Shanks for Nothing

Imagine a group of characters that combine the worst traits of those in ANIMAL HOUSE and CADDYSHACK, and you have the cast for this comedy. Raymond "Stick" Hart and his pals are a likable group of underachievers whose entire reason for being is playing golf at the world's worst course, Ponky. When Ponky appears to be on the short list of pavement projects, they devise a ridiculously funny scheme to save it. Stephen Hoye is superb as Hart, who not only tells his own story, but that of all the other characters. The language of this tale of frat wannabes can be over the top. Still, getting past that, listeners will be howling over this tale of life on the links. M.T.F. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

May 1, 2006
In this madcap sequel to Reilly's golf farce Missing Links, little has changed at Ponkaquogue Municipal Golf Links and Deli (a.k.a. Ponky)-arguably America's worst golf course. Boston-area legend Ray Hart, groomed by his father for golf greatness, continues to ply his trade as a greeting card writer while hanging out with his pals at Ponky. Ray's "collection of no-account friends" includes "half-man, half-cappuccino" Two Down, Hoover (so named because he "sucks" at golf), Dom, the "World's Most Sexual Man," and Ray's spitfire five-handicap wife Dannie. The thin plot centers on the proposed sale of Ponky to the adjacent, upscale Mayflower Club for use as a parking lot. Ponky's regulars can't imagine life without their wretched refuge and hatch a plot to save the course that includes Ray flying to England to try qualifying for the British Open. The outcome is predictable, and Reilly never relents on the puns, sports and celebrity metaphors and double-entendres, occasionally crossing the line from irreverence to poor taste. The usually reliable Reilly shanks too many shots here to make par, but his fans-and they are legion-likely won't mind.

Rick Reilly's latest golf novel proves that even one of America's most popular sportswriters can miss the fairway. Although his book is intermittently entertaining, the story shows that Reilly is more in search of a punch line than a story line. While the disjointedness of the book may be a function of the abridgment, Nick Stevens's reading plays right into the same trap. His presentation seems "forced," as though he's a comedian who reads every line in anticipation of the audience's laughter. If you simply want a quick shot of Rick Reilly, this may do the trick; otherwise, the listener may want to take a mulligan. D.J.S. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine