Honour: A Historical Golf Novel

by Richard O'Connor

Gambling, drugs, sex, and professionals invade the bucolic world of American amateur golf in 1909. Golf had been the province of the aristocracy, restricted to exclusive clubs, and controlled by an elite class. But, the game began to change. This historical novel chronicles the story of two boyhood friends who enter this new game and give challenge to the traditional expectations of the game they love. As the old guard ruthlessly tries to maintain control over every facet of the game, the two boys’ friendship, loyalty, and honor are tested - and their lives will be changed forever. From Boston to Cape Cod and Providence to North Carolina they encounter some of the greatest players of the day who influence their careers and also establish new social norms for the game.

418 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Richard O'Connor is a former high school All-American who later starred at Duke University. After a brief professional basketball career, he turned to freelance writing. His work has appeared in many major magazines, including Sports Illustrated, The New York Times Magazine, GQ, TV Guide, Penthouse, People, and Sport. His articles have been included in the prestigious Best American Sports Stories series. At various times of his life, he's been a magazine editor, publisher, president and owner. He has also been a consultant to the Dallas Mavericks, Seattle Supersonics, and Detroit Pistons.

Reviews

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like golf, especially golf history, you will enjoy this novel. The details about how the game was played and what would have gone through players' minds on and off the course rings very true. I'm envious of the way the game was played 100 years ago, which seemed to have so much shot-making over bunkers and onto tight greens. As we saw in the 2022 US Open played in the Boston area -- the site of much of the action in this book -- it was a game of nuance, not just power.

Of course, golf is always about nuance beyond the actual shots, too. How you think on the course is as important as how you swing the club. This book lets you think alongside the players as they face wind, bunkers, elevated greens, etc. And at the same time, they have personal betting stakes riding on their shots, as well as their reputations as honorable men and competitors. As a purely weekend golfer who's never played for stakes even with friends, I can still appreciate what these guys are doing.

The book also brings into play the serious theme of morphine addiction, which was common in the early 20th century when businesses and entrepreneurs had a lot more leeway in what they sold to the public and what they told them they were selling. (The natural health and vitamin industries today are exaggerating the benefits of their products with the same fervor as a guy selling an elixir from a wagon in 1900, but at least they are only rarely killing people with their concoctions.) The story here has a happy ending that's not exactly a surprise and I think it's not necessary that every woman be charming and beautiful, but I see nothing wrong with a book with a positive tone. In fact, we could use a lot more positives these days, and for many of us golf (and reading about golf) is one answer.