The Green [Paperback]

Troon McAllister (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 18, 2000

The Ryder Cup.

A biennial tournament considered the premier event in the golfing world, pitting the twelve best players in the United States against the twelve best of Europe in a contest so pressure-filled it can paralyze even the most battle-scarred tour veterans.

United States captain Alan Bellamy, with one precious slot unfilled and none of the remaining top tour players willing to sign on against a clearly superior European squad, makes a desperate decision in his attempt to preserve America's golfing honor: he selects as his twelfth man one Eddie Caminetti, a low-life, two-bit hustler from a municipal course in South Florida.

The most prestigious tournament in golf will never be the same. As the unforeseen consequences of Caminetti's participation on the Ryder team unfold riotously, Troon McAllister takes us into the minds and souls of elite professional athletes and poses a question as old as golf itself: Why would God create a game even He can't play?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

McAllister's first novel is the pleasant if unremarkable account of what surely would be a remarkable tale: an unknown golfing hustler is recruited to represent his country in the Ryder Cup, golf's inviolable, biennial struggle between the best players in the U.S. and Europe. In addition to 10 players determined by money winnings, each team has two at-large spots filled at its captain's discretion. The American captain, Alan Bellamy, the "Player of the Year," as he is fond of pointing out, witnesses a man extricate himself from a cavernous sand bunker some 50 yards from the green and plop his ball four feet from the holeAusing a ball retriever instead of a club. When said shotsmith then whips Bellamy in a one-on-one match for $20,000, the stage is set for Bellamy to extend golf's most revered invitation to Eddie Caminetti, a diamond rarely in the rough who has forsaken the pressures of big-time golf for the anonymous comfort of conning weekend duffers. After an audition establishes this parvenu's striking ability to remain below par, the other Americans even agree to pony up Caminetti's stakeA$100,000, as long as the coveted cup stays on U.S. soil. While the book moves along briskly, and the plainspoken but unabashedly mercenary Caminetti is endearing, it seems to promise something it never delivers. When narrator Bellamy admits at the beginning to being responsible for putting a municipal course nobody in the hallowed Ryder Cup and for things going "a little haywire," one expects more than a missed putt to go amiss. McAllister sets up a clash between the gruff Caminetti and a vain sport's sacrosanct crown jewel, and then fails to explore this fertile ground for comedy. But this is, above all, a story about golfing, with engrossing insights into everything from the physics to the philosophy of the sport and several scenes that highlight its infamous and recondite set of rules. Golfers will surely appreciate this entertaining read.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

McAllister offers probably the best novel about golf since William Hallberg's The Rub of the Green (Doubleday, 1988). The narrator is team captain for America's Ryder Cup team, which has zero chance of winning against the European team until he chooses Eddie Caminetti, an unknown who prefers to make his living off the tour by snookering golfers who underestimate him. Eddie is not only a great golfer but a brilliant analyst of players and courses who shows his teammates how to exploit their European opponents' weaknesses. Eddie is an honest con who abides precisely by the terms of his contract. But when he doesn't get his money, it's unclear who is getting stiffed. Eddie is an unforgettable character, and the golf is vividly described. Golfers will love this book but so may nongolfers who have never understood how hard it is to play the game well. McAllister, an avid golfer, also writes thrillers (The Hall of Justice, LJ 6/1/96) under the pseudonym Lee Gruenfeld.AMarylaine Block, St. Ambrose Univ. Lib., Davenport, IA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Main Street Books (April 18, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385494602
• ISBN-13: 978-0385494601
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #718,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read, June 17, 2000

By 

John Harris (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Green (Paperback)

While Mr. McAllister has certainly written an exceptional and worthwhile tale for anyone who has ever lined up 10 footer with money on the line I believe most avid golfers will agree that the final sting left much to be desired. Without giving away the ending I believe there were a myriad of other hustles that the author could have used. It was totally amateurish and did not fit with Eddie's character. However, Eddie is still my hero and the book follows a very close second to Bagger Vance.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it while the Ryder is fresh in your mind, October 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Green (Hardcover)

THE GREEN stands on its own as one of the best sports novels ever written. But with the recent Ryder Cup, one of the most memorable events in the history of team sports, fresh in memory, THE GREEN becomes doubly enjoyable: it will take you inside the minds of characters eerily like those who played in the tournament, Europeans as well as Americans, and provide insights that simply couldn't be gotten from watching television coverage. A treasure to be read again and again.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book I have read in recent memory., October 14, 1999

By 

G. K. Breault - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Green (Hardcover)

"The Green" is the finest book I have read in many years. Read much of it on a long flight had folks sitting around me wondering why why I laughed out loud every 5 minutes. Great characters, great subject, and hilarious situations with nearly every page turn. Yet, "The Green" has a very real story to tell about life in the fast lane on the PGA Tour. A must read for all--not just golfers.