This book did everything it intended to do. It is very well written. It informed the reader of life on the PGA tour, its culture and its folkways as well as high drama that might not be observed by the routine golf fan. My problem was not with the book itself, but with the structure of professional golf. The PGA structure makes it harder to be a golf fan, than for the traditional team sports. There are several reasons. First, there are so many golfers and they have limited career lives. One can follow a baseball team through many generations. My father and grandfather rooted and watched the Chicago White Sox and the tradition is fun and preserved through the years. But that cannot be true for Golf, individuals, unlike teams have finite lives. Second, the golf season does not come to a definitive, climactic end. There are four majors, but their is no single championship. Thus, much of the season's climax is lost to the fan. Finally much of the human drama in professional golf is not well exposed by the media. The golfers on the bubble for getting their tour card the following season has potential fan appeal but is an overlooked opportunity to entertain golf fans, does anyone really know who is 125th on the money list?The culture of golf is very interesting. It is surprising to me the way the competitors help each other improve their games. All in all a good book dealing as best in can with a entertaining but challenging subject .
This classic book from John Feinstein follows a number of both well-known and unknown golfers through the 1994 season. Though it might seem as if this book is dated, it is a surprisingly gripping story that centers around names still appearing on ESPN’s Sportscenter – Davis Love, Paul Azinger, etc. Feinstein writes pre-Tiger, and it seems odd somehow to read about golf without Tiger’s current starring role, but his absence allows more of a spotlight on other players.By the end of the book, the language carrying the readers through the tournaments starts to sound the same – one could predict birdies and bogeys and double bogeys well before the actual shots were played. Nevertheless, the stories of the personalities on tour were strangely compelling – and I write this as one who has never been able to begin to comprehend the obsession for golf on any level. Within the realm of Tiger Wood’s current dominance of golf, it should never be forgotten the strange capriciousness of the sport, the accomplishments of those who win, and the remarkable perseverance of those who do not. This book serves as an important reminder of these things -- even to non-golf fans such as myself.
After reading this book, you will:1. no longer shake your head and wonder how someone can sit on the couch and watch a golf tournament all day long on a perfect Sunday afternoon, especially each of the 4 "Majors"2. look forward with great anticipation to watching the Ryder Cup every two years3. yearn to attend a golf tournament in person and follow one of the unknown fringe players from hole to holeJohn Feinstein lived with, dined with, traveled with, caddied for, and spent 100% of his time with a dozen golfers over the course of an entire season. This book describes what goes on in the minds of the very best pro golfers as well as amateurs struggling to make it onto the tour. You do not have to be a golfer or a fan of the game to really enjoy this book.
—Bill Varon
Many people don't realize this, but there was a professional golf tour BEFORE Tiger Woods appeared in 1997. This book covers a great deal of that era. I've always enjoyed John Feinstein's writing style, so I was able to tear through this volume, even though my relationship with golf was casual, at best, at the time. I would love to see an updated edition of this book, which would take place during the "post-Tiger Renaissance" of 1997-2009. I'm sure portions of this book will seem quaint these days, but it's still worth the time and effort.
—Cedric Hendrix
This book intensely describes a year on the Professional Golf Tour. It gives information on most of the players on the tour at the time and highlights about twenty individuals. One of the dissapointments for me has nothing to do with the quality of the book, but in the fleeting nature of sports icons. Almost all of the players discussed have now either retired, play the senior tour or have just moved on. This book was published just before the Tiger Woods era. The book has changed from a look at the inside of the PGA Tour to an insight to the tour of the mid-nineties. This is in spite of a update added in 2005 to bring the information current. There are many interesting sections on the likes of Watson, Daly, Gaydos, Norman, Els, Strange, Faldo, Price, Love, Couples, Palmer, Nicklaus and to the PGA, television coverage and the commisioners of the sport. Probably as good a book as there is on the character of the players and the tour made more entertaining by the author's personal insights.
—Chuck
