Customer Reviews

A Son of the Game: A Story of Golf, Going Home, and Sharing Life's Lessons

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an excellent and enjoyable book. I previously read James Dodson's book about Ben Hogan and enjoyed his writing style, this is what caused me to pick up this book. I thourouly enjoyed this book and found myself reluctant to put it down. If you have a son or daughter and have taught them the game this will even mean more to you.

I really wish James could have had some more time with Harvie Ward because I would love to read a book about him. It has always intriqued me about his talent and how he dissappeared into obscurity.

If you are interested in golf, the history of golf and the people affected by the game, this book is for you.

I highly recommend this book.

Like no other author Mr. Dodson captures the heart & soul of golf. Through his own experiences, and that of family and friends he brings the sport so many toil over for hours, a refreshing life and reality.

More importantly he captures much more than the passion golfers have for this game, he tells the story of life which parallels the ups-and-downs this game show us so well.

Great stuff Mr. Dodson!

Thank you for another great read!

A Son of the Game is an awesome read. perfectly befitting of the saying "the smaller the ball, the better the writing."

The stories of Pinehurst are wonderfully told. I like about three million other people knew Harvie Ward. I was blessed to have him teach me golf as a teenager and adult. Jim tells his story wonderfully.

THIS MAN IS A GREAT AUTHOR BUT FOR SOME REASON THIS STORY DIDN'T GRAB ME. HE WROTE THE GREATEST BOOK ON BEN HOGAN EVER WRITTEN AND I HAVE READ ABOUT 5.

I have an 18 year old son who plays competitive junior golf and we have spent many weekends in the last ten years in Pinehurst, specifically at the Pine Crest, this book was especially enjoyable. I could directly relate to playing those late afternoon rounds of golf with my son and talking not only about golf, but about life as well. I really enjoy Mr Dodson's writing and have read all of his books, this one was excellent!

There are some people that can just flat out write and no matter the subject matter they choose, they draw you in so that you just soak yourself up in the story and let it carry you along until it dumps you out on the last page wanting more. James Dodson is that kind of writer. I enjoyed his book on gardening and the people who inhabit that world, "Beautiful Madness", as much as I have the insights he has given us into his life and family in "Final Rounds", "The Dewsweepers", "The Road to Somewhere" and "Faithful Travelers." His biographies of Arnold Palmer and Ben Hogan are not to be missed either.

And so it was with much happiness and anticipation that I ordered his latest to find out what he has been up to since heading back to his roots in North Carolina while still trying to keep one foot in his adopted State of Maine.

I was not disappointed and I suspect you will not be either, even if this book is your first exposure to this writer. The golf season is returning to the parts of the United States that have had to put up with the travails of winter and there could be no finer way to usher it in that to wrap yourslef up in this book for a night or two as the days get longer and warmer. However, this is only tangentially about golf. It is about an interesting and very full life and it is told with love and great insight.

This was a totally charming book that captivates the reader and draws one to both the game of golf and the Pinehurst /Southern Pines area. The reviewer, P. Flanagan, is grumpier than the old eye doctor Dodson writes about with such loving eloquence. Not sure what angst the reviewer was talking about -- this is practically of love story; in fact it truly is -- with the game, with family and with a smalll town that makes you want to call it home.

For golfers age 17-70. James Dodson's best-selling memoir "Final Rounds" got me hooked years ago and now "A Son of the Game" follows his marvelous journey of familial renewal and the positive impact of the game upon family members. It takes us all back to where a love of the game finds its genesis for many American golfers. A lover of the game and all the courses at Pinehurst, I could not put it down. Dodson's smooth swing is exceeded only by his superb writing skills. Enjoy! John E. Cashwell

This book is not that great. The whole experience was bland and riddled with suburban angst. I regret buying this book.