A South Surrey golf instructor who created a book aimed at explaining the sport to beginners has released a new edition – complete with new, updated rules and even more information than before.
And like the first edition of Golf 101 with Bob Dimpleton published back in 2005, Mark Kuhn’s instructional manual still features the cartoon family known as the Dimpletons.
“Some of the rules of golf changed fairly significantly back in 2019, so I had some updates to make. I wanted to make sure that when I covered the rules, there was enough in the book to cover at least 90 per cent of the situations you might come across,” said Kuhn, a Cloverdale resident.
After teaching for about a decade, Kuhn came up with the idea for a beginners golf book as a way to help his own students – many of whom were just learning the game. He created the golf ball-headed Dimpleton characters during one winter offseason, and then combined the drawings with his own instructions. And though the Dimpletons may appeal to younger children, the book itself is helpful for golfers of all ages, he said.
“I gave the book out to a lot of my adult beginner golfers. It’s actually written a little more towards adults or (teenagers), whereas the pictures are more oriented for younger kids,” said Kuhn.
“I had a lot of time in the winter at the driving range where I was working at the time, so I just thought, ‘I’m going to focus on this, and really do a bang-up job of this. I spent about 500 hours total, working on it, to make sure it looked good, looked appealing and had lots of good information.”
Kuhn said initial feedback from his adults students was positive and, regardless of a new golfer’s age, he found that the book broke the ice and encouraged his beginner students to ask questions.
“There’s a lot of beginner information that people do need to know,” he said.
“I found my students, the raw beginners, they don’t know where to start or even know what to ask. Maybe they think, ‘Oh, is this a stupid question?’ so I thought I’d address all that stuff in the book. That way, either the book answers their question or they won’t feel bad asking me, because there’s nothing too little to ask.”
While the earlier editions of the book were physical copies, the third edition – which was officially released on Dec. 31 – is in e-book form.
Kuhn said teaching – and the sport in general – has been his focus for as long as he could remember. He’s worked at a number of golf courses and teaching centres locally as an adult, and his South Surrey ties to the sport go back even further.
Hazelmere Golf and Country Club is built on farmland once owned by Kuhn’s grandfather, he said. His first job, as a 14-year-old, was at the course.
“I was out there cutting greens and fairways, driving tractors. We were farmers, so I knew how to do all that stuff,” he said.
As for the next step with his Dimpleton characters, Kuhn said he would love to find a way to animate them, and perhaps even day make them part of golf television broadcasts. Having them serve as mascots at different golf events is one of his ideas for the future, as well.
“Because of their smiling faces, I think people would like to see them (out at a golf tournament),” he said.
For more on the book, including how to order it, visit www.bobdimpleton.com
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