Rating: 
Summary: A superior lesson but little golf
Review: Don't get me wrong, I think this book was a great read for all those struggling golfers out there. However, after seeing the movie preview I assumed this book would contain more golf and less of a life lesson. The scenario is a small town gets to add their own champion into a tournament of three, including Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones. As the tournaments passes the mysterious Bagger Vance starts a long lesson in philosophy that at some points is well written and at others overdone. The lessons that Vance teaches seems to be the base of Buddism with various other unrelated view points. The story line of the golf tournament is a thrilling story but then is concluded by a predictable ending after the tournament. Overall I would reccomend this book for those interested in a philosophy or those extremely into the game of golf.
Rating:
Summary: WHO IS BAGGER VANCE? YOU DECIDE!!!
Review: I'm a sucker for wanting to read a book before seeing the movie and actually finished this one a few hours before I left for the theater. What I particularly enjoyed in my reading was being able to picture Matt Damon and Will Smith in the starring roles. For the first time ever, though, I enjoyed the movie more than the book. In reading through a number of Amazon reviews, I note that most of the 5 star reviews are given by those who love the game of golf even if it doesn't love them at times.I am not a golfer so I found all the paragraphs devoted to the perfect swing, the right club and every other minute nuance of golf to be quite boring and tedious. I did, however, enjoy the lessons on life taught by Bagger Vance to anyone who would listen. The overall story is good. In order to save Krewe Island Golf Club from going under during the depression, the owner comes up with the wonderful idea of having a first class golf match between professional golfers Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. Unfortunately, the founding fathers of this great Southern city of Savannah will not support it unless one of their own golfers gets to compete. They choose Rannulph Junah, who once was a great golfer in his own right -- before he went off to fight in the war and returned a troubled man who likes to drink heavily. He initially refuses to compete but Bagger Vance convinces him otherwise. He helps Rannulph to reconnect with his "authentic swing" -- the swing that is ours alone -- the swing that each person is born with. At this point I'm thinking that every golfer out there is loving this. But Bagger Vance's message is farther reaching than just finding your authentic swing. While you're there, find your authentic self -- the one you were born with before you were deluded by life's experiences. Throughout the book, you wonder if Bagger Vance is real or someone just sent here to help Junah through the match. Junah himself, in referring to Bagger, says in the book that "he was unable to assimilate his (Bagger's) wisdom or any wisdom. Nothing he said worked, then or later, except one single truth: the fact of his existance and of his love. That is all I needed then and all I will every need." Isn't this all any one person needs in life? And it is there for the taking. That is the message of Bagger Vance or whatever higher power you deem him to be. Do yourself a favor after reading this book -- go see the movie to continue your fascination with this character and your connection to a higher being.
Rating: 
Summary: WELL...MAYBE NOT.
Review: The title, THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE, is a very loose tie between the movie and this book. Beyond that, things get a little dicey and I am not sure that I can give the book the same rave reviews that I gave the movie. Well, actually, it's a lot easier than that. The book falls considerably short of what the movie became under the masterful touch of Robert Redford. Like his work on THE HORSE WHISPERER, Redford was able to make a movie that improves upon a book and get to the nugget of a great story, leaving out stuff that seems sometimes to ooze from the imagination of an author who gets too caught up in and excited about the supposed profoundness of his own story. In the end that's the real problem with THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE (the book). Pressfield, obviously an individual who feels much for the game of golf and its parallels with life, gets sucked into the out-of-control upward spiral of his awe for the game. He likely collapsed after writing several of the more revved up passages. It wasn't enough to call golf a game, Pressfield had to take the next step and try to build a case for golf as the basis for a lost and resurgent religion. Bagger Vance as a wild pagan god of war? Junah as a bizarre victim of what can best be described as Jack Nicklaus on a bummer trip? The golf swing--the Authentic Swing--as an essential component of and precursor to achieving a peaceful and happy existence? All way too weird and ethereal for me! But there are many redeeming factors to this book. Read chapter 11 with its descriptions of the golf swing as a metaphor. Read chapter 12 with its descriptions of the game in comparison to other sports and the sheer difficulty of the game. Read chapter 16 with its wonderful wordsmithing about the importance of a good grip, more on the game's difficulty and the individual nature of golf competition. Finally, the beginning paragraphs of chapter 20 speak briefly, but eloquently, about the need for a golfer to be keenly aware of the clubhead and the power that comes in the golf swing from a deliberately wide swing arc. Other than these references you are on your own. Rent of buy the movie and enjoy its simple but profound appreciation for golf as probably the greatest game ever devised by man and leave most of the book to the arena of too much information or, perhaps, to too much imagination.
