I like golf. I’ve read books about golf, watched movies about golf, watched golf tournaments, even played golf for a while (it’s been a while). I did not like this book about golf. I may have been too harsh, but I did at least say the book was funny. But it was often cringe-funny, not hah-hah funny. Anyway, it was a long time ago, I don’t think it hurt his career.
See what I did there? You will if you read the review.
The title of the review is probably all you need to read. I kind of wish I could take this one back and pretend I never read the book. If you can’t say something nice… I’ll plead youth and inexperience and hope for forgiveness. But I meant every word of it. At least I kept it short.
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Reviewer: ‘A spoiled brat’s midlife crisis in print’
‘Chasing the Dream: A Mid-life Quest for Fame and Fortune on the Pro Golf Circuit’
by Harry Hurt III
(CNN) — Let this be a lesson: if George Plimpton likes it, you probably won’t. That’s the feeling I have now that I’ve finished Harry Hurt’s manifesto on professional golf. Plimpton calls the book ‘A wonderful adventure splendidly told.’ Uh, excuse me, but which book did he read?
This thin volume, ‘Chasing the Dream,’ amounts to not much more than a spoiled brat’s midlife crisis in print. Mr. Hurt — and if you don’t know his name, there’s a good reason — may be a fine writer, but he definitely does not put his best foot forward in this effort.
In ‘Chasing the dream,’ Hurt tells the story of his rebellious desertion of his college golf team, then goes on to detail his experiences while attempting a comeback of sorts some two-plus decades later.
But it’s hard to feel any sympathy for Hurt when you realize he left the freshman team at Harvard (full scholarship, thank you) over a lousy haircut. It is also difficult to empathize with Hurt’s trials and tribulations during his comeback attempt — unless of course you’re an over-the-hill whiner with a country club background.
But I have to admit; Hurt’s book is funny. His tales of post-round drinking with his extensive network of golf buddies and PGA wannabes is enlightening, to say the least. Ladies, if your husband spends a lot of time playing golf, you should read this book. You’ll probably learn more about him than you want to know.
Does Harry Hurt III make it back into the golfing elite? Does he catch his dream of being a pro on the PGA tour? Like I said, if you don’t know his name, there’s probably a good reason.