A Good Walk Spoiled: Days and Nights on the PGA Tour [Mass Market Paperback]

John Feinstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2005

In the highly acclaimed bestseller A Good Walk Spoiled, John Feinstein captures the world of professional golf as it has never been captured before. Traveling with the golfers on the PGA Tour, Feinstein gets inside the heads of the game's greatest players as well as its struggling wannabes. Meet superstars like Nick Price, who nailed a fifty-foot putt at the seventeenth to win the British Open, and Paul Azinger, who marked his return from a bout with cancer with an emotional appearance at the Buick Open. Go behind the scenes for Davis Love III's unforgettable come-from-behind victory in the Ryder Cup. In golf, Feinstein eloquently relates, the line that separates triumph from disappointment is incredibly fine. "One week you've discovered the secret to the game; the next week you never want to play it again".

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

One of Mark Twain's wryer observations provides the title for this captivating chronicle of a year in the life of the best golfers on the planet. Rich in the inherent drama and tension of competition, and filled with irony, humor, color, and personal detail, John Feinstein's A Good Walk Spoiled ambles beyond fairways and greens into an often-powerful examination of the pressures tour pros--from established stars such as Greg Norman and Nick Price to those constantly on the bubble--carry in their bags, and the elusive search for perfection in their games that keeps these remarkable athletes so focused and driven. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

To Mark Twain, golf was "a good walk spoiled," but to the 200 or so top professional players, it is a sometimes lucrative but always nerve-wracking career in which this week's hero can be next week's bum, and in which athletes have only themselves to blame if they fail. Feinstein's (A Season on the Brink) lively and anecdotal style makes for an interesting read but cannot overcome the 1990s' objection to the sport?that there is no superstar of the stature of Arnold Palmer or Jack Nicklaus to capture the public's fancy. So although there are media favorites such as Greg Norman, there are many outstanding players (Davis Love III, Paul Azinger) whom Feinstein brings to life here but who fail to generate the excitement of the greats. Feinstein, kind and upbeat, also points out that, almost without exception, golfers share a political viewpoint that is far to the right of Rush Limbaugh, with much self-pity for the taxes they have to pay on their six-and seven-figure incomes. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 680 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316011541
• ISBN-13: 978-0316011549
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.1 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #575,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Feinstein spent years on the staff at the Washington Post, as well as writing for Sports Illustrated and the National Sports Daily. He is a commentator on NPRs "Morning Edition," a regular on ESPNs "The Sports Reporters" and a visiting professor of journalism at Duke University.His first book, A Season on the Brink, is the bestselling sports book of all time. His first book for younger readers, Last Shot, was a bestseller.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Walk Spoiled... A GOOD Read Even For Non-Golfer, December 2, 1999

By 

J. Koscher (Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Good Walk Spoiled: Days and Nights on the PGA Tour (Paperback)

I bought this book for a friend of mine. And in a weak moment (no books to read in the house) I picked A Good Walk Spoiled up. I had anticipated being bored to death... as I am not a golfer and pretty much golf illiterate. What I found was a whole new world I had been missing... and honestly confused by. I have many golfing friends and I never understood what the fascination was all about. From the time Feinstein described Davis Love's urge to throw up in the first few pages... I was hooked and not due to my attraction to regurgitation. The actual angst these guys put themselves through was amazing to read about. Their home lives and what inspired them to live on the road 40 some weeks out of the year in search of that elusive hole in one made me appreciate the sport in a new way. 500 pages later I was surprised not only that I had hung in there but also that I throughly enjoyed the experience. I contribute my positive trip into golf land to Mr. Feinsteins clever turn o'phrase.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern Golf Writing at its Best, December 11, 1999

By 

Kevin Moore - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Good Walk Spoiled: Days and Nights on the PGA Tour (Paperback)

I have trouble sympathizing with the reader who complained of this book's length. Though it is true that you can't judge a book by its cover, you certainly can tell how thick it is! In my opinion, 500 pages was too few. I could have handled that many more, Fienstien comes close to capturing the essence of the mystery of golf ... and why so many of us are captivated by this frustrating little sport.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Now reads like a quaint period piece...still worth it, July 5, 2003

By 

Andy Orrock (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Good Walk Spoiled: Days and Nights on the PGA Tour (Paperback)

Yet another offering from the uber-prolific John Feinstein. He works a continuous three-sport cycle of topics amongst his growing body of work: golf, tennis, and basketball. In my mind, nothing will ever top "Season on the Brink," his seminal work on the mad genius of Bob Knight. But, his golf work is great, too.

I had read Feistein's 'The Majors' before this...and while I do think it is the better read, 'Good Walk' is definitely worth your time. Its publishers obviously think so as well. Almost 10 years after its original publication, you can still find it prominently placed in most airports across the country. If you like golf, its the perfect read for the plane.

The only reason I rank 'the Majors' higher is not due to the quality of the effort, but rather due to its relevancy. Tiger Woods is still two years away from the PGA Tour as the events of 'Good Walk' unfold. As a result, it feels like a quaint period piece. Tom Kite battling Tom Watson, things like that. Interesting, but nothing like what the tour is like these days. In 'The Majors,' although Woods goes 0-for-4 in the 1998 events covered by Feinstein, his presence hangs over every page in the book (indeed, as 'The Majors' was being published in hardback, Woods begins his 'Tiger Slam').

Feinstein's writing style is so fluid. It's enviable. I love his little five-minute chats with Bob Edwards on NPR each Monday morning. He writes just like he talks. No small achievement. We should all be so talented. It's just the right mixture of inside info and folksiness.

Here's a good idea: Interweave some of Feinstein's books with the sports efforts from David Halberstam. It's a great combination. Each of them really knows how to profile sports stars. I still marvel at Halberstam's 20+ page look at Bob Gibson in 'October 1964'. That's the same type of care and diligence you get with Feinstein. Great profiles in 'Good Walk' of a dozen or so golfers, most notably Greg Norman, Fred Couples and Davis Love.

The big surprise was Nick Faldo. He's always been a favorite of mine, but famously close-lipped with the press. Not here. I learned a lot about him that I didn't know. Great job by Feinstein. Definitely my favorite part of the book.