4 comments about Tour '72.

1. I won't flame the book quite as severely as others have, however, I can only mildly recommend it for several reasons. While the book is a nice, cursory overview of the four majors in 1972, it does not, due to its brevity, fully engage the reader ala "A Duel In The Sun" at any one location. Indeed, the PGA is basically an afterthought (covering about 20 pages at the end) due, presumably, to Nicklaus' failure to win at Muirfield.
   
   There is a compelling story here, it is just not fully developed. Yes, there is poignancy to the rapid decline of Palmer; Yes, there is a strong central character in Nicklaus; Yes, Trevino leaps off the page as a charismatic, if troubled, star; Yes, Player is shown as a multi-dimensional man wrestling with the sins of his nation, but with a less than 300 page narrative, the book feels more like an appetizer than a main course.
   
   I will say that in comparison to "The Majors", John Feinstein's book about the 4 majors in 1998, this author made a better choice. Feinstein threw a dart at the wall, essentially hoping that year's majors would offer compelling story lines (they basically did not. O'Meara's two wins .. feh. Vijah at Sahalee ..yawn), whereas this book is written retrospectively with the full knowledge that GREAT story lines existed.
   
   Anyway, it's a shame the factual errors pointed out in other reviews were made (hopefully cleaned up for the paperback version), but otherwise, this is a good, quick read.



2. There are many problems with this book.
   1. Factual errors. Some have been pointed out by previous reviewers. Here are a couple more:
   - the difference between par and bogey was described as a "margin of two shots".
   - A player at the Masters was described as birdieing 14, 15, and then makings a putt for "his third birdie in a row on seventeen". Apparently he skipped 16.
   That's only a couple of mistakes, but add them to others I noticed plus others noticed by the previous reviewer, and this is a sloppy book.
   2. Redundancy. Twice we're told that Lee Elder expected an invitation to the Masters after winning the Nigerian Open. Twice we're given an account of Arnie blowing a 7-shot lead to Billy Casper at the '66 Open. I kept feeling that I'd lost my place in the book and accidentally started over on earlier pages. But it was just the author repeating himself for no apparent reason.
   3. Failed attempts to put the story into some sort of larger social context. The reader is treated (or subjected) to an endless stream of data -- much of it trivial -- about the societal events, politics, popular culture, economics, and non-golf sporting events of the era. The problem is that very little of it had anything to do with Nicklaus' pursuit of the Grand Slam, Palmer's waning career, Trevino's exploits, etc. The problem seems to be that the author couldn't get a book-length story out of the golf alone, so he padded (and padded, and padded) with extraneous stuff that is irrelevant to the story he's trying to tell.
   4. White liberal guilt. This is of course a virtual epidemic among sportswriters and other media types today. They pat themselves on the back, showing how unbiased they are by pointing out how biased other people are. So we find that Bobby Jones was racist, the Masters is racist, Gary Player was racist, Jack Nicklaus -- well, not sure about him but he was a privileged country club kid and that's pretty much the same as being racist. Again, little of this is relevant to the '72 season of Nicklaus, Trevino, et al, but by writing about it at length the author is able to show what a good, non-racist guy he is (and also pad the book some more to meet his word quota).
   5. Unoriginality. Something occurred to me in reading this: I believe the author might have been able to write it without ever leaving his office. Most of the information in it can be "Googled". Most of the rest is author's musings or conclusions. It's hard to find evidence of much real research or subject interviewing. In other words, it may be somewhat more sophisticated than a student paper that just regurgitates facts found in encyclopedias and magazine articles -- but not by much.
   Overall -- the book doesn't do justice to the players or the events of that great golf season.



3. What Roger Kahn did for the legendary Brooklyn Dodgers of the mid-1950s, Michael D'Antonio does for the heros and anti-heros of the 1972 PGA tour, a year as important in golf history as the days of Jackie Robinson were to the Dodgers.

   Today, with the game, or at least media attention on the game, dominated by a single player, it's hard to imagine that there was a Tour of '72, dominated by Nicklaus, Palmer, Player and Trevino - all competing in a single season.

