Customer Reviews

Open: Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Mostly rubbish - as a book and especially as a Feinstein book.

John Feinstein broke new ground with "A Season On The Brink" and successfully used the same formula with "The Majors" and "A Good Walk Spoiled" (although the former was a better book).

"The Open" is confirmation that Feinstein has completely adopted a paint-by-numbers approach. A typical paragraph/chapter follows:

...John Doe was a skilled high school/college golfer, eventually lowering his handicap to 3. He thought about joining the minitours or becoming a club/range pro but was offered a job with <insert corporation> out of the blue. Through mutual contacts, he met <insert USGA staffer> and acted as a <insert golf tournament job> at a local qualifier. He eventually worked his way up the USGA ladder and is now responsible for <insert title or duties> at the US Open and other national USGA events...

There are two big problems with this approach:

1) Feinstein tries his hardest to portray each person as unique, but this Mad Libs style of writing gets repetitive when applied to dozens of individuals.

2) It's a transparent attempt to humanize some of the stuffed shirts at the USGA. Unfortunately, some of them are beyond rehabilitation. Tom Meeks, in particular, comes off as even more arrogant and pigheaded (which is quite an accomplishment, in a way).

I don't know if it's an East Coast/Long Island/political thing, but there are far too many groups who demand some form of tribute before they will cooperate. Feinstein attempts to portray the local governments, police, and transportation officials as helpful but watchful; instead, they come off looking like the tinhorns they are. The Masters, the Memorial, any number of tournaments are carried off year after year with similar crowds and logistical problems, but those events are not treated like a moon shot. Our own wonderful Department of Energy (of the people, by the people, for the people...or something) causes problems by refusing to allow vans transporting the players to the 10th tee to drive on their precious service road. In short, the tournament was carried off in spite of all the 'help' the USGA received, not because of it.

I'm sure Feinstein stayed up late trying to think of a way to inject his buddies on tour, particularly Paul Goydos, into the storyline. As luck would have it, Goydos had the very first tee time of the Open, so we are treated to more incredibly boring coverage of this journeyman. This 'everyman' approach worked well in Feinstein's first golf book, but three volumes later it has been worn threadbare.

As others have stated, if you're looking for coverage/insight into the top names in golf, read the newspaper or GolfWorld. If you are dying to find out how Suzy Smith sets up her armada of cash registers in the merchandise tent, pick up a copy of "The Open."

The idea had promise, but Feinstein couldn't identify and develop the more interesting aspects of what goes on behind the scenes to stage a US Open. He reveals that Bethpage Black was always a great course, without giving any supporting reasons why. He goes into minute detail of meaningless stuff like the family histories of junior USGA staffers, yet totally fails to address the efforts or process of renovating the condition of a run-down muni course to US Open standards. He teases us with one anecdote describing USGA exec David Fay's practice of putting together US Open pairings with humorous threesomes such as "Jerk Groups", without naming who the "jerks" were.

About the only interesting thing I can say about this book is that, with Feinstein's history of treating almost every single human being in every one of his books as a saint, it is truly an indictment when he portrays someone in a negative light. In the past it was Bobby Knight (A Season On The Brink), in this book it is Tiger Woods, who he refers to as "soulless", callous, unforgiving, and like most of the other characters in this book, uninteresting.

I enjoyed the book, but it certainly occurred to me in the middle of reading it that a lot of people were going to be ticked off at how misleading the title is in relation to the actual direction of the book. As has been previously mentioned repeatedly, the book is more -- MUCH more -- about the behind-the-scenes personalities than the US Open golfers themselves. Feinstein's overall theme is that the US Open is more than a golf tournament, but it's a multi-year planning process with dozens and dozens of vital people playing important roles. The problem is that he spends a few hundred pages beating this idea over the head of the reader, while the reader wonders when the actual golf is going to start. You have to sift through a great deal of mini-bios -- and some not so "mini" -- on USGA and state characters before the Open tees off.

I must say that one of the main reasons I enjoyed the book was because I live 20 minutes from Bethpage Black and drive past the "Bethpage: Home of the 2002 US Open" water tower every day on my way to work -- so the geographical and course info, and other relevant stuff, caught my interest. Obviously I realize that this same info is meaningless and annoying to people not from the area, something Feinstein should have realized, and if he did, he apparently didnt care.

