The Bogey Man: A Month on the PGA Tour [Paperback]

George Plimpton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 26, 2010

What happens when a weekend athlete - of average skill at best - joins the professional golf circuit? George Plimpton, who had earlier tried out for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (in Paper Lion) and got a chance to pitch to a team of major-league all-stars in Yankee Stadium (in Out of My League), spent a month of self-imposed torture on the tour -- meeting amateurs, pros, caddies, officials fans, and hangers-on. In The Bogey Man we find golf legends, adventurers, stroke-saving theories, superstitions, and other golfing lore, and best of all, Plimpton's thoughts and experiences -- frustrating, humbling, and, sometimes, thrilling -- from the first tee to the last green. This intriguing classic, which remains one of the wittiest books ever written on golf, features Arnold Palmer, Dow Finsterwald, Walter Hagan, and many other golf greats and eccentrics, all doing what they do best.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Humorous but allso agonizing and also unfailingly fascinating regardless of one's interest in golf. For the psychology of of the sport--and this is what Mr. Plimpton is probing--there is nothing more revealing around." --The New York Times

 

"Plimpton will interest even the man who can't tell a pitching wedge from a putter.... This is really a book about a kind of madnesss with rules, and anyone can appreciate the appeal of that." --Newsweek

 

"Golf  is a lonely and private game, lacking the natural drama of football, but Plimpton, by substituting improvisation for plot, has caught its mad comedy and bizarre effects on peoplein a book  just as charming, in its own way, as Paper Lion." --Life magazine

 

Named by Travel & Leisure Golf magazine as one of "The 25 Best Golf Books Ever"

From the Back Cover

Humorous but also agonizing and unfailingly fascinating, regardless of one’s interest in golf. For the psychology of the sport—and this is what Mr. Plimpton is probing—there is nothing more revealing around.”
—New York Times

 

“Golf is a lonely and private game, lacking the natural drama of football, but Plimpton, by substituting improvisation for plot, has caught its mad comedy and bizarre effects on people in a book just as charming, in its own way, as Paper Lion.”
—Life magazine

 

What happens when a weekend athlete—of average skill—joins the professional golf circuit? George Plimpton finds out during a month of self-imposed torture on the PGA tour. In The Bogey Man he describes golf legends, adventurers, stroke-saving theories, superstitions, and other golfing lore, as well as his thoughts and experiences—frustrating, humbling, and, sometimes, thrilling—from thfe last green. This classic remains one of the wittiest books ever written on golf.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Lyons Press (January 26, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599218070
• ISBN-13: 978-1599218076
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,667,513 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent get-well gift, May 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bogey Man: A Month on the PGA Tour (Paperback)

As old as it is, this is still an excellent get-well gift for men who lived and died with the Palmer et.al. era. One does not even have to be an avid golfer to enjoy the book. Only a casual knowledge of the game is needed. I feel this was the best of Plimpton's books.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A refreshing look at the PGA Tour of the 60's from a hacker, July 15, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Saratoga Springs, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bogey Man: A Month on the PGA Tour (Paperback)

Plimpton doesn't pretend to be anything other than what he is: a priveleged amateur of questionable skill who is afforded the opportunity to play in several west coast pro-ams with various professionals. He relates many anecdotes, both first and second hand, several of which are hilarious insights into a tour which hadn't, at this juncture, reached the sophistication which characterizes its status today. Plimton's typical self-effacing style makes this an enjoyable read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope springs eternal, January 26, 2011

By 

Vital Spark (Or, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Bogey Man: A Month on the PGA Tour (Paperback)

First read this delightful book about twenty years ago; it still has the power to make me laugh out loud as I re-read it today, even though my golf game has not improved. George Plimpton had such a great, light-hearted attitude towards sports, which seems sadly lacking among today's deadly-serious sports pundits.

The Bogey Man makes this duffer feel mildly proud to belong to a group, ever-hopeful of making that big breakthrough before we start a round, who can maintain our sense of humor once disaster strikes when we actually start playing.