   A writer who can find the excitement in any subject, from the sex life of mosquitos to the intricacies of a good backswing, D'Antonio's own passion for golf comes shinning through in the Tour '72 just as it did in his earlier Tin Cup Dreams.

   Anyone who cares about the game of golf and the game's legendary players will want to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon with Tour '72 - and will re-read this gem again and again.




4. I started reading this book with anticipation but it quickly became obvious it was a shallow (and over-priced!) effort with many mistakes that detracted from the story. Who did the proofreading anyway? Gene Littler did NOT win the US Open in 1960, Arnie did (p 136). Muirfield is 20 miles east of Edinburgh, NOT 20 miles west (p 187). Doug Sanders lost the British Open playoff to Jack in 1970 NOT 1971 (p 202), etc. Also, attempting to follow a golfer's progress through their rounds is very difficult as the narrative does not always equate to relation to over/under par. One of 4 main combatants, Arnold Palmer, is not even mentioned in the British Open summary until AFTER the tournament has ended (ie Palmer finished 8 strokes back). Gary Player is ignored quite a lot throughout the book also (I had to doublecheck to make sure he did play in the 1972 British Open) This book was obviously rushed to print - the writing style and accuracy level, or lack thereof, provide sufficient evidence of a lack of organization and lack of attention to detail. Overall, a very disappointing effort that had so much more potential.

2 comments about Who's Better, Who's Best in Golf?.

1. Kalb's books rank the greatest athletes in their sport, and this time he tackles golf. The Nicklaus chapter is priceless, and while I'm still not sure if he should be ranked ahead of Ben Hogan and behind Tiger, I enjoy Kalb's viewpoint. It's hard not to enjoy a book that stirs debates like this one does. You can't believe the pictures that are included in the center of the book. Some are stirring, some are humorous. This book has everyone it should...including great old golfers like Middlecoff, Demaret, and the like. Sam Snead fourth all-time? Ahead of Bobby Jones and Arnold Palmer?



2. I've bought both of Kalb's previous books and while he's enraged me with some of his opinions, he has also intrigued and entertained me. I think his golf book is his best yet. It's more readerly and isn't as bulky as the other two. I found myself wanting to take in all of the entries. His pick of five female golfers was quite interesting and rounded out the book. Great photos by the way. Some real fun stuff!

5 comments about Somewhere in Ireland A Village is Missing an Idiot.

1. The book is great. Feherty's an Idiot like Columbo was stupid! His writing is genuine, refreshing and entertaining; IF you like stories about golf and golfers, which I do. Feherty may not have been much of a golfer, by his own admission, but he is a natural when it comes to writing.



2. If Feherty cracks you up from time to time with his bizarre musings during his job as a TV golf analyst, expect more of the same, except in the book, he doesn't have to worry about the FCC. I laughed out loud at times, and at least snickered at others. Totally politically incorrect and worth the read.



3. I just read the first two chapters and have been laughing out loud! He has amazing creativity and is truly a wordsmith. Well worth the price paid. I hope Feherty continues to write more books because they keep getting funnier!



4. I only recently picked up on David Feherty and his writing. Being on the far side of the Pacific from where he plies his trade sets me back as to the happenings off the green in the golf world by, well, years. I found this one book helpful not only with catching up on golf in general, but also in getting aquainted with Mr. Feherty and his pen.

   Most I think will go after this book because they want to see "the lighter side of golf". As anyone who has read this book or regularly looks at the column itself can tell you, this is off-color humor that is best taken in small amounts over a vast period of time. Not that there are any boring segments (some are less interesting than others, but none outright boring), but rather the parade of gradeschool humor that is presented in just about every other chapter can be wearing.

   What will likely keep a reader coming back (perhaps once a week at most) is that he is a fairly good writer. Containing selections from his column over the past five years and more does carry the trap of repition in phrases and cliche, but this isn't tiring in the least. He is very capable of retelling stories better than most in the sports world. His "letters" do tend to wear on one's patience at times, however.

   If you are a David Feherty fan, you will want to have this to glance through to get you through a gloomy day.




