A Golfer's Education [Hardcover]

Darren Kilfara (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 26, 2001

Darren Kilfara's scheme to study abroad at St. Andrews University in Scotland-allegedly, to write a thesis on the history of golf-was foolproof. He would enroll at the school, go to a couple of classes, earn a year's worth of university credit, and become eligible for a year-long student pass to the famed golf courses of St. Andrews, the birthplace of the game, for the low, low price of $150. A perfect plan, so of course it went awry.

A GOLFER'S EDUCATION is the true story of a young man, once a member of Harvard's golf team and a former writer for Golf Digest, who began his year in St. Andrews as an intense, uptight golfer willing to do anything to play a great course and ended it a changed and wiser man and a better golfer in ways immeasurable by a scorecard.

Part golf travelogue and part memoir, this engaging book chronicles Kilfara's year in Scotland playing the finest golf courses in the country, especially the enigmatic Old Course; learning that the Scots see golf as a reflection of their democratic ideals; discovering the subcultures of Scottish golf-drunken bohemian street golf, homeless golf fanatics, betting parlors, and poetic BBC golf commentators; falling in love with a Scottish woman; and finally overcoming his obsession for scores and handicaps and learning to love the simplicity of the game.

Kilfara draws on his substantial knowledge of golf and course architecture to create a perceptive, insightful guide to the great golf coursesof Scotland. But at the same time, he has created a timeless story of an irreverent young man coming of age in the birthplace of the sport.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A Harvard junior (and golf team member) convinces his history department chairman that a year studying at Scotland's St. Andrews will help his academic career. As a resident of St. Andrews, the crafty student knew, for $150 he could purchase a year of unlimited play at the "Home of Golf": the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. Also an intern at Golf Digest, he finagles a deal to partially finance the trip by writing a series of articles for the magazine. This charming intro sets the tone for Kilfara's memoir/guidebook/tribute to the legendary (and a few lesser known) golf courses of Scotland. Besides waxing poetic about Scottish golf, eccentric golfers and British sports in general, the author also courts Heather, a Scottish lass who, though she lives in the sport's mecca, has never swung a golf club; they eventually marry. The author, who has written for Golf Digest and is an ESPN soccer commentator, is refreshingly honest, admitting, for example, that his youthful obsession with score contributed to occasional lapses in sportsmanship; he's also been known to break a golf club in anger. A student of golf course architecture, Kilfara makes compelling and informed descriptions of Gullane, Carnoustie, Muirfield, Cruden Bay and the fabled Old Course, among others. His narration of a marathon golf holiday (18 rounds of golf on 14 courses in 12 days) is alone worth the read. While insightful, chock-full of golf history, inspiring and amusingly self-deprecating, its unfortunately banal title and some extraneous detail could put some readers off.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The problem with golf travel memoirs is the tendency to despise the author for the simple reason that he, not you, managed to finagle a dream golf trip and found a publisher willing to let him write about it. It is a testament to Kilfara's amiable personality that it's almost possible to read his book without wanting to slap him upside the head. Not only did Kilfara, as a college junior, spend an entire year in the village of St. Andrews, playing the Old Course and other Scottish links, he also convinced Harvard to treat it as a study-abroad project. Oh, yes, and he was a freelancer for Golf Digest, too, so he was granted press passes to various European Tour events. Are we hating this kid yet? Try not to, if you can, because his book, save a little overwrought coming-of-age angst, is surprisingly charming. He writes about golf passionately and perceptively; he captures the lure of the links vividly; and his analysis of his tendency to be a "score-obsessed golfer" is as wise as it is painful. Reader envy aside, this is a fine golf memoir. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books; First Edition edition (October 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565123018
• ISBN-13: 978-1565123014
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #778,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Play it as it lies, January 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Golfer's Education (Hardcover)

I've encountered two types of golfers in my trips to the British Isles -- those who love to play it as it lies and those who wished they were in Hawaii. This book is for those who are fascinated with blind shots, are well aware that the weather is apt to change in an instant and find BBC broadcasts mesmerizing -- even when it's horse racing and cricket! I read this book in one sitting and loved the way it captured golf (and day-to-day life) in Scotland.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great coming of age golf book, May 11, 2009

By 

Cards Doc (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Golfer's Education (Hardcover)

Kilfara describes in charming detail the characters of St. Andrew's and his loony love of golf comes through in rich portraits of the golf courses of Scotland. A great read for anyone going to Scotland to seek out the home of golf.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A non-golfer's perspective, April 14, 2009

By 

Lee Gilmer (New Mexico, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Golfer's Education (Hardcover)

As a non-golfer whose father was a serious golfer, I have watched my share of tournaments and have more than a passing knowledge of the game. Although I never took to golf, I thoughly enjoyed this book! The descriptions of the courses and holes were great. Any American who is thinking of taking a golf trip to Scotland should read it to see if they have the temperament for links golf. While in many ways Darren is a "typical" American and the references to Harvard are many, he managed to learn to enjoy the game without worrying about his score, end his club breaking temper tantrums and I think is a nicer person than he would have been had he not made the trip. A delightful read.