Elegy for a Golf Pro: Memories of a Might-Have-Been [Hardcover]

Dexter Westrum (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 29, 1997

A poignant portrait of the author's father. Deeply moving, funny, and authentic.-- Bud Shrake, coauthor Harvey Penick's Little Red Book

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Westrum, who teaches English at Ottaway University in Kansas, began his work life as an assistant golf pro in Minnesota. Although essentially an autobiography, this brief account is as much about his father, a good golfer but not good enough to get on the pro tour, an excellent teacher but a contentious individual who was forever moving on to new courses that were not top-rank, even as his love for the game prevented him from taking jobs other than stints at clubhouses and giving lessons. Two things are troublesome about this memoir: first, the old man was neither a success nor a failure, nor particularly interesting (so why the book?); second, for all his adulation of his father, the author has failed to see, or has overlooked, that the old man?"emerging from the bedroom, his great belly protruding over his shorts"?was a megalomaniac, uprooting his long-suffering family at the slightest provocation or perceived slight on the course and dragging them off for another start in another little town. It is amazing the author isn't completely teed off.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 136 pages
• Publisher: Burford Books; 1St Edition edition (December 29, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558213686
• ISBN-13: 978-1558213685
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,493,743 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

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Real Insider Look at Golf, December 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Elegy for a Golf Pro: Memories of a Might-Have-Been (Hardcover)

In Elegy for a Golf Pro, Dexter Westrum presents an evocative look inside a sport enjoyed by many and understood by few. Golf is more than a game for these characters, it is life. Through his characters we see the small town life of a golf pro who always reaches for something more but never quite gets his hands on it. The son, following in his father's footsteps, never feels like he measures up. This is a literary sports novel with universal appeal and a truly moving ending.