Hey,
I suppose it would be a strange thing to introduce Normal Sport 3 by talking about one of my favorite quotes ever from … Novak Djokovic. But strange and odd things are literally what built Normal Sport 1, 2 and now 3.
The quote from Djokovic …
“I can carry on playing at this level because I like hitting the tennis ball.”
It’s such a simple quote that seems like such a throwaway, but the more you consider it, the more you turn it over in your head, the more profound it gets.
I like hitting the tennis ball.
I thought about that quote as I wrote Normal Sport 3. As I wrote many of the 268 thoughts on the 2023 year in golf that you will read in this year’s book.
The book is much shorter than it has been in the past. A couple of people I sent it to on Monday said they got halfway through or even finished it in a day. It’s how I wanted to write the book. Short thoughts, takes and ideas about all kinds of ridiculous things.
Tom Kim and Joe Skovron sounding like nuclear physicists while talking about what to hit at the Phoenix Open. Wyndham Clark twirling his club harder than a club has ever been twirled at LACC. The gentleman hitting balls in the riverbed next to this year’s Open Championship got his own illustration! Of course we did plenty on Rahm, Rory and the Ryder Cup.
Spieth (who else?) got the front cover.
On a run with some friends this morning, I found myself carrying on about how much I enjoy getting lost in the words and the sentences and the writing. How it can feel like a complete and total stupor. The guys I was with laughed and said they had never experienced such a thing when writing.
I, too, like hitting the tennis ball.
The act of writing can be (and often is) difficult. But I hope my love for it – my tremendous delight in putting together something that will maybe make you laugh or make you think or bring some joy – comes through in this book (and in all my books!).
The word “privilege” gets thrown around a lot these days. It has become a buzzword that barely means what it is supposed to mean anymore. But it is a true privilege to write about golf as a job. When I write this newsletter or these books, not only does it not feel like a job at all but it feels like something I should have to pay to experience. It feel like I should be the customer!
All of that to say, thank you for reading and following. It is a gift.
Normal Sport 3 is live. I hope you love it. You can purchase at the links below.
Digital – $15
Audiobook – $20
Paperback – $25 (shipping next week)
Normal Sport Collection (1-3) — $30
Everyone who buys a copy this year will be automatically entered into a $500 gift card giveaway to the golf company of your choice (NLU, Fried Egg, Barstool, Titleist, whatever you want).
Let me know if you have any questions about the book, the shipping (we’re expecting to get books and ship them out next week) or anything else by responding to this email or by contacting me at kyle@anormalsport.com.
Thank you for following and reading. It means a lot, and I’m very grateful for it.
-Kyle (and the Normal Sport team)
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