Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"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!

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.

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.

This is a very intelligent and witty book that all of us who understand golf's struggles must surely appreciate. But beyond a golfer's perspective, this should also be enjoyed as a story about any passion in life that proves to be extremely challenging or unattainable, and the humor of brushing aside all obstacles and pressing forward no matter how ridiculous the circumstances become.

True, this isn't a book about Tiger Woods or Madonna or Bill Clinton, so if you are looking for pop culture, you'll need to look elsewhere. But if you are someone who cheers for the underdog and if you also like golf stories from an insider's point of view, I don't think you will be disappointed!

I don't know Lawrence Donegan but, I'd like to shake his hand.Not since I read catch -22 for the second time, (the first time took me five atempts,because I just couldn't get my head around it) have I read a book cover to cover in one sitting.In the U.K. this book appears under the title A FOUR IRON IN THE SOUL, well,for me it had all fourteen clubs, the bag, the balls,the towel,THE LOT. They say "DON'T GIVE UP YOUR DAY JOB" well Lawrence Donegan did,and this account of his year "on the bag" of one of the european tour's lesser lights will probably convince many of us(wannabe caddies) NOT to give up ours.FIRST CLASS

This is a well constructed account of life on the European professional golf tour. Even for those with no interest in the game it is a fascinating read and gives us a human dimension into the challenges facing sports professionals. Donegan has dealt superbly with this aspect and we can't wait for his next tome. He would seem to have a bright future as a novelist.

this book came out in britain last year. donegan is a fantasist who dreams of becoming a professional golfer. the only problem is he's crap at golf. so he decides to caddy for deadbeat pro, called ross drummond, the 438th best golfer in the world. the book tells the story of their season together. it's not like a "golf book'' as such, becasue there's very little of the "we missed a six-foot putt to go four over par'' stuff - the usual boring crap that fills golf books. this is more of a travellogue and a paen to unfulfilled dreams. drummond is the star, he's laconic, wry and can't believe that he agreed to take on this lunatic as his caddy. (like Quixote and {Pancha). they start off the season as good buddies but as thre weeks roll on the relationship gradually begins to sour until, well. i won't give it away. i read this in a single sitting, it was so compelling and funny...

Period. And I have read them all.

Lawrence Donegan, a Brit reporter for the Guardian who spent a year caddying for the world's 438th best player. Donegan was a lousy caddy for a journeyman pro, who spent 19 years on the European Tour without a win.

I will not say the book will change your life, but it will make your world a happier place. Lawrence, as he likes to be call, no Americanized Larry for him, can tell a joke or five. Here's a random sample of his wit as he writes about the inspiration to build a championship quality golf course in Dubai.

"It wakes a vivid imagination to build a two-hundred-acre golf course in the middle of the desert and Sheikh Mohammed appeared to have one of those. He said he had got the idea for the Emirates after visiting the eighteen-hole lay-out in the middle of Doncaster racecourse. I have seen both and can confirm any similarities begin and end with the description 'golf course'. "

I've read a few golf books, the usual tales of the tour told by caddies and pro alike, but have always felt the books were written to glorify the writer and the sport. Donegan harbors no such agenda. Like many reporters Donegan is a cynical man, who says what's on his mind, unworried about making friends. For example, after Ivan Lendl got a sponsor exemption to play in a Tour event and Donegan saw him putting on the practice green. Donegan offered to carry Lendl's bag for the tournament. After Lendl rebuffed the hapless caddy, telling Donegan to get lost so he could work on his puttting, Donegan replied that Lendl needed the work.

Because Donegan doesn't need to make friends, he is honest about his relation with his pro and the tour. Someone who wanted to have a continuing relationship with the tour wouldn't be as cutting with his tongue, much to our delight.

It's an worthwhile and entertaining read.

Lawrence Donegan, Guardian newspaper journalist and "try anything once" hero, gets to grips with life on the links in this brilliant book. Not for Donegan the luxurious style of a pro-golfer. He spends a year carrying the bag for Ross Drummond, who ends up being the real hero of the story. Being a low ranking player on the European tour means every tournament is a huge challenge. Can his modest winnings enable him to stay financially afloat? And what assistance can his inexperienced caddy bring to the party?

Donegan's great writing style bring his year carrying Drummond's bag to life, but it soon becomes clear that the caddy is far too emotional and this partnership is soon stretched to breaking point. Driving round Europe in a beaten up camper van, staying in grotty hotels, and getting kicked out of snobby clubhouses, would try anyone's patience. Donegan is a superb writer and you are soon carried along with the adventure. I read it in two sittings and can easily see why it has become a minor classic.