A Good Walk Spoiled : Days and Nights on the PGA Tour (Paperback)

by John Feinstein (Author) "DON'T THROW UP..." (more)
Key Phrases: bogey putt, money list, birdie putt, Ryder Cup, British Open, Tom Watson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
On those magnificent days on which your drives split the fairway down the middle and your wedge shots leave you putting for birdie, you think: "I wonder if I could do this for a living." After all, guys in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s, guys no one heard of until recently, are making planeloads of money on the various golf tours (and buying private planes to take them from one big-money tournament to the next). A Good Walk Spoiled is a bit of a reality check. John Feinstein chronicles the struggles of the top golfers in the game, as well as those trying to get onto the PGA Tour. These are gifted players who've devoted their lives to the game, and on any given day they could just flat out stink. A Good Walk Spoiled is a completely engaging book from first page to last, a wonderfully observed and masterfully told story of pain and profit in the world's most frustrating sport.

From Publishers Weekly
Following the events of one year on the PGA tour, sportswriter Feinstein tells of the nerve-racking pressures and successess of professional golf.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (June 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316277371
• ISBN-13: 978-0316277372
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #153,258 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Walk Spoiled... A GOOD Read Even For Non-Golfer, December 2, 1999

By	J. Koscher (Indiana) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book for a friend of mine. And in a weak moment (no books to read in the house) I picked A Good Walk Spoiled up. I had anticipated being bored to death... as I am not a golfer and pretty much golf illiterate. What I found was a whole new world I had been missing... and honestly confused by. I have many golfing friends and I never understood what the fascination was all about. From the time Feinstein described Davis Love's urge to throw up in the first few pages... I was hooked and not due to my attraction to regurgitation. The actual angst these guys put themselves through was amazing to read about. Their home lives and what inspired them to live on the road 40 some weeks out of the year in search of that elusive hole in one made me appreciate the sport in a new way. 500 pages later I was surprised not only that I had hung in there but also that I throughly enjoyed the experience. I contribute my positive trip into golf land to Mr. Feinsteins clever turn o'phrase.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern Golf Writing at its Best, December 11, 1999

By	Kevin Moore (Ottawa, Ontario) - See all my reviews

I have trouble sympathizing with the reader who complained of this book's length. Though it is true that you can't judge a book by its cover, you certainly can tell how thick it is! In my opinion, 500 pages was too few. I could have handled that many more, Fienstien comes close to capturing the essence of the mystery of golf ... and why so many of us are captivated by this frustrating little sport.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Now reads like a quaint period piece...still worth it, July 5, 2003

By	Andy Orrock (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Yet another offering from the uber-prolific John Feinstein. He works a continuous three-sport cycle of topics amongst his growing body of work: golf, tennis, and basketball. In my mind, nothing will ever top "Season on the Brink," his seminal work on the mad genius of Bob Knight. But, his golf work is great, too.

I had read Feistein's 'The Majors' before this...and while I do think it is the better read, 'Good Walk' is definitely worth your time. Its publishers obviously think so as well. Almost 10 years after its original publication, you can still find it prominently placed in most airports across the country. If you like golf, its the perfect read for the plane.

The only reason I rank 'the Majors' higher is not due to the quality of the effort, but rather due to its relevancy. Tiger Woods is still two years away from the PGA Tour as the events of 'Good Walk' unfold. As a result, it feels like a quaint period piece. Tom Kite battling Tom Watson, things like that. Interesting, but nothing like what the tour is like these days. In 'The Majors,' although Woods goes 0-for-4 in the 1998 events covered by Feinstein, his presence hangs over every page in the book (indeed, as 'The Majors' was being published in hardback, Woods begins his 'Tiger Slam').

Feinstein's writing style is so fluid. It's enviable. I love his little five-minute chats with Bob Edwards on NPR each Monday morning. He writes just like he talks. No small achievement. We should all be so talented. It's just the right mixture of inside info and folksiness.

Here's a good idea: Interweave some of Feinstein's books with the sports efforts from David Halberstam. It's a great combination. Each of them really knows how to profile sports stars. I still marvel at Halberstam's 20+ page look at Bob Gibson in 'October 1964'. That's the same type of care and diligence you get with Feinstein. Great profiles in 'Good Walk' of a dozen or so golfers, most notably Greg Norman, Fred Couples and Davis Love.

The big surprise was Nick Faldo. He's always been a favorite of mine, but famously close-lipped with the press. Not here. I learned a lot about him that I didn't know. Great job by Feinstein. Definitely my favorite part of the book.