I entered a bunch of giveaways on goodreads.com a few weeks ago. Based on this description, I entered to win Golf Chronicles by Joseph Bronson. I won!
From Pebble Beach to St. Andrews:
An Amateur Golfer's Experiences
Join the fun in this celebration of all things golf - a series of life stories, vignettes, and essays from the perspective of an ordinary player who simply loves the game.
Joe Bronson has played golf for the past 40 years at courses all over the world - from 84 of the top 100 US venues to England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, and even Israel. His book includes an account of the hardest holes and the most enjoyable holes he has played, as well as insights into the current state of the game.
From his first round of golf at age 25 to reaching a handicap of four, this dedicated player's passion for the game shines through in his entertaining yet information collection of golf chronicles.
From his first round of golf at age 25 to reaching a handicap of four, this dedicated player's passion for the game shines through in his entertaining yet information collection of golf chronicles.
Here is the review (constructive critique) that I posted on goodreads. I hope Joe Bronson reads it the way I intended.
"I received my autographed copy of Golf Chronicles as a winner of a goodreads giveaway. Thank you, Joe Bronson.
I really wanted to love this book. And Joe, if you're reading this, please read it as constructive criticism. That's what it's meant to be. It will be helpful if you'd like to appeal to an audience of casual golfers who have come to the game far later in life than you did as well as those who golf at your level.
I'm a (not very good) golfer and was anxious to read stories by someone who has played golf around the world, at some of the more famous and challenging golf courses. That's not what this book was. This book contained far too much general information about specific holes at specific golf courses and even though I golf, sometimes the language was too technical (or perhaps too much jargon) for me.
From the description given of the book, I really hoped for a book full of anecdotes by the author about his personal golf experiences. I really enjoyed reading about when your foursome broke two windows by two different golfers, two holes in a row, at Blackhawk. Your first experience at the Old Course at St. Andrews was exactly the type of thing I wanted to read about. I also enjoyed your story about golfing with Arnold Palmer. I wish that had gone on a little longer.
I wish that your stories had been written chronologically, in a more personal way. I wanted to read about how Joe Bronson improved at golf over the 40+ years of playing. What was it like when you went back top play your second round at the Old Course at St. Andrews? How was it different? And I don't mean the layouts of the holes? I mean your actual experience.
I wished you'd explained why you had golf clubs all over the place. Are they at clubs? Do you have homes all over the place? Where is your favorite set?
I also wished you'd included where each of the golf courses you wrote about were located.
A picky, minor detail here. You repeated some of the information at least once, if not more often, making me feel that you'd written each little blurb separately and then just plunked them all together rather than combining what you'd written into a more cohesive piece.
Finally, I also wished you'd shown a bit more humility in what you included in this book. I grew up as an inner city kid, too. Golf wasn't in my realm at all (although somehow one of the kids I grew up with is now a scratch golfer - whatever that means). Had I been a golfer as a young adult, I would have had the opportunity to play at The Boulders in Arizona, at Pinehurst in North Carolina, at The Greenbrier in West Viriginia. At Kiaweh. In Laguna Niguel. (I don't even know if these are great golf courses at all. They seemed impressive when I was there.) Even as a non-golfer back then, I was excited to be at these courses. I was thrilled to attend dinners at Baltusrol in New Jersey. To be able to go into the pro shop and buy my boyfriend a golf ball. I knew what a big deal that was. Even as a person who had only ever played mini golf. I felt none of that excitement or awe in your writing. That was probably one of my biggest disappointments.
If you ever do write the book that I wish this had been, I'd love to read that one!"
I really wanted to love this book. And Joe, if you're reading this, please read it as constructive criticism. That's what it's meant to be. It will be helpful if you'd like to appeal to an audience of casual golfers who have come to the game far later in life than you did as well as those who golf at your level.
I'm a (not very good) golfer and was anxious to read stories by someone who has played golf around the world, at some of the more famous and challenging golf courses. That's not what this book was. This book contained far too much general information about specific holes at specific golf courses and even though I golf, sometimes the language was too technical (or perhaps too much jargon) for me.
From the description given of the book, I really hoped for a book full of anecdotes by the author about his personal golf experiences. I really enjoyed reading about when your foursome broke two windows by two different golfers, two holes in a row, at Blackhawk. Your first experience at the Old Course at St. Andrews was exactly the type of thing I wanted to read about. I also enjoyed your story about golfing with Arnold Palmer. I wish that had gone on a little longer.
I wish that your stories had been written chronologically, in a more personal way. I wanted to read about how Joe Bronson improved at golf over the 40+ years of playing. What was it like when you went back top play your second round at the Old Course at St. Andrews? How was it different? And I don't mean the layouts of the holes? I mean your actual experience.
I wished you'd explained why you had golf clubs all over the place. Are they at clubs? Do you have homes all over the place? Where is your favorite set?
I also wished you'd included where each of the golf courses you wrote about were located.
A picky, minor detail here. You repeated some of the information at least once, if not more often, making me feel that you'd written each little blurb separately and then just plunked them all together rather than combining what you'd written into a more cohesive piece.
Finally, I also wished you'd shown a bit more humility in what you included in this book. I grew up as an inner city kid, too. Golf wasn't in my realm at all (although somehow one of the kids I grew up with is now a scratch golfer - whatever that means). Had I been a golfer as a young adult, I would have had the opportunity to play at The Boulders in Arizona, at Pinehurst in North Carolina, at The Greenbrier in West Viriginia. At Kiaweh. In Laguna Niguel. (I don't even know if these are great golf courses at all. They seemed impressive when I was there.) Even as a non-golfer back then, I was excited to be at these courses. I was thrilled to attend dinners at Baltusrol in New Jersey. To be able to go into the pro shop and buy my boyfriend a golf ball. I knew what a big deal that was. Even as a person who had only ever played mini golf. I felt none of that excitement or awe in your writing. That was probably one of my biggest disappointments.
If you ever do write the book that I wish this had been, I'd love to read that one!"
I will let you know if I get any sort of response from the author.
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