5. To many people, golf is a tradition-rich sport, governed by stuffy, upper-class men with little or no sense of humor. For people who play golf, there is another side of the game: the funny, raunchy, and sometimes obscene area where most weekend duffers spend their golfing lives and many professionals spend much of their off-camera time. David Feherty is a member of the latter group, and has collected a group of his Golf Digest articles to make this book.

   Feherty is a former professional golfer who now works as a commentator for CBS Sports, and has spent various portions of his career in various locales, both mainstream and remote. His tales of life on the Safari Tour and on the European Tour are priceless stories of anonymous toil in golf backwaters told as only Feherty can tell them. He skewers many in his stories, from the golf establishment to frequent partner Gary McCord, mercilessly, while reserving the most embarassing stories for himself. This self-deprecating humor is certainly endearing and makes for some of the best reading in the book.

   Also included are great articles which display the emotional side of golf from an insider's perspective, from the patriotic fervor of Davis Cup competitors to the grief felt by the whole tour at the loss of Payne Stewart.

   As some reviewers have mentioned, the humor in this book tends to focus on bodily functions. If gas jokes offend you, then this is not the book for you. If they don't, then get ready for some great golf writing and absolute hilarity, Feherty-style.

3 comments about I Remember Payne Stewart: Personal Memories of Golf Most Dapper Golfer by the People Who Knew Him Best.

1. Payne Stewart was a gifted professional golfer, a loving father, devoted husband, loyal friend, and a man of faith. On October 25, 1999, a plane on its way to Texas and carrying five people, crashed in a pasture in a remote area of South Dakota. The pilot and all of the passengers, including Payne Stewart, died. When he died, Stewart was enjoying his greatest year as a professional golfer as current defender of the U.S. Open, a member of the Ryder Cup Championship team, and the winner of the AT&T Celebrity Pro-Am in Pebble Beach. His silky golf swing and his knickers with a tam-o-shanter perched upon his head were all familiar trademarks of his colorful golfing persona. I Remember Payne Stewart is a tribute to his legacy as a golfer and as a human being through the comments, memories and anecdotes offered by relatives, college buddies, fellow golfers, sports reporters, and more. I Remember Payne Stewart is a striking and memorable collection of personal memories by those who knew him best and a "must read" for all Stewart fans who followed his golf course accomplishments with great enthusiasm for the man and the game.



2. Very superficial. Not nearly the depth of the authorized biography.



3. Fantastic treatment of this golf icon. And so timely. Couldn't recommend it more highly.

1 comments about Life and Times of Bobby Jones.

1. Any one from recent generations wanting to learn about Bobby Jones needs to get this book. You will learn of Jones the golfer, family man, gentleman, academic, and lawyer. Jones was a winner in golf and life but never waivered from his philosophy of "playing it as it lies". A collection of stories and photos unmatched in other Jones biographies. The manner in which Jones dealt with his success, and then his disabling illness is a lesson for all.

2 comments about 50 Greatest Golfers : A Celebration of the All-Time Best.

1. A terrific book that features striking photographs of current PGA Tour players and players dating back to the mid-19th century. Extremely well-written and informative, this book really gives you an overview of golf history through the descriptions of the 50 greatest players and their importance to the game of golf. The book includes a great chapter on Tiger Wood's mental abilities.



2. The selection of the top 50 golfers is thought-provoking, particularly with Tiger Woods selected above Jack Nicklaus as No. 1. This book really does celebrate the greatest golfers in history and provides detailed information on each one. The chapters on Tiger and the Palmer/Player/Nicklaus era are extremely informative and well-written. The photography and graphic presentation are exceptional, from the modern color photos to some great black-and-white shots that date to the 19th century. A great addition to anyone's golf library, from the expert to the casual fan.

1 comments about Tiger Woods: The Grandest Slam.

1. This is a collection of articles and photos from the press covering Tiger Woods during the 4 continous major wins in 2000-2001. Though worth a reading, would recommend only for Tiger fans.

5 comments about The Old Man and the Tee: How I Took Ten Strokes Off My Game and Learned to Love Golf All Over Again.

1. I really enjoyed reading this book. It is not a "how to book" about improving your game, though the author does delve into the mechanics of how he improves. To give away a bit of the book, you need to take a year off and really practice a whole lot, and make sure you get top notch instruction while you do it. Read the book to learn about the highs and lows of the author on his journey to his final destination, not as another golf mechanics manual.



