Not exactly part of a series, but part of a kind of book that George Plimpton wrote early in his career, this book involve George Plimpton, amateur golfer, mixing it up with pros for a month. Mostly this book functions as a kind of insider/outsider piece of sports journalism, really attempting to show just how truly different being world class at a sport is from being a good amateur. But in the hands of Plimpton, the book works to shed light not just on the skill sets, but the entire world itself. Plimpton is a handicap 18 golfer, which means (as best as I’ve ever been able to tell) that compared to a scratch golfer or a pro, he could be expected to get 18 over par on a given course. Mostly this stat is used for pairing and betting situations, like giving odds and points on a basketball game. So when he joins the PGA (he doesn’t really), this shows how different he is from the pros. Really he joins a celebrity pro-am tournament which pairs him with a relatively unknown golfer, but one who is still worlds above an amateur like Plimpton. The book also explores travelling life, caddies, mythologies (legends), myths and superstitions, and downtime, as well politics and economics. It’s not a “philosophy of golf” kind of book because it really is focused on topics related to pro golfing. It’s also very much of its time, so it’s got plenty of casual racism, homophobia, and sexism. So be fore! warned. I am sorry.
(Photo: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4683631-the-bogey-man)
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