Title/Author:
“Playing Through:
Modern Golf’s Most Iconic Players and Moments” by Jim Moriarty
Tags:
Golf, professional,
history
Publish date:
October 1, 2016
Length:
288 pages
Rating:
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)
Review:
Golf can be both a beautiful and cruel game at the same time.
Whether it is the joy of seeing Tom Watson’s chip into the 17th hole
at the US Open in 1982 or the questionable behavior of players and fans after
the United States won the 1999 Ryder Cup, one cannot dispute the unique stories
that are created from the sport. Jim
Moriarty captures these emotions and more in this collection of twelve essays
of the sport.
Covering the time period from the early 1980’s to the present,
Moriarty writes on a wide range of topics.
In addition to Watson and that historic Ryder Cup victory, he writes
about the humanity of the game by describing the path taken to greatness by
some of the game’s biggest names: Phil
Mickelson, John Daly, the late Payne Stewart, Juli Inkster and Tiger Woods.
However, the topics that one would expect when writing about those golfers are
not what he covers. For example, the
essay on Inkster concentrates on her reflections on many of the greats in women’s
gold such as Kathy Whitworth and Judy Rankin. Stewart’s chapter is as much
about his struggles with attention deficit disorder as much as his
championships. Woods even gets a fresh
look, which is mighty difficult considering his professional and personal life
has been scrutinized by many.
All of this would not be possible without the fresh writing by
Moriarty. Having written on the sport for over 30 years, he takes that
experience and his observations and crafts them together to bring together a
collection of essays that any golf fan or player will enjoy. Blessed with a
talent for excellent storytelling, the reader will feel like he or she has personally
known the players covered in the book for many years. The book is a treat to read and is one that
can be pulled off the shelf later and still be as fresh as that ball that just
fell into the cup.
I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Book Format Read:
Hardcover
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