Rating: 
Summary: Works on Many Different Levels
Review: The book begins modern day with an old doctor reminiscing about a great golf tournament that happened years ago in depression era Savannah, Georgia. Pressfield does wonders to set up the town and it many machinations. He creates a wonderful fictitious golf course and gives it a great deal of personality. You're just dying to play there. The old narrator was then a 10-year-old caddy assistant in that game for Rannulph Junah, the lesser known of three competitors. The other two were the golf legends Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. The tournament itself would be worth reading 500 pages for, but the real story is that of Junah's caddy Bagger Vance. Bagger Vance teaches Junah and us about life as it relates to golf. He explains the beauty of the golf swing and why it mirrors the beauty of life. As the novel unfolds we learn more about Vance than Junah, but you'll have to see that part for yourself. The nuances of golf are well-told. It obvious the author is an avid golfer himself. The conclusion of the golf tournament is also noteworthy in that it's surprising and yet reflects the inner meaning of the story as a whole. I think avid golfers will love the book. Others will enjoy it, but maybe not with the same passion.
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Summary: The Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita in a golf setting
Review: It's either funny or sad that none of the reviews I've read about this book, either in print or on Amazon, recognize the source of this story: the Indian epic, the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata is one of the greatest stories ever told - and the Bhagavad Gita is given smack dab in the middle of it. "The Legend of Bagger Vance" is a retelling of this epic, and a summary of the Bhagavad Gita, in a wonderful golf story. In the Mahabharata, Arjuna must fight a war against his step-brothers and cousins over possession of the kingdom. It is a righteous war, for he and his brothers are the heirs. But he refuses to fight, saying that war is futile and that it would be better to die than to fight one's family. So his charioteer, Lord Krishna, an incarnation of God, has to park the chariot and give him a really long lecture about why he should put aside his doubts, do his duty, and fight. Of course, it takes him the whole Bhagavad Gita to explain why this is a good thing to do, and it involves helping Arjuna understand who he really is, who God is, and what the nature of reality is. Along the way, he explains how to find peace in the midst of action, and to discover our true nature. The Bhagavad Gita explains how to find union with God in the midst of daily life, and "The Legend of Bagger Vance" gives a very readable restatement of how to live a truly authentic life (and play great "golf" - whatever your form of "golf" is). In "Legend," our hero, Rannulph Junah (R.Junah for those who like things spelled out) is a world-weary war veteran who is asked to play a game of golf with Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones. He reluctantly agrees, then tries to withdraw, saying that in a world torn apart by conflict and the Depression, it was futile, senseless, stupid, and insulting to hit a small dimpled ball around a course in yet one more form of combat. His caddy, Bagger Vance (Bhagavan, an honorific title for the Lord or for a spiritual master), then spends the rest of the story talking him through the 36-hole tournament, stripping away his confusion and delusion to help him find the truth of his Authentic Stroke and see the value of doing our inborn duty that life presents to us. Does he succeed? Can we? Read this fun story and find out! Afterwards, get Kamala Subramaniam's version of the "Mahabharata" and enjoy an even more interesting story.
Rating:
Summary: Overrated.
Review: This book reminds me of "Field of Dreams" in that both books (or films) inspired a sort of religious fervor among some readers/viewers. Look, this is only a fantasy story. Nothing more. It's fun to read historical fiction about Jones and Hagen, about golf and life in the '30's, etc. But let's not get carried away by the metaphysical stuff, okay?
Rating:
Summary: AMAZING!!!!
Review: This is one of those rare fiction books that you want to believe every word of and make last forever. Author Steven Pressfield has given the world a delightful classic which thanks to the phenomenal movie, should have a very long shelf life. Admittedly, the book takes a while to gain momentum, but once it does it grabs hold of you and won't let go until the last page. People who love the game of golf will really love this book and the lessons it offers on golf as a metaphor for life. I don't give many books 5 stars, however, this book actually deserves even more! Additionally, it can be reread many times and new messages appear that were previously overlooked. A real gem!
Rating:
Summary: Game of Life
Review: The Legend of Bagger Vance, an unbelievable historical fiction book by Steven Pressfield, is a mystical story that won't stop surprising you until the last word. It takes place in Savannah, Georgia in 1931, during the Great depression. The three main characters in the novel are Rannulph Junah, a troubled war hero and a hero to Savannah because of his golf, Hardy Greaves, the narrator of the story and a kid who is Junah's friend, and finally Bagger Vance, a mysterious fellow who always says unexplainable things.
