THE WORLD OF GOLF: The Best of Peter Dobereiner

by Peter Dobereiner ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 30, 1981

A thoroughly agreeable round for links enthusiasts: 71 short pieces, 1968-80, by the British golfing world's (arguably, the whole golfing world's) best journalist--news reports for The Guardian and columns from The Observer, plus features published in Golf Digest and other American periodicals. Among the highlights are exemplary accounts of two major championships: the 1980 US Open, won by Jack Nicklaus after 18 months without a tournament victory; and the 1968 Masters, lost by Argentina's Roberto de Vincenzo because of his playing partner's inadvertent scorecard error. Also on tap are brief profiles of the luminaries on and off the course--including Arnold Palmer driving a golf ball from the world's tallest tee, the Eiffel Tower, to promote a new line of French perfume. Nor are lesser lights scanted: Dobereiner recounts, e.g., the exploits of one Joe Ezar who won a 40,000-lira bet from Fiat's president in pre-WW II Italy by calling his shots on the way to a course-record 64. The women, however, get short shrift--with Dobereiner opening the first of only three entries by observing, acidulously, that ""ever since the beheading of the first woman golfer, Mary Queen of Scots, the golf world has openly regretted the practice didn't start a trend."" Other Dobereiner peeves include: inconsistent rule makers on both sides of the Atlantic; country clubs that make cart rentals compulsory; and UK chauvinists who insist on the exclusively Scottish origin of golf--to which the Low Countries can also lay considerable claim. But Dobereiner's travels do yield appreciations of some great courses--besides Scotland's Carnoustie and Muirfield, Israel's Caesarea, Zambia's fauna-filled Nchanga, Cyprus Point, Augusta National, etc. An elegant stylist (and formidable punster), he can be confidently recommended to discriminating golfers and tournament-watchers alike.

Pub Date: Nov. 30, 1981

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1981

Categories: NONFICTION