The Putt at the End of the World (Hardcover)

~ Tami Hoag (Author), James W. Hall (Author), Ridley Pearson (Author), James Crumley (Author), Les Standiford (Author), Dave Barry (Author), Tim O'Brien (Author), Lee K. Abbott (Author, Editor), Lee Standiford (Author), Lee K. Abbot (Author) "You see that one, Hector?" Alfonzo Zamora called, the squat, stocky form familiar to a generation of golfing fans outlined against the setting sun..." (more)
Key Phrases: pot bunker, eighteenth fairway, tee box, Phillip Bates, Billy Sprague, Billy Angel (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There's a great tradition of golf fiction, stretching from P.G. Wodehouse's Edwardian follies to John Updike's narrative birdies and chip shots. The Putt at the End of the World is a worthy addition to the canon, in spite of the fact (or because of the fact) that it's a team effort. Nine authors, including such worthies as Dave Barry, Tami Hoag, Tim O'Brien, Lee K. Abbott, and Les Standiford, have contributed chapters to this farcical thriller. The premise, which is less wacky than it initially seems, involves a software tycoon named Phillip Bates, who's built a deluxe golf course north of Edinburgh. To kick things off he convenes a celebrity invitational, and draws not only a clutch of world-class hackers but several terrorists, counterterrorists, and what appear to be counter-counterterrorists. Clearly there's more at stake here than a mere 18 holes.

Slapped together by one author after another, the crazy plot is surprisingly consistent. Yet the contributors have made no effort to disguise their individual styles, which range from Barry's potty-mouthed slapstick to Richard Bausch's tonier stuff to James Crumley's pulp fiction. Indeed, this shift in tone is one of the book's great pleasures. So is the sex and satire, if not necessarily in that order. Still, the ultimate reason to read The Putt at the End of the World is for its strange-but-true evocation of the game itself. Here's Tim O'Brien's take on a ball with a mind of its own:

For the first thirty feet, the old Titlist did not touch the earth, heading for orbit, engines roaring, but then suddenly the rain and wind and fog forced a scrubbed mission. Gravity reasserted itself. By pure chance--a miracle, some would call it--the ball dropped heavily onto the green, not five feet from the cup.... It caught a sidehill slope. It wobbled off line for a second, then straightened out and continued its erratic pilgrimage toward destiny.

Fictionally speaking, at least, that's what we call a hole in one. --William Davies

From Publishers Weekly

Regrouping a few of Standiford's Naked Came the Manatee gang, this outrageously funny, multi-authored novel by (in order of tee times) Standiford, Ridley Pearson, Tami Hoag, Lee K. Abbott, Tim O'Brien, Richard Bausch, Dave Barry, James W. Hall and James Crumley is a treasure. The world's richest man, computer czar Phillip Bates, invites three exceptional but going-downhill golfers to play a celebrity pro-am on his brand-new course at ancient Rathgarve castle in Scotland. Lured by the serious cash Bates delivers, aging, vision-impaired senior tour member Alfonso Zamora; the incorrigible Rita Shaughnessy, a debauched, long-driving amazon from the LPGA; and Billy Sprague, an amateur champ with a gambling problem all fly to Scotland. Joining the trio is an impressive assortment of world leaders, celebrities and hotshots, but only Bates knows the reason for the decadent, mysterious tournament. Add to the mix an FBI agent who joins operatives in London to stop a terrorist with 20 kilos of Semtex explosive, and all manner of zany things start to happen. The plot to save the world meshes with the plan to party like crazy at the Bates castle, where Fidel Castro, Augusto Pinochet, Tony Blair, Al Gore, Mu'ammar Qaddafi, Brad Pitt, Jane Fonda, Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, Barbara Walters, Hugh Downs, Marlon Brando, Charlton Heston, Madonna, Bob Hope, the pope, Sean Connery, Dan Quayle and other celebs are on hand to witness an exhibition of carnal swing mechanics unrivaled since the orgy scene from Caligula. This droll, absurd fable is just mainstream enough to keep even the nongolfing masses, who don't know a mashie from a niblick, guffawing out loud.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 242 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books; First edition. edition (May 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446526002
• ISBN-13: 978-0446526005
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,038,148 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 stars, May 30, 2000

By	Konrad Kern (OFallon, MO United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The talented Authors that put this book together combined to make a story that was very entertaining. Fast paced, non-stop readability! Sometimes erotic, sometimes violent, often darkly humorous. This is the rare gem that you'll likely read in a day, whether your a golfer or not. Unique characters along with a great story and locale bring this very original book together nicely.

Highly recommended

20 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun thriller, May 10, 2000

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Computer mogul Phillip Bates proves he is the richest person in the world when he invites three former golf greats to play a round at his new course. If Senior pro legend Alfonso Zamora, women's great Rita Shaugnessy, and amateur champion Billy Sprague comes to his course at Rathgave Castle, Scotland, Phillip will pay them several hundred thousand dollars each. Alfonso may be losing his eyesight, Rita may be turning into an alcoholic has-been, and Billy may have gambled away his future, but each agrees to join the pro-am event along with many world leaders and celebrities.

However, an uninvited guest sees this tournament as an opportunity to cause massive destruction by blowing up a list of who's who. An anti-terrorist law enforcement team hopes to thwart the activist before the planned explosion makes a deep divot that wrecks havoc on the world scene. However, their bumbling reactions seem to only encourage the enemy whose goal is a special hole in one.

THE PUTT AT THE END OF THE WORLD is more than a golf thriller. The story line is a crazy eighteen holes punctuated by a group of weird charcaters with different agendas. Nine highly regarded authors contribute chapters to the novel. Though their styles vary, not one of them wavers from the main plot. In other words, readers gain a satirical anthology within a novel environment that is fun to read.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Golf Book Teetering on the edge of being "great", January 11, 2001

By	rodboomboom (Dearborn, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Amazon Verified Purchase

My opinion shifts each time I think about this book. Liked, in fact, thoroughly enjoyed parts of it. Shmuck in places got in the way for me personally, while others might just like it because of its raw side. Golf story was intriguing, although the detective plot overrode any golf in too many places.