Customer Reviews

Driving Myself Crazy: Misadventures of a Novice Golfer

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Jessica Maxwell is back with "Driving Myself Crazy," in which our favorite femme d'adventure storms the male bastion of golf, learning that -- although she grew up as the complete 'non-jockette' -- she is a natural with a three iron.

Whether you're an old duffer, a first-time golfer or a couch potato, you will enjoy Maxwell's misadventures as she strives to know what to do, what to call things, before anybody realizes she doesn't know what's she doing. Carefully plotted chapters recount her lighthearted story of figuring it all out. Along the way, many a chapter doubles as an exploration of some aspect of the game -- its history, protocol, clothing, environmentalism (yes!) and so on -- all adding up to golf's romantic allure. Not to mention the romantic allure of Graham -- is he boyfriend material? or is he a 'golf stalker'? -- who pops up from chapter to chapter to share his insights on golf, life, and fly-fishing, which is the other sport he shares with Maxwell (see her previous book, "I Don't Know Why I Swallowed the Fly").

Fortunate are we when Maxwell lets us carry her clubs as she seeks the tutelage of the world's greatest golf pros, like Australian pro-cum-philosopher Peter Croker and Croker's American partner, Cindy Swift Jones, an authority on the short game of putting; and as she plays the world's greatest golf courses, like Alabama's Robert Trent Jones Trail and Scotland's ladies' country clubs, founded in Victorian times, when G.O.L.F. really did mean "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden." And Maxwell hits a hole-in-one when she joins Nancy Lopez in a hotel kitchenette, cooking potluck casseroles while discussing America's sports culture with insights learned on the LPGA tour as well as from Lopez's husband, baseball star-turned-ESPN analyst Ray Knight.

First page to last, Maxwell's droll style is matched to her theme, now poetic, then cheeky, always as captivating as the royal and ancient game she so capably describes.

For a throughly fresh perspecitve on golf - (a game that has already driven many a player to the brink of losing sanity), Driving Myself Crazy is a must read. Jessica Maxwell masterfully takes the reader along on a most enjoyable trip from South Carolina to Scotland and numerous points in between, in her mission to learn to play the game.

As she seeks to find consistency in a game filled with inconsistencies, Maxwell encounters a number of golf professionals, including the legendary Nancy Lopez, who share an interminable array of swing techniques and sage advice with the determined novice. The recounting of her travels and travails along the way are both hilarious and brilliantly unique. Most readers who have played the game will easily identify with Maxwell's humorous golfing faux pas and experiences - humbly reminded of their own frustrations and triumphs while learning the game.

Readers will find a new appreciation for the game and it's rich history from Maxwell's visit to St. Andrews. Her beautifully detailed description of golf course scenery and wildlife that all too often go unnoticed by players of more experience open our eyes to the fact that any round of golf - regardless of score, can be more enjoyable if we stop to smell the grass clippings along the way.

This is my first experience reading Jessica Maxwell and I bought the book because I am beginning to learn the agony of golf. Not only does Ms Maxwell impart sound golf information, her imagery is superbly colorful, evoking a myriad of hysterically hilarious visions that both non-golfers and golfers alike will thoroughly enjoy. The interweaving of the "Mystery Man" keeps readers turning pages long after their night lights should be out. Even if you are not the least bit interested in golf, you should read this book. You will not be sorry you did.

Driving Myself Crazy is a quick read, even for a male reader like me; it scurries along like a topped tee shot, a hole in one that ricochet's off one rich golf truth after another. The book is supposed to be nonfiction; however I'm suspicious of anyone who's favorite club is her 3-iron. Besides the comic failures of every beginner's golf story ("Golfheimer's again"), there's a woman fishing for love and traveling briskly along a slicer's outside-in swing path on the way to golf wisdom. Hardly surprising, Maxwell turns out to be the quintessential absent-minded professor herself. I found myself changing my grip and my takeaway (without pictures -- her prose is that visual!), trying out the tips that Maxwell encounters along this journey. And I learned quite a bit about fishing to boot. This is a book that needed to be written, and I found myself reading with much delight. I may not be hitting it any farther or straighter, but then there's no cosmic reward for that.

