Who's Your Caddy?

April 14, 2003
Hilarious misadventures, catty gossip and downright embarrassing facts are only part of the appeal of this deftly written journal by Sports Illustrated
writer Reilly (Missing Links). Caddying for a golf pro just might be every amateur golfer's dream. Reilly managed to talk 11 players, media personalities and one infamous gambler into letting him follow them inside the ropes, even though he had no experience as a caddy and showed that fact so many times that John Daly nicknamed him "Dumbshit." Consider spilling Jack Nicklaus's clubs out onto the wet ground, just as he asks you for a new ball. Or leaving David Duval's golf clubs in the locker room overnight (the ones he won the British Open with) and not being able to find them the next morning. Self-help guru Deepak Chopra recently took up the game and proved that although he may be able to control the aging process, hitting driver is beyond his mystical powers. Reilly gets serious while carrying Casey Martin's bag, the pro golfer who sued the PGA Tour for the right to ride a golf cart during tournaments (Martin suffers from a rare leg disorder that makes every step excruciatingly painful). Billionaire Donald Trump, comedian Bob Newhart, beautiful LPGA pro Jill McGill, Tom Lehman (there's a "Jimmy Stewart decency about him"), legendary gambler Dewey Tomko and blind golfer Bob Andrews round out the field and provide Reilly ample inspiration for a truly funny, don't-miss read. (May)Forecast:Just in time for Father's Day, the book will get added attention as a first serial in
Sports Illustrated and with Reilly making an appearance on the
Today show.

May 1, 2003
Sports Illustrated columnist Reilly (Missing Links; Slo-Mo) takes a basic idea-the humble activity of caddying-and makes it his vantage point for this first-person account of big-time golf. As Reilly points out, golf is unique in all of sports in that a nonplayer (and nonumpire) can be on the playing field throughout a match. In this book, Reilly tells of his loops with PGA and LPGA notables as he hauls clubs for 12 players-everyone from Casey Martin and Jack Nicklaus to Tom Lehman and David Duval-and observes the hustlers and personalities (even a blind golfer, Bob Andrews) that accompany the sport. Dan Jenkins of Golf Digest and David Feherty of Golf cover much the same ground as Reilly each month in their respective publications. But Reilly is at times able to provide an insight or two about character, motivation, and determination. By and large, the book has more to do with humor and personalities than it does about pure golf. For most sports collections; the book (or, alternately, the audio CD) may also be considered for libraries with entertainment sections.-Steven Silkunas, North Wales, PA

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2003
\deflang1033\pard"Sports Illustrated "columnist Reilly takes a page out of George Plimpton's book by going inside the ropes on the PGA Tour--not as a player, as Plimpton did briefly in the '60s ("The Bogey Man"), but as a caddy for some of golf's biggest names (Nicklaus, Duval, and Daly). Most of Reilly's "loops" (golf lingo for caddying) took place during practice rounds or Pro-Ams, but he did hoist the bags of Tom Lehman during an early round of an official tournament and of Tommy Aaron during the Masters. The result is both insightful and funny (Reilly made every mistake a caddy can make, from dropping clubs to instilling negative thoughts in his player's tender psyche). Along the way, Reilly gives golf fans a revealing look at the human side of tour players--not just their odd acts of kindness but, in the case of John Daly, a glimpse of what Reilly calls Long John's supersized penis! Reilly also looped for a few celebrities, including guru Deepak Chopra, whose on-course deportment is not nearly as tranquil as his image would suggest. Golf fans won't want to miss this one. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)