The Greatest Golf Stories Ever Told

Rating:
Summary: An ace of an anthology
Review: I don't know what it is about golf, but the sport has certainly teed off on some terrific writing, and this book has found alot of it -- some old friends and some real surprises. Its contents range from the past to the present and includes journalism, memoirs and fiction. Who knew that Rube Goldberg and AA Milne wrote about golf? The selections by them are priceless. There are hilarious stories from Dan Jenkins, Bud Shrake, Gary McCord (he actually writes as funny as he comments on the air), and P.G. Wodehouse, plus the best golf short story I've ever read -- "Mr. Frisbie" by Ring Lardner. There's a lyrical essay by John Updike, and a bittersweet selection about how much other than golf a woman has to think about on the course by the great '20s champion Glenna Collett Vare. There are also stories about memorable tournaments (including an unforgettable look at the satellite tours), great golfers (Nicklaus, Palmer, etc.), and great golfing rascals (Titanic Thompson). And, my favorite of all, there's a terriffic piece -- from the 1800s -- that shows how little the crazy mind of the golfer has changed, and the guy who wrote it later became prime minister of England. That's the kind of unexpected treat that makes every story in this book worth savoring. Unless, of course, you're lucky enough to be out on the course actually playing the game.

Rating:
Summary: Fore!
Review: Thank goodness -- a golf book that doesn't try to cure my slice or promise me I'll hit longer. I found the stories in this anthology aimed, instead, for the head and the heart, and that's where the best part of the game is generally played. It's a perfect gift for any golfer.

Rating:
Summary: Golf tales as smart as they are fun
Review: There is much to recommend here -- wonderful writing and wonderful stories throughout -- but there's one alone that's worth the entire green fee. It's a breathtaking account, written by a POW who became a noted golf writer, of a group of British and American flyers shot down and captured by the Nazis in World War II who actually set up a golf course and played the game in a German POW camp. It's an unbelievably stirring testament either to the sturdiness of the human spirit or the obsessive mania of us golfers. You'll want to read it again and again.