"A lot of people think of momentum as a trend that comes on like a runaway train. The science of momentum harkens back to Sir Isaac Newton's laws of motion. The second law states that an object's movement is dependent on two factors: mass (size) and force (velocity). If we apply this science to today's marketplace, something has momentum when it has mass (awareness, reach, impressions, conversations, share of market) and velocity (excitement and engagement)."

I actually don't know much about golf. I've occasionally watched the Masters and that's about it. I do, however, adore sport, its economic conditions, why certain sports outrun others in the race for popularity, and why some garner such large fan clubs so quickly compare to others. Mike Berland confesses to not being the best or most experienced golfer from the offset, and that's why he's such a great person to tell the story of golf's current and roaring popularity.

For someone who has never really become that invested in golf, I figured this book would be a good way to gain some insight. Berland threads in his own tales of golf with the sport's economic and cultural status, as well as its changing format in recent years. How has golf become more accessible? What has actually caused it to become so widely popular? What is the value of being able to play golf, even if you play it badly? These are all questions Berland seeks to answer. As someone who has watched Netflix's Full Swing and lives near a newly opened indoor golf facility, Berland made the practical and cultural value of golf extremely accessible to someone who had only ever viewed the sport passively.

Whilst the book starts to feel slightly longer than it needed to be (but likely only because I don't already have any vested interest in the sport in the first place), I thoroughly enjoyed learning about it through Berland's lens. He writes in an engaging manner, makes the hardest golfing topics and rules easily digested, and I now certainly have a newfound appreciation of the sport, its place in society now, and what accessibility has meant to its scene. For anyone with even the slightest fascination with golf, this is the place to start. And, if you're already a seasoned golfer, then this book will surely deepen your appreciation more.

The recognition that golf teaches "emotional control and honesty" reveals how recreational activities can serve as laboratories for character development.