Strokes of Genius
Tom Boswell is among the better writers for the Washington Post. A newspaper with Tony Kornheiser, Howard Kurtz, and George Will on its pages presents some keen competition. Nonetheless, Boswell consistently writes great stuff about many sports.
Strokes of Genius collects 21 of his pieces on golf, originally written for the Post or Golf Magazine, and published between 1977 and 1986. It’s time for another Boswell collection, but in the meantime, read this one.
One of the drawbacks to most sports writing is the apparently ephemeral nature of the events described. For most people, there’d better be a really good reason to pick up a book in 1998 and read about a Masters tournament in 1979. How about the fact that Fuzzy Zoeller won the Masters that year?
Considering last year’s tempest over Zoeller and Tiger Woods, Boswell’s “Whataya Got, Big Chief” article is a nice counterpoint to the stuff more recently written about Zoeller.
Most of these pieces are personality studies of well-known golfers. Nicklaus, Watson, Floyd, Trevino, Ballesteros, and Stadler are all featured in several of these articles. Nonetheless, I preferred the pieces on lesser-known golfers, such as Calvin Peete and Jim Thorpe.
It’s probably a bit easier to identify with people for whom fame is a rarity, but who nonetheless show admirable qualities such as determination and dignity.
Boswell also writes a bit about his own experiences in golf. “The Cardiac Cliffs” is an appreciation of Pebble Beach, written in 1982 during that year’s U.S. Open.
Without his coming out and saying so directly, it seems pretty obvious that Boswell’s feelings about Pebble are derived in part from his own experience of playing it, and not simply a recounting of what others told him.
The last piece, “Temper Fugit,” is a confessional. Boswell admits to having a temper and occasionally displaying it on the golf course.
Given the normal reluctance of any journalist to admit fault, this piece is, in that sense, startling.
It is also very funny.
This is an enjoyable book. I just hope Boswell comes out soon with another collection.
Review Date: June 1, 1998