Author: Daniel I. Waintrup

ISBN: 097548107X

The following review was contributed by: NORM GOLDMAN:  Editor of Bookpleasures. CLICK TO VIEW  Norm Goldman's Reviews 

When we don’t take ourselves too seriously and we are able to laugh at our faults, weaknesses and gaffes, then perhaps we can call ourselves mature, or to quote Eleanor Roosevelt, “You don’t grow up until you have your first good laugh at yourself.”

Daniel I. Waintrup spent fifteen years as tennis pro at one of the most prestigious Jewish country clubs in New England. According to Waintrup, when he applied for the job, there was only one other applicant. Fortunately for him the other applicant’s interview did not go over too well with the hiring committee. Apparently, his competitor made the not too endearing statement that “he would do a good job here, and some of my friends are Jews. He then went on to say, “my family doesn’t like ‘em much, but I can get along with them if I have to.” So much for creating a good first impression!

 Waintrup certainly knows how to laugh at himself, as he devotes the bulk of his book, It’s Not My Fault –or- Can a Rabbi’s Son Find Happiness as a Tennis Pro, to the collection of numerous letters and notes he received from his students over his fifteen years as a teaching professional. Some of the replies as to why people take lessons from him are hilarious such as: they were bored and had nothing better to do; it’s raining outside and the golf course is closed; it is a great way to work off a hangover; and even though I did not feel like coming, you would have charged me if I didn’t.

 Several of his students commented on his inability to keep his mouth shut during their lessons. In fact, when he indicated to one of his students that if he were in Palm Beach it would have cost him $175 instead of $65 for a lesson, the student replied: “the only way I’d ever pay you $175 an hour is if you’d let me tie you up with duct tape, put an apple in your mouth, and see if I could smash it to pieces with my racquet!”

As the author points out, teaching at an affluent country club requires remembering certain vital rules if you wish to succeed. For one, it is important to appreciate the fact that you must give students what they want, not what you think they want. You must never force them to do something they don’t want to do and thus your approach would be very tactful. For example, when telling a student to bend his or he knees, you must say, “bend your knees, if you don’t mind”, or if your are teaching them about their swings, you don’t say “swing low to high on your ground strokes,” you rephrase it and say: “swing low to high on your ground strokes, if that would be okay with you.”

What I found disappointing in the book was the cursory nature of the author’s narration that at times lacked substance. It would have been preferable to include a chapter or two delving into the inner workings of the country club and its members pertaining to such topics as the nasty politics that often prevails than the boring chapter concerning his life with his second wife.  Notwithstanding this weakness, the book is good for a laugh or two, particularly if you are a tennis buff.