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On Golf: The Game, the Players, and a Personal History of Obsession
 
 
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On Golf: The Game, the Players, and a Personal History of Obsession [Hardcover]

Timothy O'Grady (Author)
3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)


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Book Description

May 26, 2005
 
"A striking meditation that stylishly links his father, Arnold Palmer, Golf in the Kingdom, and the fragility of the swing."
---Sports Illustrated
 
Since being initiated as a child into the arcane mysteries of the game of golf, Timothy O'Grady has carried in his mind an obsession with the sport---embracing its history, literature, and even his own private battle with the club.
On Golf is a personal history of O'Grady's obsession with golf, from its domination of his teenage years, to the glorious occasion when he played a round with Arnold Palmer. Above all, it was the bond of golf that he shared with his father, who gave him his first club when he was only two years old. Forty years later as the old man lay on his deathbed; father and son were still talking about the game.
Timothy O'Grady still dreams that he may one day become a truly fine player but in the meantime he has given us a book that beautifully describes his love affair with the game and goes to the root of the obsession that captivates so many.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Like many baby boomers, O'Grady learned to play golf as a child but later abandoned the game when the siren call of the counterculture proved incompatible with the Vardon grip. After growing up in the Midwest and becoming an avid golfer in his teens, O'Grady followed his sirens to Europe, where he struggled to establish himself as a novelist. Golf came back into his life when he agreed to write an article on the sport for Esquire; soon his writing assignments were affording him the opportunity to play the world's finest courses and even to enjoy a round with Arnold Palmer. O'Grady's memoir combines a bit of golf history with the story of his own golfing life (these days, he counters anti-golf prejudice by reciting a litany of literary and artistic types who play the game, from John Updike to Willie Nelson). At its heart, though, this memoir, like so many other celebrations of sport, is a father-son story, and as such, it reveals yet again the way games can bring together generations. An affecting, often eloquent tribute to a maddening yet magical sport. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"This is a wonderful tribute to love between father and son and golf's evanescent but ever-recurring joys. It is a lovely, lovely book."
---Michael Murphy, author of Golf in the Kingdom and The Kingdom of Shivas Irons
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; 1st edition (May 26, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312330049
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312330040
  • Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,394,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review
3.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful little book, will make you smile, February 25, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: On Golf (Hardcover)
A small book; it resembles an essay more than a book. This is a wonderfully rich account of one man's obsession with golf. The writing is superb, approaching Updike in the prose department. You'll smile and nod as you turn the pages. I read it happily in one sitting, then pressed it on my fellow duffer-pals, who also enjoyed it. The book's highlight is the author's engaging description of his round with Arnold Palmer.
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2.0 out of 5 stars Nope..., February 11, 2012
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This review is from: On Golf: The Game, the Players, and a Personal History of Obsession (Hardcover)
Unfortunately for my feelings on this book, I had just come off reading Dream Golf (which is a fantastic book). This book was a bit slow and painful...
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
It is nearly impossible to hit a pure golf shot. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, British Open, Jack Nicklaus, Ryder Cup, Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones, United States, Tom Watson, Chick Evans, New York, Bob Dylan, Michael Murphy, Walter Hagen, Davis Love, John Updike, Lee Trevino, Samuel Beckett, San Francisco, Sergio Garcia, Severiano Ballesteros, Shivas Irons, Spyglass Hill, Van de Velde, Byron Nelson
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