In my recent fascination with golf, I decided to read this book about four golfing buddies offered the vacation of a lifetime at the private golf resort, Swithen Bairn. From the outset, everything is shrouded in mystery - the location of the resort (they are flown there in private jet with no windows), the actual cost of the vacation (they're only told that if it isn't the most memorable of their lives, they pay nothing), and how four supposed friends are going to make it through a week playing rounds together on this twisted Fantasy Island. The four main characters are definitely stereotypes of guys who spend their weekends on the links and their weeks thinking about their next round. They are tremendously wealthy and always looking for a way to win - whether it means fudging on their handicap or using irons made from non-regulation materials. I enjoyed the colorful characters and the general plot of this book - but it is definitely a novel for golf enthusiasts. As the foursome play their rounds, their shots are described one by one, hole by hole. I kept just wanting to know who was going to win without having to hear about who used a driver and who used a 3-wood, whose shot narrowly missed the sand-trap and who left his putt just short of an eagle. There is certainly the buiding of suspense - particularly when the foursome find themselves in over their heads in a round for cold hard cash - but I am not (yet?) a big enough golf aficianado to appreciate all the subtleties of the game, so I found myself getting a little bored. That being said, the ending is really fun - and I think this would be a great read for anyone who loves the game of golf.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
The Foursome - Troon McAllister
In my recent fascination with golf, I decided to read this book about four golfing buddies offered the vacation of a lifetime at the private golf resort, Swithen Bairn. From the outset, everything is shrouded in mystery - the location of the resort (they are flown there in private jet with no windows), the actual cost of the vacation (they're only told that if it isn't the most memorable of their lives, they pay nothing), and how four supposed friends are going to make it through a week playing rounds together on this twisted Fantasy Island. The four main characters are definitely stereotypes of guys who spend their weekends on the links and their weeks thinking about their next round. They are tremendously wealthy and always looking for a way to win - whether it means fudging on their handicap or using irons made from non-regulation materials. I enjoyed the colorful characters and the general plot of this book - but it is definitely a novel for golf enthusiasts. As the foursome play their rounds, their shots are described one by one, hole by hole. I kept just wanting to know who was going to win without having to hear about who used a driver and who used a 3-wood, whose shot narrowly missed the sand-trap and who left his putt just short of an eagle. There is certainly the buiding of suspense - particularly when the foursome find themselves in over their heads in a round for cold hard cash - but I am not (yet?) a big enough golf aficianado to appreciate all the subtleties of the game, so I found myself getting a little bored. That being said, the ending is really fun - and I think this would be a great read for anyone who loves the game of golf.
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