The Professional

by Evan Mandery

John Paul Newport, author of The Fine Green “In The Professional, Evan Mandery brings to life a veteran Tour pro with both prodigious talent and a prodigious work ethic. What he lacks is a purpose in life. The novel is a compelling saga of golf obsession and, ultimately, of redemption through golf. Mandery knows the game inside and out, especially all that goes on inside a golfer’s head.” Tom Cunneff, National Golf “The Professional is a terrific tale of redemption with a great cast of characters. Not only does Mandery capture the life of journeyman tour pro to a tee, but his non-linear storytelling technique keeps the reader riveted.” Les Schupak, Met “Engrossing...an intense assessment of how this game can upset a life or provide it with satisfaction and meaning... Mandery offers a conclusion equal to ‘hitting it pure.’” Bob Denney, PGA Historian “Evan Mandery masterfully captures the raw emotion, struggles, joys, despair, romance, failure, triumph, evolution and redemption of a golf professional. The Professional gently transports us to days of our youth when we walked the fairway with a loved one and how important it is that we cherish those fleeting moments." A golf novel for all time, The Professional tells the life story of pro golfer David Michael Howard over three transformative weeks at different points his life. As a 16-year-old, David is told by his West Latrobe High School English teacher that he is a gifted writer, and should attend a summer workshop, but David’s controlling, abusive father demands that he spend the summer preparing for the Pennsylvania State Open, forcing David to decide whether to live his father’s dream or his own. Later, as a forty-something journeyman pro, David experiences a mid-life crisis during the final round of a tournament, causing him to question the meaning of golf and how he has spent his life. Long-brewing feelings of failure surface, and David is tempted towards a potentially catastrophic affair with a beautiful Alabama housewife. Finally, as an old man, golf presents David with an opportunity for redemption in the form of Billy Conway, an immensely talented but raw young player, who turns to David for help and offers him a path to redemption. The Professional’s life intersects with the greats of the game—Nicklaus, Watson and Palmer (in whose shadow David is raised) and the novel asks the questions that everyone who loves golf has What are the conditions that produce virtuosity? Does a single-minded devotion to a skill preclude the possibility of a happy life? Told with humor, charm, and a devotion to the history of the game, The Professional is a golf novel for the ages. About the Evan Mandery is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He is the author of six books including three novels. Both A Wild Justice (about a pair of seminal Supreme Court cases on the death penalty) and his novel, Q, were New York Times editors’ picks. In 2019, he won an Emmy and Peabody Award for the Twitch TV series, Artificial, which he co-created. About Classics of Classics of Golf, an exclusive collection of the world’s best reading golf books, was created by the legendary Hebert Warren Wind for those who cherish the history and the game. The collection includes titles by Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, and many other of the most revered names in golf. In addition to the Library, Classics of Golf publishes select new books.

Genres: Fiction

339 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 18, 2020

About the author

Evan Mandery is the author of eight books, including four novels, as well as the co-creator and executive producer of the TV series Artificial, for which he won Peabody and Emmy awards in 2019. A leading expert on the death penalty, Evan’s book, A Wild Justice: The Death and Resurrection of Capital Punishment in America, was a New York Times Editors’ Pick, a Kirkus best book of the year, and an ABA Silver Gavel honorable mention. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Evan has been an outspoken critic of legacy admissions since publishing an op-ed in The New York Times in 2014. His new book Poison Ivy: How Elite Colleges Divide Us offers a devastating critique of how elite colleges and suburbs work together to exacerbate social inequality. Evan is also a regular contributor to Politico. He lives in Montclair, New Jersey with his wife, Valli Rajah-Mandery, a sociologist. They have three children.

Reviews

[Kristy Hurst · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me

It started off great. Then it began to drag and continued to do so until I walked away from it. Weeks later I came back to it, and the last 75 pages were good. This novel just wasn't for me.

[Evan Mandery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean, if I don't like, who will?

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

A journeyman golfer in three stages of life: youth, midlife crisis, and bitter old age. A bit different from most sports novels.

[Andrew Langert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rather unconventional novel about the life of a journeyman professional golfer (David), who played at the highest level without ever achieving greatness.
The novel is unconventional in that it jumps around to different points in the David's life rather randomly. In his youth, he was good at golf but he loved writing. His controlling father prevailed on him to choose the route to be a professional golfer, a choice David would not have made if it was all up to him.
As a professional golfer, the reader sees a rather empty existence. David neglects and ultimately completely abandons his wife and two children while on tour most of the year.
As a retired golfer, David takes a teenage golfer under his wing. Being older and wiser now, he tries to help the young man, and ends up learning from his pupil while at the same time helping the youngster with his golf game.
I love golf and the David character felt very real. The book is more about making choices on how to live your life than it is about golf war stories. An enjoyable, if somewhat sad, read.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good author writes relatable characters whose dialog moves smoothly and believably. A great author can do this with a subject that otherwise would be of no interest to a reader but pull them in anyhow. That's what happened here.

You would be hard-pressed to find someone less interested in golf than I am. Even so, I found myself reading The Professional and truly enjoying it, even though it's very much a golf book. It tells the story of David Howard, a very talented golfer, as we see different parts of his life, the lifelong effort to reach the top of his game, and the struggles that go on, both in his head and in the competitive world he inhabits.

If you like golf, you'll love this book. If you don't like golf, well, you may love this book anyhow.

[A. J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Professional follows golfer David Howard at three points in his life: as a teenager torn between his own desires and his abusive father's control; as a pro golfer trying to juggle his career and his family; and as an embittered retiree granted an opportunity for redemption. Told with wit, heart, and erudition, The Professional explores how the sacrifices people choose to make can ruin or enhance their lives, and the lives of others. It is a golf-heavy novel but there is plenty for non-golfers to enjoy.

[Docpark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Round of Golf and a Life Played as A Trilogy of 6 Holes.

If the Golf Channel were to have a serialized drama, this would be it. At the end, you feel like you lived the dusty life of a journeyman golf pro. What are you sacrificing when you force your kids to take piano lessons? What are you sacrificing when you spend time away from the family to make a living? Where do your own passions fit in the obligations we build around ourselves? Even though you can play better golf than 99.99% of all other golfers, it isn’t enough.

[Michael O'Keane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and the main characters in the story
Excellent story which portrays the good and bad sides of professional sport
It might be only a game but there is a fine line between good and great; a missed 2 foot putt was as close as David came to greatness
If you like golf treat yourself

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read about the stages of life of a good player, including the good and the ugly of the sport.