Chasing Tiger

Rating:
Summary: Chasing Tiger by Curt Sampson
Review: A very enjoyable read....as usual, I hated for Curt Sampson's book to be over!

Rating:
Summary: Tiger as a Seismic Event
Review: Beyond the aggrandizing sports articles and simplistic examinations of Tiger's stroke or sheer ability lies the story of his effect on the PGA.
Woods has changed golf the same way an eathquake can change a small, extraordinarily inclusive, community.
The landscape is different. Familar direction markers no longer exist and are replaced by new totems of accomplishment and mountains of greatness.
Instead of toeing the party line of Tiger's perfection Sampson examines Tiger's effect on the PGA community.
Anyone curious about the innerworkings of the PGA, with all its glory, success, and abject drudgery, should READ THIS BOOK.
Anyone interested in Tiger Woods and his permanent effect on golf SHOULD READ THIS BOOK.
This book tells you what he has done to the game and how the playing field has changed for every single player who picks up a club.

Rating:
Summary: Wait for the paperback -- if at all.
Review: I have enjoyed Sampson's writing in the past, but this book disappointed. As advertised, it really is a book about the chasing of Tiger Woods -- by competitors, fans and media. One can enjoy the "behind the scenes" looks at the tour, and if you are interested in Charles Howell III, you will get a bunch of info here. I felt the book headed off in too many directions, the metaphors were WAY overblown, and the lack of focus was frustrating. If you are interested in the peripheral insights to be gained, or simply love Sampson -- wait for the paperback!

Rating:
Summary: Wait for the paperback -- if at all.
Review: I have enjoyed Sampson's writing in the past, but this book disappointed. As advertised, it really is a book about the chasing of Tiger Woods -- by competitors, fans and media. One can enjoy the "behind the scenes" looks at the tour, and if you are interested in Charles Howell III, you will get a bunch of info here. I felt the book headed off in too many directions, the metaphors were WAY overblown, and the lack of focus was frustrating. If you are interested in the peripheral insights to be gained, or simply love Sampson -- wait for the paperback!

Rating:
Summary: Perception vs. Reality...Tiger Woods
Review: I loved this book!...whatcha see is not usually whatcha get on the PGA tour...Curt Sampson has captured the reality of Pro Golf, which is not seen on network TV or The Golf Channel. As a former PGA Tour caddy I can vouch for the fact that while the TV cameras are rolling these guys put on a good show but off-stage they won't give you the time of day...Curt Sampson has the inside track on what really happens inside the ropes on the PGA Tour and he shares it with all of us...Tiger, Phil, Charles Howell III...nobody is immune from criticism...and that's the way it should be...after all... aren't golfers people like you and me?...a good book...fast read...and right on the money...Capt. Randy Brown

Rating:
Summary: Ho hum, more of the same
Review: I read this book on a plane from San Diego to Houston. When someone asked me the next day what I had learned the only thing I could remember is that Tiger paid off ex girlfriend to keep her mouth shut. He profiles some of the lesser known players like Frank Liklitter and Charles Howell but people who buy this book thinking they will learn more about Tiger will be disappointed. The current issue of Travel & Leisure Golf with Tiger on the cover is much more interesting.

Rating:
Summary: Ho hum, more of the same
Review: I read this book on a plane from San Diego to Houston. When someone asked me the next day what I had learned the only thing I could remember is that Tiger paid off ex girlfriend to keep her mouth shut. He profiles some of the lesser known players like Frank Liklitter and Charles Howell but people who buy this book thinking they will learn more about Tiger will be disappointed. The current issue of Travel & Leisure Golf with Tiger on the cover is much more interesting.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read!
Review: I read this book straight through! "Chasing Tiger" is not yet another Tiger Woods biography, but an inside look at Tiger Woods through the eyes of other professional golfers, groupies, media people, caddies, etc..Curt Samspon tells a truthful, and sometimes shocking, account of what it's like to be on the tour with Tiger. This is a great book, not just for golf fans, but for anyone who is interested in more than what they read on the sports page. Curt Sampson has great style, and you should read this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read!
Review: I read this book straight through! "Chasing Tiger" is not yet another Tiger Woods biography, but an inside look at Tiger Woods through the eyes of other professional golfers, groupies, media people, caddies, etc..Curt Samspon tells a truthful, and sometimes shocking, account of what it's like to be on the tour with Tiger. This is a great book, not just for golf fans, but for anyone who is interested in more than what they read on the sports page. Curt Sampson has great style, and you should read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Not a good effort by Sampson
Review: I was VERY disappointed by this book. Curt Sampson usually writes very picturesque books that make me feel like I am seeing the world through the subject's eyes and that I am right there at tournaments, watching breathlessly. This is a very rushed effort for what should have been a terrific subject. I feel like Sampson had a hard time getting an understanding of Tiger Woods, the golfer and the person. He also seemed to have a hard time getting in touch with anyone else close enough to Tiger in skill level or in friendship who was willing or interested in discussing the issue. Instead, there were uninteresting conversations of no substance with some second-tier players. If the point was to demonstrate that he is a hard subject to get close to, writing a book to show it was a bad decision. This project should have been scrapped at the point when this was realized. Curt Sampson is going to have to come back with a spectacular book next in order to recover from this disaster.