There is to be a golf match between the two greatest golfers of the time: Bobby Jones and Walter Heagan, and also a local player, Rannulph Junah. Bagger Vance is Junah's caddie and he shows Hardy and Rannulph a secret that will change their lives forever. Readers will love this book because it is a fantasy as well as it is historical, and they can be reading and it is so suddenly so surprising that they lose their place in the book. This story is fantastic, suspenseful, serious, sad, and funny, so the readers will enjoy it very much no matter what style they like.
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Summary: Retelling the Bhagavad Gita
Review: Bagger Vance is actually an interpretation of the Indian classic, the Bhagavad Gita, which is essentially a long conversation between Arjuna (Get it --Arjuna -- Randolph Junah) and an avatar of the god Vishnu, masquerading as a Arjuna's charioteer. Here, Bagger Vance is the unassuming deity. Although the story involves golf, it actually follows the Gita's story line fairly closely. Some chapters are virtually lifted right out of the Gita, such as when Bagger Vance reveals his cosmic self. The edition I read, a paperback, made no mention of this connection, which surprised me, but explains why most, if not all, reviews miss the obvious connection. The Gita is revered in India but is not exactly on the top ten list in America -- had I not had a strange attachment to the Gita, I would never have seen the connection myself. An author by the name of Stephen J. Rosen has actually written a book about this, although I have not read it, and can't recommend it or not. Pressfield is a brilliant writer, who, I believe, had he written 30-40 years ago, would be even more highly acclaimed. Nevertheless, although the Gita connection interested me, I have to admit little else in the book did, excepting the riveting golf matches. Nonetheless, I highly recommend "Gates of Fire", Pressfield's retelling of the battle of Thermopylae, and "The Last of the Amazons", which may owe a small bit of gratitude to Xena (I can almost hear the author screeching upon reading that remark), but is a wonderous rendition of the world when myth was fading and history was taking shape. If Herodotus had written a novel, this would be it.
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Summary: Magical story of one man's redemption through golf.
Review: "The Legend of Bagger Vance" is a wonderful story of a damaged man's personal redemption through the magical game of golf. Rannulph Junah is a former golden boy who, in recent years, has been ravaged by demons that he cannot overcome. Junah was the pride of Savannah, Georgia. He was a good-looking young kid who was also a gifted golf player. He seemed to have every door open to him for his future. But, then he went off to fight during World War I. Apparently, he saw and experienced things during the war that left him shaken. When he returned to the states, he became a recluse who drowned his sorrows in alcohol. Fast-forwarding more than a decade shows Savannah as a thriving town with a brand new championship golf course. The denizens of Savannah desperately want to bring fame and notoriety to this new course. Therefore, they hatch a plan to have an exhibition tournament involving two of the biggest names in golf in that day, Bobby Jones (two years removed from golf's only grand slam and about to retire and go into practicing law... and building the Augusta National Golf Course) and Walter Hagen (a larger than life character who was always very engaging to the gallery). Because civic pride was on the line, the organizers wanted one of their own as a third member of this exhibition. After much debate, Junah was settled on as the most likely candidate to compete. Of course, Junah did not seek this 'honor', nor did he wish to endure the pressure that such a selection carried. Many of the townspeople were also concerned that Junah's erratic behavior over the previous decade could do more harm than good to the town's reputation.
Enter Bagger Vance, a mystical figure who seems be in Savannah for only one reason, to help Junah compete in this match and to help him overcome the demons that plague him. In a nod to Eastern philosophy, Vance helps Junah look within himself to find the answers and redemption he is looking for via 'the Authentic Swing'. The 'Authentic Swing' is both a metaphorical and a literal representation of a place in life that all men strive for where they are not burdened by demons and distractions and are able to achieve all it is that they seek. With Bagger Vance serving as his caddie, Junah embarks on the 36-hole odyssey of this golf match. Early on, every hole becomes a image of the demons that Junah battles and the hopes and disappointments of an entire town. As the match goes on, it becomes clear that each hole is not only a competition for the honor of Savannah, but also a deeply personal battle for Junah's soul. Does he win and find redemption? I dare not say in this review. If you have read the book, then you know the answer. For those of you who have not read this book, do so. It is not only the moving tale of Rannulph Junah, but also a metaphorical look at the battles all of us face.
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