Book Review- Caddy for Life

source; www.bruceedwardsfoundation.org



I recently finished reading the Book “Caddy for Life” authored by John Feinstein.  Most of us know John from his appearances on The Golf Channel and for providing commentary at PGA Tour Events.  John has a long history of following and writing about the PGA Tour and is a respected author of several other golf books and many years as a journalist.

The book was based upon the life and Professional Caddying career of Bruce Edwards.  For those of us that follow golf regularly Bruce Edwards was the long time caddy for Hall of Fame PGA Tour star Tom Watson.  For thirty years Bruce walked the fairways with Tom during some of his greatest triumphs in golf.  However, there is a not a story book ending about this player-caddy partnership.  That is because Bruce passed way in 2004 of (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.  Although Tom and Bruce did not close out their careers by walking off into the sunset together that does not matter.  What does matter is that they had a unique and special relationship on and off the course for over thirty years.

I can no way describe the type of person Bruce was with any accuracy or clarity as I never knew the man.  However, John Feinstein did a wonderful job in this work describing what an amazing human being Bruce was.  He described Bruce in countless ways throughout the book as a charismatic individual; liked and respected by his fellow caddies and players on tour.  He spoke of his unbridled enthusiasm throughout his life and career, even up to the very end.

The only thing I can critique about the book is the level of detail in it about Tom Watson’s golf career.  I realize that you must include Toms on the course play when you are writing a book about a PGA Tour caddy.  It seemed, at times like I was reading a chronicle about Tom Watson’s golf career “on the course.”  However, do not let this one critique prevent you from reading this amazing work.  You will be a better person by getting to know how special Bruce Edwards was as a person.  After reading this book you will come away with a better perspective on life.  As I did, you may ask yourself why I can’t be more like Bruce?  Why can’t I have his perspective and attitude?  Why can’t I treat everyone as he did?

I just played in a charity outing at Wethersfield Country Club in Hartford, CT.  This is where Bruce got his start as a young caddy when the Greater Hard Open was played there.  All day long I could not help but think about Bruce, his history on that course and where he developed the love for caddying.

As much as this book is about golf, it is also about life.  It is about personal friendship, professional respect, sacrifice and loss.  We all face challenges in life and some of us do a better job than others in dealing with them.  Bruce Edwards was an amazing role model in how to deal with adversity.  For this reason alone you should read this book.



Book Review; The Art of Scoring by Stan Utley

Over the past few days I read the book “The Art of Scoring”- The Ultimate On-Course Guide to Short Game Strategy and Technique” by Stan Utley. I have read dozens of golf books by famous players like Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Ray Floyd. I would have to put this book in the upper echelon of books I have ever read on the short game.

Most authors cover a lot of ground in their books and only spend a small amount of time on the short game. What is great about this book is that it is solely focused on the short game. This part of the game is where amateur golfers struggle the most and waste a lot of shots. Stan does a great job of breaking down the game into simplistic, easy-to-understand concepts. He draws mental pictures with words in describing how to get into the proper position to perform the stroke. He stresses the importance of feel and visualization over talent or technique throughout the book, which I really like. He begins with this theme on the very first page of chapter one when he states “I’d put more weight on their ability to see what shot to hit than I would on their ability to understand the mechanics of how to hit it.” I agree with this advice and wrote a piece this summer about the why in golf instruction, not just the how.

I am a big believer in knowing why an instructor is asking you to approach a shot a certain way or to make a certain change. Stan does a great job of explaining why and how. The book doesn’t just tell you how to get into position, grip the club, or make a stroke. He outlines why you should make a change or approach the stroke in a certain position.

Another great point he makes in the book is setting proper expectations about the results of a short game shot. Very few players are scratch golfers or professionals. So, the average to high handicapper can get a lot out of this book in course management and expectations. He explains that sometimes just getting the ball on the green is good enough. He also relates how to turn double and triple bogies into bogies and pars. That is a lesson we all need to follow a little more closely.

In speaking about bunker play, Stan challenges the conventional notion of how to setup to and position the golf ball. He teaches playing a square stance when conventional instruction always teaches approaching a bunker shot with an open stance. I found this very interesting and am curious to try it on the practice ground myself. He also spends time going through how to diagnose sand conditions when you enter the bunker. It gives information on how to play the shot, how hard to hit the ball, and where to land it.

In my opinion, one of the most important points in the book is regarding lag putting. Stan makes it very clear that the key to good lag putting is sound contact between the putter face and ball. He stresses the importance or hitting the ball in the middle of the putter face every time. For someone like me who struggles from time to time in gauging speed on lag putts, this is music to my ears. I experimented with this very concept last season as I was tired of three putting and I have to say it works like a charm. Consistent, clean contact on the ball is crucial to rolling the ball the correct speed on a consistent basis.

To conclude, I think this is a great book and instruction manual for mid to high handicappers, which defines most of the golfing world. If the average player takes his advice and follows the tips he outlines, I believe they could make a dramatic impact in lowering their scores and handicap. If they do that they will have a lot more fun playing this great sport.



The Match – The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever

As part of my Blog I want to include reviews on Golf books I have read. A few years ago I had the opportunity to read “The Match” written by Mark Frost. For those of you that enjoy golf history, this book is a must read. Without giving too much about the book away here are a few reasons why you should read this book. First, it is a true story with numerous eye witness accounts to the events in the story. Second, the book is set on the Monterey Peninsula, namely on Pebble Beach Golf Links and Cypress Point Golf Club. Third, the book features Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward. Oh, and Eddie Lowery, who if you recall was Francis Ouimet’s caddie when he won the US Open in 1913.


This book is exciting from beginning to end and has a lot of great stories from players of the Hogan and Nelson era. Unlike today, the players of that era did not have every single golf shot recorded and taped. So, much of what we know about their careers is in written print. This book exemplifies how good the players were in that era. It also examines the decisions that went into how and why players chose to become “touring professionals.” Remember in those days the players were not being paid big money in purses and endorsements to play professional golf. Many good players had to decide between “Club Pro” jobs, remaining amateur and touring the country as a player.

Here is the quote by Ken Venturi on the back cover of the book;

“The Match was a dream I never thought would come true. If I hadn’t been there I wouldn’t believe it myself, and if you know anything about sports or the game of golf, once you pick up this book you won’t put it down. No one will ever see an event like this again. Fiction can’t touch it.”

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com