F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote that genius consists of the ability to hold two opposing ideas in the mind at once, and in the case of the art of golf and the art of humorous, lyrical writing, Jessica Maxwell has achieved the merging of these heretofore polar opposites. Driving Myself Crazy is not only a work of comic genius, but a testimonial to the raw nerve it takes to enter an arena in which you have never set even a tentative foot, and walk from the 19th hole, head held high, nine iron unbent. Of all the women writers out there Jessica Maxwell is the one who walks her talk, and what she puts so skillfully and wisely to the page as well. I say wisely because within her humor, within her ability to ask us to laugh AT her, not just with her, there are perceptions so keen and uncommon in their depth that to dismiss her prose as anything less than the work of a visionary is unfair. This is a book that only Maxwell could write, and one that if read on all its levels brings the reader closer to that magical porthole through which she sees the world, and all the games of the world, for what they truly are: pasttimes that show not necessarily our strength as humans,but our often comic vulnerabilities.

The plethora of positive reviews of this book certainly proves that there is a wide diversity of opinions on Driving Myself Crazy. I felt the book made women look like idiots (not getting "carry over water" when you're on a golf course....come on now) and also attempted to make golf look like a silly game. Perhaps it was all done in the search for humor - on balance, I did not find the book very funny - although there were a few good lines. It was a long, tough read for me. Parts of the book seemed like soft sell of Winston rods and Lopez clubs....if you're a serious golfer, I'd recommend you pass on this book.

What a hoot! Whether you're an avid golfer, a non golfer, or somewhere in between you'll love this short (224 pages) journey with the author as she evolves from from neophyte to duffer.

Along the way we are treated to some genuine golfing tips from some of the top coaches in the land. The advice runs from the "old school" to the sublime (maybe Zen-like is a better description). I haven't played golf in ten years, but after finishing the book I found myself on the front yard stiffly swinging a seven iron.

The author also has a talent to communicate in the vernacular of the various folks she encounters. The hilarious exchanges with a French chef, a Scottish lady pro (at St. Andrews no less) a bass champ from the south and a gallery of other personalities she meets along the way had me laughing out loud.

Coursing through this lively read is the drama of the "boyfriend"- or is he a stalker as suggested by a friend? Is Jessica finally in love? Will Valerie approve? Do we care? (Yes! )

The pure enjoyment, exhilaration and frustration of the author is contagious. If you're feeling gloomy, open this book randomly and read one page. You'll be laughing in spite of yourself.

Obviously, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Here's an easy test to determine if you should spend your own bucks on this book. If you don't find the following excerpt (taken without permission) worth a snicker, save your money. The excerpt--"Fish World is a self styled collection of rooms dedicated to the art of catching bass. I confess that,......"

So what's a fish story doing in a golf book? It makes sense. Read it and see.

Being brand new to the sport of golfing, I saw this book and figured it'd be a perfect read. A woman's take on learning a man dominated sport. However, this author seems to mistake stupidity for humor. I'm not sure if she was just trying to get laughs in the book about her over the top ignorance, or was genuinely that much of a space cadet. In any case, the humor fell short (aside from a couple chuckles). And as for a novice experience, most novices don't get the chance to waltz around the country (for that matter, the globe) in order to try out golf pro lessons from all over. And fortunately, if we do get some good lessons in, we don't act like complete morons in the process. The side story of a blossoming romance, also leaves the reader to think the author must be in a state of idioacy as she is head over heels falling for someone who will spend a ton of money specifically not to have them seen together in public. Doesn't any one find this a bad judgement call?

In any case, I finished the book basically to see if she ever lost the flighty ditz persona, but nope, it didn't happen. I actually reccomend no guys read this book in hopes you don't think all new women golfers are like Jessica Maxwell.

Interspersed with her running commentary of silly comments, the author takes us along as she learns golf. She name-drops, effusively describes the scenery and turns every golf lesson into an opportunity to show the reader how witty she is. I'm sorry, but I just couldn't finish this book. If you're looking for encouragement with your golf game, I doubt that this book will suit you. If you're looking for a laugh, there are a couple you'll enjoy in here, but you have to wade through a lot of self-indulgent silliness first. Sigh....

A very funny book about golf (a sport I have recently taken up) and life (which I took up 63 years ago). I heard the author speak at the Sacramento Bee Book club. Funny and a nice person as well.