Another pleasant little golf anthology
The Cape Gazette
October 19, 2001I
confess--I like anthologies.
Collections of short pieces, if collated and edited well, seem to work especially with
golf writing.
Michael Konik’s new book, Nice Shot,
Mr. Nicklaus is itself a
nice compilation. (Huntington Press, $23.95 SRP). Most of the articles originally appeared
in Delta Airlines’ Sky Magazine, for whom Konik is the resident golf
columnist.
The title piece that begins the book recounts an opportunity Konik seized to caddie for
Nicklaus at the opening of a new Florida golf course. Konik is appropriately awed, but not
so much as to be fawning.
It reads like he had a great time, and
the Walter Mitty-like atmosphere he recreates is equally enjoyable.
The next several pieces
cover a wide range of intriguing golfing stories. Konik plays in the Cow Pasture Open in
Montana. He observes the
wild swings, in mood and otherwise, of players in the DuPont World Amateur Championship.
Konik himself flails around at a fantasy golf camp, and assesses his fitness for a
25-minute round of speed golf. He also does a nice job describing the physical and mental
strains of competing in the Compaq World Putting Championship.
The next twelve articles are personality profiles, from Justin Leonard to Vince Gill. I
thought Konik did his best work on these pieces in his interviews with Laura Davies and
Corey Pavin. There’s also a connectionbetween these two players that Konik uncovers
for his readers.
Konik also wrote a nice piece on Skip Kendall, a journeyman Tour pro who played Little
League with Konik when they grew up together in Wisconsin. Konik weaves his own
remembrances into Kendall’s story, without taking over its emphasis on what it takes
for a very good athlete to make it on the Tour.
The next segment of the book is devoted to travel pieces. As one might expect for a
magazine designed for airplane passengers, Konik’s trips are a bit more exotic than
Rehoboth Beach, or Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina or Monterey, California. Try Valderrama, a golfing barge trip through Scotland,
or golf in Central America, instead.
Unlike other travel writers, however, Konik injects a note of realism into his pieces. For
example, he’s careful to note the disparity between the golfing class in Central
America and the stunning poverty that lurks not far from the gated surroundings. I give
him credit for not glossing over those unfortunate facts.
The last segment of the book includes some of Konik’s best pieces in the collection.
Konik writes in praise of caddies, by retelling some fond memories of several Scottish
characters. He nicely captures the feeling of easy companionship and common purpose that a
caddie can add to a round of golf.
The last piece, called “Alacrity and Demeanor,” should be appreciated by any
golfer who wonders whether some of the finer traditions of the game
are being lost or diminished. Konik understands and conveys the sense that golf can be a
good test of character. He argues for playing “efficiently and pleasantly:”
Meet your small triumphs . .
. with gleeful appreciation. Meet your predictable failures with graceful equanimity.
Struggle with dignity. And do it without inconveniencing all the other strugglers waiting
to play behind you.
Do all that . . . and I will consider you a magnificent golfer. And I will look forward to
the pleasure of playing with you for many years to come.
It’s an appropriate
finish to a good anthology.
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Hole By Hole's
Recommendation For:
Nice Shot, Mr. Nicklaus 
Click on the book
cover above or the link below to buy this book today.
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