Maybe It Should Have Been a Three-Iron: My Year As a Caddy for the World's 438th Best Golfer [Hardcover]

Lawrence Donegan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1998

Maybe It Should Have Been a Three-Iron is the funny and poignant story of one man's search for sporting glory. Lawrence Donegan had the desire but lacked the talent to be a professional golfer, so he settled for the next best thing--caddying for Ross Drummond, a little-known pro on the European PGA tour, ranking 438th in the world. With self-deprecating humor, Donegan recounts the days and endless nights he spent on the road with Drummond as they existed on a string of meager tournament checks and chased the elusive "big win" much as Don Quixote and Sancho Panza chased winmills.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The opening sentences of Donegan's delightful romp through the European golf world sets its tone: "The first thing to understand about caddying is it's not brain surgery. It's more complicated than that," and the next couple of hundred pages prove the point. Put a hapless golf fanatic like Donegan, a journalist by trade, on the bag of another hapless golf fanatic-- British pro Ross Drummond, who would probably be more successful in another line of work--and the results, no matter how hard they try to play it straight, are as wayward as a duck hook off the tee. Funnier than writer Michael Bamberger's trenchant recounting of his exploits carrying Peter Teravainen's bag in To the Linksland, Donegan's chronicle is a self-effacing romp from beginning to end, though some hard-learned lessons manage to creep in along the way: "I was an amateur, crap at it..., just like millions of others. So what? It didn't mean I couldn't have a good time making a fool of myself... What was it A.A. Milne had said about golf? It was the best game in the world to be bad at. Let that be my motto." Of course, it was Milne who also happened to create Eeyore. -- Jeff Silverman

From School Library Journal

YA-Golf's competitive spirit lightens up as Donegan shares his amusing perspectives of his year caddying for Ross Drummond, the 438th ranked linksman in the world. More than a carrier of clubs, says the author, a proficient caddy must be supporter, psychologist, and intuitive advisor. The experienced, dedicated caddy will predict a shot, know the appropriate clubs to select, sense the mood of the player, and then react in the most positive way to inspire the golfer to be on top of his or her game. Teens are often first involved in this sport through caddying, yet few books have been written from that unique point of view. YAs who love the game will learn some tips and enjoy the author's well-trod sense of humor. What fun to experience golf filtered through this author's witty observations.
Catherine Charvat, King's Park Library, Burke, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 241 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312185847
• ISBN-13: 978-0312185848
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,925,746 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:

4.0 out of 5 stars So you want to be a European Tour caddie?, May 25, 2000

By 

joe_n_bloe (Ester AK USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Maybe It Should Have Been a Three Iron: My Year as Caddie for the World's 438th Best Golfer (Paperback)

"Maybe It Should Have Been a Three-Iron" is an entertaining and teasingly funny description of the author's exploits as a sports writer turned European Tour caddie for tour veteran Ross Drummond.

It's obvious fairly early on that Donegan isn't cut out to be a caddie, and certainly not Drummond's caddie, but these are both desperate men in their own ways. Donegan is both self-deprecating and facetiously self-centered in his narrative and the resulting reading is frequently hilarious.

This book is an excellent counterpoint to Feinstein's books about the PGA Tour, and in some respects paints a more endearing picture of the European Tour by pointing out its (not really, but almost) "minor-league" aspects.

Highly recommended for anyone who likes a good golf story. Colorful personalities and rich scenery are a bonus!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very funny book, even if you aren't 'into' golf, January 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Maybe It Should Have Been a Three Iron: My Year as Caddie for the World's 438th Best Golfer (Paperback)

I read this book because I loved Donegan's other book 'No News At Throat Lake', which was both moving and hilarious.

I don't play golf but know enough about it to enjoy the humor in this book, which kept me amused while I traveled around Ireland for three weeks. Donegan has a great ability to capture well the itinerant lifestyle of the B-grade pro-golfer, the emotional ups and downs of losing more than winning, the little triumphs and pleasures of golf, and the mental stamina needed to be a pro-golfer.

I recommend this book to golfers as well as anyone who just wants a very funny read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Boring, June 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Maybe It Should Have Been a Three Iron: My Year as Caddie for the World's 438th Best Golfer (Paperback)

The first few chapters were fine but then it became the same old same old. The occasional blurbs about one of the touring professionals were dated, well known and far too few. Not particularly entertaining.