Rating: 
Summary: A Great Golf Book
Review: If you are really into golf, you will love this book. It has a lot of insight into what makes golf so addictive, as well as many first hand accounts of what it's like on golf mini-tours. The author explores what it is that separates the very good golfer (under 5 handicap), from the tour player. In the process, he examines, in a way that most golf nuts can relate to, why golf has the attraction it does.Reading this book was validating, fascinating, and entertaining. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Golf Book
Review: If you are really into golf, you will love this book. It has a lot of insight into what makes golf so addictive, as well as many first hand accounts of what it's like on golf mini-tours. The author explores what it is that separates the very good golfer (under 5 handicap), from the tour player. In the process, he examines, in a way that most golf nuts can relate to, why golf has the attraction it does. Reading this book was validating, fascinating, and entertaining. I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: The Fine Green Line--A fine read
Review: In a genre of books that use the meme of golf as a placeholder for personal self-disovery, this one stands out for several reasons. First, the writer-cum-golfer is reasonably proficient to at least begin to play the first stage of professional golf (the mini-tours). Second, he is painfully honest, if not embarassingly so, in revealing his "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory" brand of self-immolation on the golf course, a rite all amateurs have experienced many times. Finally, this book is distinguished by the fact that the writer is first, and foremost, a writer by profession and not a golfer who dearly wants to write for a living. Although I love golf dearly and play at every opportunity, so much of what passes for writing about golf is, quite frankly stultifyingly boring. John Paul Newport is not a great golfer, at times he is less than good, but he is a good writer and my attention never lagged throughout this book. He is especially good when he reveals some of the characters and personalities of those "also rans" on the mini-tours, great golfers in their own right who will never see the light of day on network TV. This is an honest book and well written, two things that rarely come in conjunction when the written word meets professional sports.
Rating:
Summary: The Fine Green Line--A fine read
Review: In a genre of books that use the meme of golf as a placeholder for personal self-disovery, this one stands out for several reasons. First, the writer-cum-golfer is reasonably proficient to at least begin to play the first stage of professional golf (the mini-tours). Second, he is painfully honest, if not embarassingly so, in revealing his "snatch defeat from the jaws of victory" brand of self-immolation on the golf course, a rite all amateurs have experienced many times. Finally, this book is distinguished by the fact that the writer is first, and foremost, a writer by profession and not a golfer who dearly wants to write for a living. Although I love golf dearly and play at every opportunity, so much of what passes for writing about golf is, quite frankly stultifyingly boring. John Paul Newport is not a great golfer, at times he is less than good, but he is a good writer and my attention never lagged throughout this book. He is especially good when he reveals some of the characters and personalities of those "also rans" on the mini-tours, great golfers in their own right who will never see the light of day on network TV. This is an honest book and well written, two things that rarely come in conjunction when the written word meets professional sports.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, amusing book
Review: It's an entertaining, easy, fun to read book. Funny parts, poignant parts, interesting and insightful parts on the nature of golf and the professionals who dream to play the game well. The author writes skillfully, hinting that he writes better than indicated in the book. He falls into that trap of many a golf writer, writing down to an imagined audience of dumb golf nuts. Give the numbskull run of the mill non-literate golfer the quick easy non-challenging golf book they want...after all that's what'll sell. For this reason, I'd have to say that while JP Newport is a great mass-market golf writer, he's unlikely to generate a prose style within the category of a GREAT one. Fun book!
Rating:
Summary: This book was written by a true golf nut
Review: It's great to read a book that affirms there are other people out there as obsessed with golf as me.
Rating:
Summary: The Quest
Review: John Paul Newport's wonderful tale about his pursuit of excellence in the game of golf shows great insight into everyone's desire for success and the consequent self esteem that accompanies it. An adventure from beginning to end, in its reading we learn much about the game, about John and, hopefully, about ourselves.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful and fun read
Review: Like John Newport I once shot a round under par but have never found it again. Since then I have searched for the mystical zone but nada. Even if not too many of us can afford to take a yr off to see how good we can get... this book gives us a brutal but honest glimpse into what our fate would most probably be if we tried. The secret maybe you have to be born with a little talent but we can never make ourselves believe that in this day and age of unlikely persons overcoming obstacles. I found the book very well written and an easy read. I would recommend it to any serious golfer.
Rating:
Summary: An Interesting Peek Inside a Dream and a Sport
Review: Most of us who love the game of golf - and "love" is a word used deliberately here - would love to have had the game, the courage and the imagination to do what John Paul Newport did - put his life on hold for a year and test his game and himself to better understand both. I have, as an interested observer, hung around a fair amount of the kinds of tournaments that JP played in during that year described in the book, as an observer. I have seen some interesting talents and even more interesting characters. They are people you will probably never see on the PGA Tour, but you would die for some of their abilities as golfers. What keeps them in the hinterlands of the golf tours is "The Fine Green Line" which Newport describes with grace, insight and humor. This is an interesting and highly entertaining insight into the tournament game, the game of golf itself and how it blends into one's life. I recommend it without hesitation to those who find the game to have a compelling fascination, regardless of your own personal talents.
Rating: 
Summary: Good read but less than inspiring
Review: Mr. Newport is certainly a golfer of the caliber I would like to attain and an even better writer! After reading this book I realized he must have been a definite wizard with the English language for me not to walk away from his never ending self defeating diatribe, nothing very inspiring thank you. He does however not blame anything else than himself for his performances (a conclusion definitely not along the lines of his political beliefs) and does not preach equalizing legislation! This is not an inspiring book for golfers. There are never-ending descriptions of hooks, slices, missed putts and rounds in the 80's. I do admire the respect and endorsement he received from his direct family. But all in all I feel more like I sponsored his trek by purchasing his book then anything I will ever get out of it. Then again I'm the only one responsible for my actions.
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