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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Chances are 3 in 100

TALES FROM Q SCHOOL:  INSIDE GOLF'S FIFTH MAJOR  by John Feinstein
 
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"Tales from Q School" is another golf book by semi-famous golf writer John Feinstein. I read "Caddie for Life" by Feinstein last year and liked it, so I figured I'd like this one. And, for the most part, I did like it.

Tales from Q School by John Feinstein: Book CoverThroughout "Tales from Q School," Feinstein follows several different golfers through the 1st, 2nd and final stages of golf's most pressure packed event. Q school is the qualifying tournament for the PGA Tour. Each year, nearly 1,000 pros tee it up for 30 spots on the PGA Tour. Most of the book chronicles the failures of the different players. However, sprinkled in are success stories of the lucky few who make it all the way through.

I really enjoyed reading the stories the players told, both about their successes and failures. I liked the analysis the players gave of themselves, even though it was brutally honest at times. At some level, this book made me glad I was never good enough to be a pro. As an everyday hack, I can just enjoy the game I love, and not have to sweat it out as a way of making a living.

The only thing I didn't like in this book was the occasional "conservative" bashing by Feinstein. I get that he's a liberal, and he doesn't think too highly of the conservative way of thinking. However, I find it somewhat ironic that he covers and makes his money off a sport that is at least stereotypically seen as a sport for elitist conservatives. If I were the editor, I would have dropped those parts from the book, they didn't add anything.

Overall though, it was a good read...if you like golf books.

2 comments:

  1. John Feinstein, a semi-famous golf writer? He's a very famous sports writer. He has written a few golf books but he's also got books about football and basketball. A few years ago he started a series for kids, which is rather good. The first book in the series, Last Shot, was an Iowa Children's Choice Book. I read the second Vanishing Act and I liked it. The boy and girl characters win a trip to the Final Four in the first book because they win a sprots writing contest or something like that. The meet up again at the U.S. Open. It was neat to read about the characters interacting with real-world people. Overall a good mystery series for kids.

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  2. Glad to see you recommend this. I have heard about this book before, I'll have to put it on my list.

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