Book Review: A Good Walk Spoiled

By John Feinstein

I’ve read a number of John Feinstein’s books and have loved them all. I love playing golf and had heard about this book from other friends. Knowing that Feinstein wrote it I immediately added it to my list of must reads.

This book took me a while to read as I was starting a new job my kids started school. I found myself reading 10-15 pages at a time and missing several days here and there between readings. However, when I did read it, I loved it.

The book follows a handful of professional golfers and their journey between tournaments and in some cases as they try to qualify for the PGA Tour during the early 1990’s. The book was long enough and detailed enough that Feinstein was able to provide insights into the players’ gold games as well as their private lives, including family issues and the challenges they faced trying to stay at the top of their games.

I watch golf and am familiar with many of the golfers chronicled. I think what we see on TV is the guys playing and competing and it’s easy to forget that they are more than just professional golfers. I work part time for the Utah Jazz and have access to players that most don’t and athletes in any sport are more than what we see from them as they compete.

In golf, players aren’t on teams and it’s entirely up to them on how they perform and how they earn a living. There are no guaranteed salaries in golf and the mental strain of competing and remaining consistent is one of the most challenging in all of sports.

The players feel it every tournament, every week and in many cases, every day. What stood out to me is that the pressures they face to earn a living doing what they love is invigorating while maddening all at the same time.

These players work tirelessly to improve their game and be prepared for each tournament. In any profession I feel people do that and face frustrations and questions about their ability and desire to continue working in their chosen profession. It was comforting in some aspects to read about the challenges these guys face. It humanized them in a way I hadn’t considered before.

What was equally fascinating to me was how they attacked and approached these challenges. Yes, there were frustrated. But in the majority of the cases, they did what I do, buckle down and work harder to improve and get their confidence back.

Many of these golfers are wealthy, and in many cases millionaires. Their wealth didn’t present them form working their tails off to remain at the top of their games or to be immune from losing their confidence.

In addition to reading about the way they handled adversity, I enjoyed getting to know more about their individual personalities and their personal interests. Stories about interactions between the golfers at tournaments and between tournaments was especially interesting.

These professional golfers are no different than any other person. They love what they do. They want to be the best and have challenges in their personal lives. I enjoyed the book enough that I’d like to turn around and start it all over again. This was a fantastic read and one that I highly recommend.