf ball has no sense at all, which is why it has to be given stern lectures constantly, especially during the act of putting.

Dan Jenkins

balls lectures golf

Who is the best the sportswriter who wore shorts? I keep trying to envision Grantland Rice or John Lardner in shorts. It never occurred to me to wear shorts. I'd look too silly to wear shorts.

Dan Jenkins

silly trying looks

Lonnie says it doesn't take long to write a song if you're stricken with a severe case of the Tennysons. He wasn't necessarily talking about a chart-climber.

Dan Jenkins

writing song talking

Regardless of what the tour pros think, golf is a rich and varied game, and what all of us awkward fools do on weekends is what golf is truly all about.

Dan Jenkins

weekend golf thinking

Every golfer has at least 14 enemies: his clubs.

Dan Jenkins

clubs golf enemy

If a caddie can help you, you don't know how to play golf.

Dan Jenkins

caddies play golf

Baseball would be a better game if more third basemen got hit in the mouth by line drivers.

Dan Jenkins

baseball would-be games