There certainly are a bunch of patches where the reader labors through incredibly unnecessary detail, but I thought most of it was made up for with SOME of the behind-the-scenes planning process, as well as the coverage of the Open Qualifiers. There is a lot of stuff here that is very interesting and entertaining, and you can learn a lot about what goes into putting on an Open. But if you simply want to read about the 2002 US Open's golf play and analysis, I wouldnt be surprised if you quit after 100-150 pages. The actual golf coverage takes up maybe the last 20% of the book, and its not all that fulfilling even when you reach it.

Simply put, the book is way too bogged down in details that have no business being in print. Outside of the families of said USGA officials, state politicians, etc., I dont know who would be the least bit interested in much of what Feinstein wrote. However, if you can stomach the rough patches and the misleading title and marketing -- and if things like network TV negotiations, traffic/parking issues, merchandise tent issues, local vs. state politics, etc. can hold your attention and intrigue you in any way -- I think you'll enjoy it. And you'll probably add a star if you're from the NY Tri-State Area.

Feinstein's creation was aptly named... "Open". The national championship is open to all entrants, the public course that hosted it was open to all who wished to play it and the USGA finally agreed to open its closed doors and allow a great author to document what goes into running this major championship.

Feinstein allows the reader to be a fly on the wall as David Fay (Executive Director of the USGA) formulates his dream of hosting the U.S. Open on a truly public facility and watches that dream become a stunning reality. Along the way he answers a number of questions that the avid and/or casual golf fan has probably wondered: How do they create the pairings? How do they choose the host course? What exactly does the USGA do and how do they interact with the PGA Tour?

Feinstein also captures the pride and character of the New Yorkers who call the course home and couldn't wait to see how the best players in the world would fare on The Black. As one of those New Yorkers myself, I can truly say that Feinstein's narrative on this point is right on the money.

The only criticism I have is around his chronology of the final round. He states that Tiger was on 13th hole when the weather delay hit, but Tiger had yet to tee of on 12 when they halted play. This becomes even more important when one considers the tee shot Tiger had to hit after a 45 minute delay on 12, the longest par 4 in U.S. Open history. As Roger Maltbie said on the NBC coverage - "I can't think of a another tee shot I would least like to hit than this one after a rain delay." Tiger, of course, striped it 300 yds down the middle and made par on his way to the championship.

I was fortunate enough to volunteer at last year's Open all four days and I look forward to doing it again in 2009 when it returns.

In his book "Open...Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black" John Feinstein truly takes you inside the ropes at one of the most talked about golf championships in history. Beyond Golf, the 2002 US Open at Bethpage Black was unusual for so many reasons. From the inner workings at the USGA, The New York State Parks Department, NBC Sports, to the Long Island Railroad, you get a real sense this was more than a typical 72 holes of Golf. Be prepared to miss a few rounds as this is a difficult book to put down.

John Feinstein finds a lot more interesting things about the preparations for the 2002 U.S. Open than I would. He writes about parking pressures and vendor pilfering the way Cornelius Ryan wrote about D-Day.

Those expecting a play-by-play on the golf played during those four days in June, which saw Tiger Woods break away the first day and never look back, may be disappointed. Even when the book's narrative finally reaches the event itself, after some 260 pages, the focus remains on the behind-the-scenes organizers, the USGA, NBC, and state officials. It's a unique situation, Feinstein reminds us, to have used a municipal course to host the U.S. Open, but maybe it's not worth writing a book about.

That said, Feinstein's book is an interesting read, especially for those who care about things like event management, sports broadcasting, or professional golf. As an author, Feinstein is much more engaged than he was when he wrote "The Majors," his style coming up to that of his classic "A Good Walk Spoiled."

Some of his wit is back in evidence. When a volunteer realizes Tiger used the Porta-John he helped set up, he calls a friend to share the good news. "Yes, Woods thrilled people in many different ways," Feinstein concludes.

I also liked the fact he doesn't hold back with the players, something I noticed and minded with "The Majors" after his no-holds-barred approach in "Good Walk Spoiled." Woods still won't shake a TV reporter's hand 18 months after that reporter said Woods was in a "slump." Sergio Garcia has his star moments, while Jeff Maggert comes across as totally unpleasant. At least Feinstein whipping boy John Daly's on his best behavior this time around.

The portraits of the organizers and staff that center this book are smoother, and maybe Feinstein finds more of interest about them than you will. It's an interesting tack to take, though, writing not about the game's stars but those who help to make such marquee events happen. Feinstein is in uncharted territory here, and maybe reclaiming some lost ground as golf's most original working writer.

