Mountaineer, novelist and poet Greig (In Another Light, 2004, etc.)
examines life and golf.The sport conjures up a great many images,
most involving upper-crust aristocracy, private clubs and affluent
practitioners. The author, a proud Scot and on-and-off golfer,
argues that it is actually remarkably universal: a game for men and
women, for blue-collar workers as well as executives, for those who
enjoy the beauty of somewhat overgrown nature as well as those who
prefer well-manicured greens. Recovering from brain surgery, Greig
approached the links to meditate on a variety of issues, most
relating, perhaps not unexpectedly, to mortality. He took the
opportunity to visit 18 golf courses in his native Scotland, from
the northern point of the Orkney Islands to the celebrated greens
of St. Andrews. Along the way, he ruminates on issues relating to
the game and to life in general. The attempt to quantify the
success of a round of golf with a scorecard can artificially taint
and ruin a perfectly valid pursuit, he declares. A lopsided
scorecard cruelly shows one player failing to measure up to a
superior; declining scores suggest age and his mortality. Greig's
self-consciousness about his game also leads him to question his
preference for playing alone as a means of avoiding the
frustrations of competing. He eventually learns that company does
not necessarily require competition and comes to enjoy fellowship
on the course. He explores with great vulnerability and openness
his relationships with his friends, brothers, father and wife. A
portrait emerges of a man by no means perfect, but in many ways
complete. A lyrical and moving meditation. (Kirkus Reviews)
A book about golf that will appeal to both players and non players,
by Scottish poet and novelist. Surely golf is a game for posh
people, country clubs and networking businessmen, for unfortunate
sweaters, politics and trousers? Andrew Greig grew up on the East
coast of Scotland, where playing golf is as natural as breathing.
He sees the game as the great leveller, and has played on the Old
course at St Andrews as well as on the miners' courses of
Yorkshire. He writes about the different cultural manifestations of
the game, the history, the geography, the different social
meanings, as well as the subjective experience, the reflections
between shots. He plays alone, with friends and brothers, with
ghosts. He is looking for the essence of golf, the pure heart of
it, which can be found, Andrew Greig believes, on the free 9 hole
course on North Ronaldsay.
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