2. This book should make you laugh and cry. A great read that moves along fast. In my case I had to slow myself down. I wanted to jump ahead to the final chapter to see what happened. Being a golfer I would have liked more details on the final round at Pebble Beach.
   All in all a very enjoyable book.



3. I'm a huge golfer, but not a big golf book reader. When I picked this book up I thought it would be boring, like most of the golf books. I was pleasantly surprised at how quick I was enthralled with the book and the humor in it. Not only funny, but I could really relate to this book and feel like I'm standing right next to him while he is telling the story. It is a great read and I recommend to give to the golfer in your life. It is truly a joy to read.



4. First of all, I enjoyed this book as a golfer. To be honest, I expected that when I bought it. But maybe even more, I enjoyed this book as a son and as a father. Mr. Pipkin has made my Christmas shopping easy this year; I'm giving his book to every guy I know who loves his golf and his father. Or his son, for that matter. And right now, I'm reading it all over again...



5. When it comes to instruction books and equipment, golfers will buy anything that lays claim to being able to improve their game. (See: Roy McAvoy, "Tin Cup".) Pipkin doesn't claim to improve his readers' games except by extension, since he tells us how he took 10 strokes off his own handicap in one year of concentrated lessons, practice, and travel to the great golf locations of three continents. Trouble is, who among us mere sloggers could cobble together such a year's schedule without the leverage of a decent reputation as a golf writer and the promise of a mention (or, in some cases, a paean) in a soon-to-be-published golf best seller?
   Pipkin is up front about the custom Calloways and the Ledbetter lessons he gets in return for singing the praises of these golfing ultimates, and somewhat less so for the 30-odd other product placements (not including all the courses)that jump off the pages in what pretty quickly becomes an off-putting kind of way. He generously shares the lesson tips he gets (why not - they cost him nothing) but the golfer who trys to digest, much less apply, all the instruction points will find himself or herself hopelessly muddled.
   Never mind all that. The book has some good golf stories and is, in large part, an instruction book with a lot of advice on what equipment can do, and if you're a golfer, you know what that means. Buy it.

1 comments about The Scrapbook of Old Tom Morris.

1. Old Tom Morris lived to the age of eighty-seven, witnessing, and being a major part of, the development of a sport which is now played all over the world (and once on the moon). It is therefore extraordinary that this seems to be the only book dedicated to his life; or even to this time in golf's history. Prior to this publication, the exceptional characters of the time - Old Tom Morris, Willie Park, Allan Robertson, Young Tom Morris - have merited only the occasional paragraph in golfing encyclopedia.

   Compiled as an actor's stage prop - from sources including the golfer's actual book of cuttings - it has the feel of a genuine, beautifully bound scrapbook: its not-quite chronological order, happy-accident compilation seems the sort of thing someone would put together in their spare time. This adds enormously to the book's appeal - starkly setting out a man's life in cuttings and photographs, with no explanatory notes, proves very moving.

   Though this fresh approach to biography allows the reader to interpret material free of the bias normally brought by the author, it also means it is free of any correction: the original authors of the clippings would, no doubt, have their own agenda, as would the person collecting the material. Another disadvantage of this format is that it lacks a social context: sporting event takes precedence, leaving the world around relatively unimportant (reading 'A Century of the Scottish People 1830-1950' T C Smout, would help the reader fill this gap). This book gives the initial impression that the golfing professional was a rich man of high status, which runs contrary to other sources which suggest that he was not welcome within clubhouses, and that much of his income was reliant on club and ball making; his wealthy backers being the main benificiaries of his golfing talent.

   These points aside, the book contains a huge amount of information which will keep anyone interested in history and/or golf fascinated for years. I would suggest you find a comfortable chair, pour a generous glass of whisky (28 year old Springbank as a preference), open a page of this book at random and look back one hundred and fifty years at the pioneers who look exactly like their contemporaries in the wild west, except rifles are replaced by golf clubs.

No comments about Johnny Goodman: The Last Amateur Golfer to Win the United States Open.