No comments about Peter Alliss' - A Golfer's Travels.

No comments about Golf Stars of Today (Golf Legends).

2 comments about Fairways and Dreams: Twenty-Five of the World's Greatest Golfers and the Fathers Who Inspired Them.

1. While reading Fairways and Dreams, I can't help but let my eyes fill with tears when learning the stories of such golf greats as Payne Stewart and Amy Alcott. Their determination and drive to succeed inspires me. It's nice to read about amateurs as well, and I was happy to read Beth Bauers' story. I was privledged enough to see her play in several tournaments over the past few years (being a native of Florida) and I must say, she has turned into such a beautiful, accomplished young woman. Her father clearly taught her well. Beth is one of those people whom you know is just special. I think this book helps give others an idea of the talent these people hold,an insight as to who they are, and most importantly,it tells us all about the wind that will always be beneath their wings.



2. For me, reading a book about golf normally wouldn't have sparked my intrest, but I couldn't put this one down. I especially liked the part about the 18 year old phenom Elizabeth Bauer. She is my daughters hero. My husband passed away last year and he was teaching my daughter the game, and she was crushed. They were best friends. I saw this book in a store and bought it for my daughter and she became Elizabeth Bauer's biggest fan. I think the book really helped her to see that she can still make their dream come true. Now of course she wants to play for Duke University! Thank you Micheal Azurish for writing this wonderful book. It was nice for my daughter to read about famous people like Payne Stewart and see how they made it, and soon to be stars like Bauer. Thank you so much, a Five star book, Kerri and Kammi from North Carolina.

No comments about Golfing with the Swans: and other strange and wonderful tales from Lost Ball Country Club.

No comments about TIGER WOODS: THE CHAMPIONSHIP YEARS.

No comments about Golf: The Legends of the Game.

No comments about Fangio: The Life Behind the Legend.

1 comments about The Fairway Game.

1. The Fairway Game is a superb anthology of great finishes and comebacks in the game of golf. Legendary final rounds are presented by some of the best sports writers to cover the game, such as Grantland Rice on Bobby Jones at the 1923 US Open; Herbert Warren Wind on Tom Watson's improbable chip that won the 1982 Open; Robert Sommers on Johnny Miller's dramatic Open victory in 1973 Tim Rosaforte on Tiger Woods' triumphant Masters in 1997. A few equally legendary collapses are noted, such as Jeff Rude on the horrific '99 British Open performance of Jean Van de Velde. The airway Game is further enhanced for the golf enthusiast by pieces from Red Smith, Wilfred Sheed, Alistair Cooke, John Feinstein, John Updike, and others. The Fairway Game is a literary and historical monument to some of the great triumphs and tragedies the game has ever known and highly recommended reading for anyone who has ever held a club or watched the masters play.

No comments about Greg Norman: The Biography.

5 comments about Q School Confidential: Inside Golf's Cruelest Tournament.

1. If you've ever watched golf on television and thought "Yeah, I can do that," it's time to read Dave Gould's excellent, insightful, and entertaining account of how guys like you would really go about trying to qualify for the PGA Tour. Gould's stories and observations are funny and poignant, and his book captures all the drama and comedy of the people crazy and dedicated enough to try to earn a living playing professional golf. A must read for anyone who's ever thought that maybe, with a little more practice . . .



2. I picked this book up for some light, entertaining reading but the overall structure is so garbled that I gave up in the final chapter when I realized it had run out of time to improve.

   The beginning of this book tried to outline the history of the Q School, but jumped around in time so much that it was very difficult to get a good grasp on the chronology of events.

   There are lots of anecdotes as promised in the promo literature, but for the most part they each about 2-4 paragraphs long and not nearly in depth enough to get a sense of the characters involved. Some of them don't have a real point (Golfer A has 5 good rounds, he needs just one more to get his card and is very upset, he has a good round and the story becomes a non-story). They are strung together often in an unrelated way.

   Finally, the last third of the book is appendices showing results from all the Q-Schools in history - nice for historians, but extra weight to carry around for the casual reader. I guess it gives the book more heft when you're looking at it in the store.

   Some anecdotes are entertaining and I did learn a little about Q-School, so I did give up a couple stars.




3. Gould is an excellent writer and researcher and this book shows it. The book definitely gives a satisfactory overview of Q School, whether you are just curious about it or a potential qualifier. The problem is that the book goes into far greater depth than the typical reader will care about and I found myself skimming large portions of it. I think most readers expected a book that dealt with today's Q School, how it works, and colorful anecdotes from the past years.

   However, the book is bloated with the school's history which I was not particularly interested in. In fact, the greater part of the book focused on the history, rather than the contemporary structure, which is what most of us are curious about.

   There isn't anything else like this out there to my knowledge, so if you are really curious about Q School then by all means buy it. But be prepared for less info about contemporary players you know and love, and more about the obscure and confusing history of Q School.




4. Most golf writing is non-fiction, often because to write a novel centered on golf would probably be one of the least interesting reads around. Much of the non-fiction writing that tells a story, though, just like a novel, has its harrowing moments where our heros battle the odds to somehow come out on top (or as close as they can get to it, which is still better than most of us).
   
   Q School Confidential makes us wish we were reading fiction. The stories about the few greats that went through and kept fighting are few and far between. Most of the focus is on those people whose name remains only as a record held by the PGA. Gould hunted as many of them down as he could, it seems, to get as full a picture of what is termed the cruelest tournament in golf as possible.
   
   For someone who plays to a single-digit handicap and thinks, just maybe, they have what it takes, this is good medicine. Many of the names we see on the leaderboards at tournaments never had to run this gauntlet. For those that did, and survived, their future is far from assured.
   
   Well researched and easily read, the only weakness is that it can become monotonous to read. A chapter every few days should help to keep one's attention, but this is not something to flip through before bedtime.



5. While there are interesting facts to be gleaned from this book, it is way too disjointed to read comfortably. I literally got lost as I was reading more than a few times in the first couple of chapters alone, as the author jumps around without properly tying the disparate parts of a story into a cohesive narrative. I gave up trying to read the book in its natural order, and jumped around in search of points of interest.
   
   I get the sense that the author went back and forth while editing the book, and somehow got lost himself when he tried to add more sub-stories within each chapter. If there was no professional editor for this book, then that explains the quality of the final product.
   
   Final Analysis: It is very difficult to read, but some of the stories and facts are worth the price of the book. It's just too bad that the reader has to work so hard to find them.