That said, "The Open" is still a bore in parts, and lacks a strategic or historical overview of what makes Bethpage's Black Course so special. What did course designer A.W. Tillinghast do with the track that was so unique, and how did it preserve that notoriety over the decades as an overused Long Island muni? There's a splendid tale about golf course architecture waiting to get out here that never quite does.

All the same, "The Open" is good for what it is, an appreciation of a very underappreciated aspect of sport. Too bad it isn't a little more interesting, but for those who care (and there are many, given golf's popularity), it will probably be worth your while to check it out.

Those who buy this book thinking they are going to get the inside story of the US Open golf tournament held at Bethpage Black in 2002 are going to be disappointed. The tournament doesn't even start until page 262.

What this book is about is how the United States Golf Association decided to bring it's prestigious Open Championship to a municipal golf course on Long Island, rather than the famed country clubs which have hosted this event since it's inception and what goes in to putting on such an event. The title says" Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black." What you really get is inside the workings of the USGA, what goes on behind the scenes, how decisions are made (or not),how catastrophes were avoided (or not)and in the end you may have learned more about what was involved in bringing this tournament to this course than you really wanted to know.

To those of us who follow golf closely and have attended a US Open, this is a very interesting read. Feinstein researches his subject exhastively and tells the story in an interesting manner, but at the end of the book I don't believe the reader has gotten a full measure of what has been promised. So, be aware of what the book is about and what it is not about, and if it is your cup of tea, read on.

I am really ticked off and feel that somebody at Little, Brown publishing co. owes me $26. This is the worst book about golf I've ever read, and I've read a lot.

Feinstein is generally a fantastic writer and in the past I've really enjoyed his stuff . . . so imagine how disappointing this was when I found out that it not only was NOT his usual great work . . . and that in reality, this one is really a 5-star stinker.

Here's the problem: If you look at the book's dust cover, there is a guy teeing-off and gallery on both sides looking on. Look at the back of the jacket and there's Tiger and others. Read the title, "Open -- Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black", and adding all that up you'd think that this would be a book about the open, inside stories about the golfers and personal looks at them and their lives and their games. You know, the kind of stuff that made Feinstein's other books so much fun to read.

Inside the jacket the blurb talks about Tiger, Sergio, Nick, Phil, etc., so you figger you'll be reading about them. Uh-uh.

Imagine, then, how the reader feels when this book slogs on and on about Barney McFeeley and Harry O'Howsmigolfin' and Freddie Fatsohuffinpuffin and whoever these old geezers at the USGA are . . . stories not about golf, but about executives and bureaucrats having to do work (! wow, imagine that!) to set up an open at Bethpage Black (and the reverence for this golf course really gets on one's nerves, I mean, come on already). Bo-ring, boring, boring! But I suppose this sold well on Long Island and in the New York area. . .

I don't blame Feinstein, the author. He wrote a book about a boring topic and was probably misled by his publisher into thinking this would be a big hit. And his editor, well, what could he do with a can of crud like this. But Little, Brown, knowing they had a bomb on their hands, did the unethical thing, and that is to market this as something it's not.

Little, Brown if you are out there, please email me. You owe me a refund.

Feinstein's books are always a good read and this one is no exception. If you want to know more about what it takes to put on a major golf tournament, this is your book.

"Tiger Woods called it the greatest championship he has played. The 2002 open was unlike any other because it fell only 8 months after 9/11."

Imagine trying to put on an open only 8 months after 9/11. This is what happened to David Fay. David Fay is the main character in this book and he is the person in charge of all the opens. In this book OPEN By: John Feinstein it tells how David Fay's Dream came true. He's dream was to make Bethpage Black an open. This dream came to him in 1995 and in 2002 it came true, with the help of many others like Craig Currier (superintendent) Mary Lopuszynski (sales) and many other important characters. David Fay is about to figure out all these problems because there is nothing that will get in his way of making Bethpage an open. So don't you think he will follow through? Well find out.

This book is non-fiction and reads very smooth. John Feinstein did a good job of using very specific details so pay close attention. This book does not only teach you about golf it teaches you good life lessons that are unforgettable. I think this book is best suited for sports readers who want a good book to read and they will not put it down. The good thing about this book is that it makes you pay attention the bad thing is that it jumps around a little bit. The life skills this book will teach you really helped my out look on life being under thirteen and this book really deserves a try. So read it and post your own review and I think that review will be a positive one.