To the Linksland: A Golfing Adventure

Many have written lyrically about the wonders of golf in Scotland and its inherent magic, which is the focus of the second half of Michael Bamberger's lovely ode to the game. But it's the book's first half that makes it as essential as a putter for anyone willing to go deeper into golf's heart. Here, Bamberger explores the eternal mystery of golf: "More than any other athlete, the professional golfer looks normal; his physical ordinariness is a ubiquitous reminder of our limitations. So what makes him so special?" He searches for his answers the hard way: he lugs a golf bag around for a season as a caddie on the European tour. Even if the golfing grail he sought remains elusive, his narrative drives straight into the game's psyche through a colorful, witty, and poignant portrait of his months on the fairways with Peter Teravainen, the practicing Buddhist, Yale-graduate journeyman grinder whose bag he toted.