A Good Walk Spoiled, John Feinstein, Time Warner Book Group, 580 pp.
I was talking to the Pro at a course that I play at about school and he mentioned this book.
Summary: In this great sports novel John Feinstein goes behind the scenes of the PGA Tour and the other major pro tours. Going behind the scenes with names like Greg Norman, Nick Price, Tom Watson, and Tom Kite Feinstein show us how great it is to be a professional golfer on the PGA Tour. What Feinstein also does however is go behind the scenes with the players that live tournament by tournament just to make their paycheck. It is a stunning revelation of the compulsive drive of champions and also the struggling wannabees.
The audience for this book is anyone that loves the game of golf and if you do not understand golf then you probably won’t really like this book.
Feinstein uses great in-depth quotes right from the players themselves.
“Its not like I’m hitting the ball badly. I just can’t make any putts on these greens.” (Nick Faldo 340)
Passages:
“I hate this game. And I can’t wait till tomorrow to play it again.”(580)
I chose this quote because I find it to be very true. Some days I really hate the game and other days I love it. I just can’t get enough of golf and neither can these pros.
“Can you hear it,” Love said
“Hear what Watson asked.
Love pointed at the rapidly emptying stands. “The silence,” he said. (66)
I chose this quote because this is one of my favorite things in all of sports; being able to silence the opposing crowd. Whether in golf or any other sport the silence from the opposing crowd is one that you always want to hear.
“…The golf tournament really begins.”(315)
I chose this quote because on the last day of every tournament (Sunday) is when it really gets down to the nitty gritty and everyone is out for blood.
My Relationship:
I absolutely loved this book. Seeing what life on the PGA Tour was like really opened my eyes and it made me want to be on the PGA Tour even more. It also showed me how much I love the game of golf and how there will be good days and bad days but golf is a game that will always having you coming back for more.
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This book sounds really interesting. Although golf isn't my favorite sport, I do enjoy playing it with my friends. I think this book would be interesting to read and to learn about what goes on behind the scenes of all the major golf championships. I like the quotes that you chose and how you related them to yourself as a golfer. This book must have been interesting for you to read seeing as you're a golfer, learning more about the sport that you love. -Corey Whelihan
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds very informative and interesting. I like how it displays the lives of various players. I am interested in learning about the lives of the "wannabees" of the PGA Tour. I also really liked the quote you chose from page 580. It is humorous and it seems to be true for many people that play golf.
ReplyDelete- Raheem
I really like golf so i would definatly like to read this book, it sounds very enjoyable. Even though i know a lot about golf there is so much to be learned. I like the quotes he chose because they really expressed what was happening in the story. I also liked how the author made the book humorous which made it more interesting to read.
ReplyDeleteI too like to play golf so I would look into reading this book. The story of the golfers that are struggling is a good view to read becouse all you hear about are the people that make millions playing golf. I doubt that i could ecer make the tour but this book does seem inspirational.
ReplyDelete-Tyler Beaudry
This book seems pretty good and it sounds interesting how it shows you the players that arent always in the spotlight. When you think of a pro golfer you think of a rich man but this books does justice to that sterotype and shows that rich is not always the case. I really like how this book made you want to be on the PGA tour. If you try hard enough your dream just might come true Zach :)
ReplyDeleteI liked the relationship you had with the book. I really shows how both you and the book interacted with eachother. I don't think I would read this book however because i don't ususally read sports related books because they are not very interesting to me. But, I liked your analysis of the book...
ReplyDeleteI like your description of this book because it really seemed that you were into this book 100%. This is a "different" kind of book because it doesn't really tell the story of the big names of golf, but the underdogs who strive to be the best that they can be. I would read this book if i had the time
ReplyDelete- Malik Gadjigo
The book seems like a book that I would like to read during my free time. I think I would read this book because since I read some John Feinstein works, I pretty much loved it. The story seems good showing the golfers sturggling and striving to achieve their goals. I like the first quote because it is also true to me when I have a bad day at the golf course. In 10 years, I will see you on national television playing in the PGA tour.
ReplyDeleteYong Kim
Golf isn't my sport but this book doesn't sound like something i wouldn't mind reading. It seems that way with all sports books though. They can all relate to someones lives with the emotions tied into them. It's good that you enjoyed this book so much and have a strong connection with it. Any book that you can connect to that much is definitely worth reading. -Jamie Frappier
ReplyDeleteI don’t think I would like this book at all. I don’t hate golf, but I certainly don’t like it. I’m WAY too impatient. I love Zack’s second quote. I went to the Women’s PGA thing when it was at the Orchards, and I loved the intensity when everyone got dead silent. And on the book, I didn’t think professional golfers had to live paycheck to paycheck. That’s interesting.
ReplyDelete-pat larrow