Miracle on the 17th Green: A Novel [Hardcover]

James Patterson (Author), Peter de Jonge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1996

Travis McKinley's life has drifted sideways. His job, his marriage, even his children all feel disconnected and distant. Has he really accomplished nothing of consequence in his life? One Christmas Day, Travis plays a round of golf and finds himself for the first time in the zone--playing like a pro. In astonishingly short order, Travis is catapulted into the PGA Senior Open at Pebble Beach, where he advances to the final round. And while his wife, his children, and a live television audience watch, a miracle takes place that changes Travis, and his family, forever.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While it isn't quite the literary equivalent of a hole-in-one, this fast-moving golf fantasy about an amateur golfer who decides to try out for the PGA Senior Tour has enough sweetness and humor to overcome its obvious plot cliches. Middle-aged and happily married, Travis McKinley does the unthinkable: he misses Christmas dinner after getting caught up in a divinely inspired streak of great putting during an outing on the country club course in Winnetka, Ill. As Travis's obsession with his newfound talent takes over his life, his obstetrician wife, Sarah, expresses increasing dismay over his inability to grow up, a domestic crisis that reaches a boiling point when Travis loses his job and journeys to Tallahassee, Fla., to try to qualify for the Senior Tour. Competing against overwhelming odds, Travis earns a place on the tour, only to have his dream spoiled when he learns that Sarah intends to file for divorce. As he continues to compete against the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino, the victory that will fulfill Travis's dream and reunite him with his family is as improbable as it is inevitable. Plot issues aside, Patterson (whose newest thriller is Jack and Jill) and de Jonge succeed admirably in creating a winning character who is enough of a child to believe his dreams and is also mature enough to offer some gently humorous reflections on our national obsession with an engaging sport. Christmas shoppers take note: vigorous, straightforward prose and solid characterization put this second golf fable of the season in a far different league from the mystical, romantic The Legend of Tommy Morris (Forecasts, Sept. 2)
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Think of this short novel by best-selling thriller writer Patterson (Hide and Seek, LJ 12/95) and journalist de Jonge as a cross between It's a Wonderful Life and a masculine version of Sleeping Beauty. On Christmas Day, Travis McKinley is playing golf when suddenly he acquires perfect vision for the putt. In a zone, he plays brilliant golf and misses Christmas dinner with his family, where things are already rocky. The wife he adores wants to leave him, and he doesn't know why, although it may be because working 30 years in an advertising job he hates has strangled his growth and enthusiasm. When he's fired, he is liberated to see whether he really can play professional golf. Travis qualifies for the Professional Golfers Association Senior Tour, and it changes him and his family forever. Buy this for all the middle-aged male golfers who still have the spark of a dream left in them, as well as for those who've given up.?Marylaine Block, St. Ambrose Univ. Lib., Davenport, Iowa
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition (November 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316693316
• ISBN-13: 978-0316693318
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 7.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,189,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Patterson with a twist, December 22, 2000

By 

Tyler Disley (Jackson, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Miracle on the 17th Green: A Novel about Life, Love, Family, Miracles ... and Golf (Paperback)

Miracle on the 17th green is a book that you can read in one sitting partly because it's only 150 pages and partly because it is so good. Miracle on the 17th green is an inspirational, entertaining, and sometimes very funny book. I didn't really expect it to be funny since Patterson has never shown that he can be humorous but nevertheless it was. You don't have to know a lot about golf to like and understand this book. It would help though because Patterson adds some real life golfers into the story but you don't have to know the ins and outs of the game to understand. I am surprised that Patterson wrote this book since it is very different than his normal plots of serial killers but he pulls it off. I am sure this is sort of an autobiography for Patterson because he does like to play golf and he has probably always wanted to get his sense of humor into his books but never has found a way. Miracle on the 17th green is a great book and will bring a lot of inspiration into your day or maybe into the rest of your life. 5 Stars

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Humorous, Emotional and Perfect., September 17, 2001

By 

Anthony Sunclades - See all my reviews

This review is from: Miracle on the 17th Green: A Novel about Life, Love, Family, Miracles ... and Golf (Paperback)

I enjoy the fast paced novel that makes you feel good. And this work by James Paterson is just that. A touching story of mid life and love lost. Travis McKinley is a lifelong golfing enthusiast who has an epiphany on Christmas morning and can finally sink any putt he needs. After this dramatic improvement in his game he gets let go from his position in an advertising firm. He decides that there is no time like the present to join the Senior PGA tour. He makes serious money playing a game he has loved all his life. He is in the most picturesque locations and living the life, however he is miserable because he is losing the one woman he has ever loved. And then the miracle happens. This is one of the best books I have ever read, I highly recommend it. At only 149 pages (paperback) it is long enough to tell the whole story, yet short enough to leave out all the minute details that do not make a difference. This book should get 6 stars, or more, but the scales does not go that high, we will have to settle for a 5. Thanx for your time, T

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it in an hour!, October 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Miracle on the 17th Green: A Novel (Hardcover)

A break from James Paterson's mysteries turned out wonderful. This book was the most enjoyable reading experiance of my life! Once I started reading it I was literaly totally oblivious to the outside world. After I finished I had three messages and I swear I didn't even hear the phone ring. I am a big fan of sports writing, and an avid golfer. As both this is one of the greatest books I have ever read.