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Summary: In the Shoes of a Professional Golfer
Review: I found this book to be vintage Feinstein (like his other classics: "Season on the Brink" and "A Good Walk Spoiled".) He has a rare and incredible ability to put you into the mind of the professional golfer and feel the intensity of the tour. I would recommend this book to both golf devotees and anyone with an interest in learning more about the pressures of the PGA.
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Summary: Possibly Feinstein's Best and that's saying a lot.
Review: I have been reading John Feinstein since the publication of his great book on Bob Knight.While that has remained my favorite Feinstein, this book "The Majors" is, at least, its equal. Admittedly the PGA gets short shrift in page count, but The Masters gets nearly half the book. I loved every page and it left me wanting more. One would only hope that Mr. Feinstein is writing a book about the 1999 Ryder Cup. I would love to have that one too! Don't miss this book!
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Summary: Gets you inside the golfers' heads
Review: I once had the opportunity to tell the famous sports author, Roger Kahn (of "Boys of Summer" fame) that for some reason, baseball and golf seem to bring out excellent writing by top authors. For some reason, these two sports (as opposed to the others) spawn very fine literature. Well, John Feinstein showed how truly literate golf wrting can be in "A Good Walk Spoiled" and he does it again in "The Majors." Rather than merely cover the events, he gets into the psyche of the golfers involved. This book does much more than merely cover the four major tournaments in men's professional golf. It makes you feel as though you are in the locker room with the major actors. It makes you feel that you are walking side by side with them on the course. The 1998 golf season was particularly exciting, as demenstrated by Mark O'Meara's wins in the Masters & British Open, and Lee Janzen's miraculous victory as he overcame Payne Stewart in the final round of the US Open. Feinstein captures all of the excitement, not just from the fans' perspective but from that of the players too. This is a really fine sports book.
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Summary: Bland and uncritical, gee-whiz reporting to the hilt
Review: I was quite disappointed with this book of Feinstein. But to be completely fair about it, it may not be this book per se, but simply that I have grown tired of Mr. Feinstein's writing style. I admire Mr. Feinstein's work as being extremely well-researched, and I enjoy his occasional appearances in the ESPN Sports Reporters show. In that Sunday morning show, he is forced to be much more critical and opinionated than he is in this or any other of his books. I wished he could have used some of the edge from his book on tennis to apply to this book. Even some of the humor of "A Good Walk Spoiled" would have been appreciated. But this book is simply a reporting of what happened at each of the 1998 Majors. In Feinstein's opinion, everybody with any connection whatsoever with the PGA or any golf tournament is a fantastic person, a veritable saint. Even John Daly comes across as a wonderful person. That last treatment is extremely disappointing as the author grew up in a family beset by alcoholism, and knows full well what an alcoholic can do to destroy his/her family. Feinstein really blows it on Daly, who as recent events have shown, cares only about the bottle. The only person who gets criticized is Matt Kuchar's father. Feinstein knows full well about the business deals, the multiple conflicts of interest, the interesting political views of the people he talks about. He quotes often about the players complaining of the grueling schedules of the golfers, yet he never questions the greed behind many of these commitments. I was hoping for an even-handed treatment of the subject manner. Not a book that criticizes everybody, but neither one that praises everyone. Unfortunately, by being so uncritical, the book became dull rather quickly and while informative, it wastes Feinstein's superb writing skills.
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Summary: Feinstein - Another Awesome Book
Review: I'll admit it, John Feinstein is my favorite author. I buy every book of his in hardcover immediately upon publication. This book focuses on the story-within-the-story aspect of the 4 major championships played every year. Anyone can state the events that happens, Feinstein does that, but surrounds it with personal stories involving the golfers, as well as historical perspective. You will enjoy this book tremendously even if you are not passionate about golf.
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Summary: Sequel Syndrome?
Review: I'm not sure if it happened to Feinstein, but this book wasn't nearly as good as A Good Walk Spoiled. Nevertheless, it is very similar in that Feinstein again gets up close and personal with more of the PGA Tour's brightest stars, including the Tiger. Again, Feinstein writes appealingly well, and knows no equal in this field. Definitely read A Good Walk Spoiled either before or instead of this one, however.
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Summary: Not up to par for Feinstein.... nothing new to say.
Review: If you are a golf fan you know how it ends. The book is not as entertaining or as enlightening as A Good Walk Spoiled. Unfortunately he spends too much space on the US Open and Masters and seems to rush through The Open. Overly focussed on US golfers with next to nothing on the capable players from the European tour. Gushy fan stuff for the most part, though I did enjoy reading about the asshole grouping at the US Open.
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Summary: Kirkus Reviews: "Solid and respectable, if unspectacular"
Review: If you love golf and its diverse personalities, you will enjoy this book. Feinstein is a brilliant journalist who really understands his subjects. His frequent player biographies are very well done, and make for great reading. The books only weakness is that Feinstein is not a writer. His pacing is excellent (the opening piece on Sunday at The Masters 1998 is perfectly executed), but he does not have an ear for the language.
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Summary: A note for the curious
Review: if you love golf, read this book. feinstein is a great journalist. a note for the curious: in feinstein's book, he qoutes faxon speculating that augusta greens might be as fast as 16 on the stimp-meter. feinstein seems to doubt this, but inside knowledge has it that 16 is about as good a guess as one could make.
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Summary: Another Top-notch Feinstein Work
Review: If you've read "A Good Walk Spoiled," you have to follow it up with this Feinstein gem. He once again takes you inside the game like no one else can. Feinstein puts a great deal of focus on the men behind the Masters, and gives you a good idea of the pressure at the U.S. Open. You also see that most Americans who put the British Open a step below the first two majors are clearly uninformed about what major championship golf is all about. Finally, you realize that the PGA is the least important of the four majors, searching to find an identity to distinguish itself. Some of the more interesting storylines are the close detail in which Fred Couples' season was followed, the improvement in Payne Stewart's attitude, the unbelievably rock-hard nerves of U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen, and the love the Brits showed Open qualifier Larry Mize. However, the most intriguing information comes from the in depth discussion of the career of David Duval. Before I read the book, I despised Duval and thought he was nothing but an arrogant jerk. However, after reading the book, I came to respect him for his no excuses attitude. Overall, I obviously recommend that anyone who follows the PGA tour read this masterpiece.
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