The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan

by John Coyne

Returning as an honored guest to the exclusive country club where he worked in his youth, Jack Handley remembers the summer of ’46 when he caddied for Ben Hogan in the last Chicago Open. Now a respected historian, Jack recounts to the assembled sons and daughters of members he once knew the dramatic match between the mysterious and charismatic Hogan and the young club pro he idealized.  The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan is filled with dazzling descriptions of hole-by-hole match play drama, and laced with anecdotes from that golden age of sports. This bittersweet novel of friendship, lost love, and great golf is told through the eyes of a 14-year-old boy whose life is forever changed by one of the greatest players of the game.

Genres: Fiction, Sports

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

John Coyne (born 1937) is an American writer. He is the author of more than twenty-five nonfiction and fiction books, including a number of horror novels, while his short stories have been collected in "best of" anthologies such as Modern Masters of Horror and The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. A former Peace Corps Volunteer and a life-long lover of golf, Coyne has edited and written a number of books dealing with both subjects, the most recent two novels areThe Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan and "The Caddie Who Played With Hickory".

Reviews

[Larry]

a good story about colorful characters. most golfers will enjoy it.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gene loved it!

[Keith Schiesser · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you love golf & a good story about Ben Hogan this book is for you. Too bad it has a sad ending.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the book says, a great book for anyone who likes golf. It's got a compelling main character and an interesting story-within-a-story concept that I enjoyed.

And there's a solid message in the book that applies well to life as well as golf.

Actually, I find it easier to apply to life. Golf pisses me off too much.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was written for me and those like me who practice "the willing suspension of disbelief" and find detailed accounts of rounds of golf fascinating. The first attribute is needed given the type of rounds described. Building the structure of the novel around the historical figure of Ben Hogan was the coup de grace.

[Brad Larsen]

Well-crafted tale about golf, loyalty and of course Ben Hogan. Got a bit scattered--a few items were introduced and then just sort of flushed out--the Calcutta gambling connection for one. But all in all, a great read.

[Brian123 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, Coyne does a good job of portraying the simplicity of Hogan in a work of fiction, good read!!!!

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

golf, fiction, historical novel, relationships

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was amused looking at the reviews for this book. Why? Because for the first time (for me), most of them are from men versus the comments entered for a stereotypical female genre :)

Honestly, I don't think this is a book just for either men or golf aficionados. But, I think it helps to have some exposure to the game to get the benefit of the jargon, frustrations, and the play-by-play action. I'm impressed about how much I learned about golf from the book, free of any charge except the cost of the book!

But mostly, it was just such a good, old-fashioned story with characters that felt very real. I've not read this author before but I enjoyed his writing style. This book was one I was going to treat as quasi-fluff reading; it was actually very satisfying. But, maybe that's because I haven't golfed in a while :) Enjoy the story!

[Brian O'Leary · Rating 5 out of 5]

great sports read

[Ted Blackwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it

This is a great book about golf and life. A young hard working farm boy had the opportunity to caddie for Hogan and how it impacted his life.