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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
What if? It's a question I think we've all asked ourselves at some point about some decision we could have made or life path we could have taken. For Tom Coyne, that What if was about his golf career: if he spent every day, for one year, doing everything he could to improve, could he become a professional golfer?
What follows is a entertaining and well written story that dives into the guts of how the 'real' side of professional sports works (when the cameras are off), what advice from the best coaches and psychologists in the world looks like, and just how absurdly good top professional athletes are at their respective sports.
What follows is a entertaining and well written story that dives into the guts of how the 'real' side of professional sports works (when the cameras are off), what advice from the best coaches and psychologists in the world looks like, and just how absurdly good top professional athletes are at their respective sports.
Paper Tiger is a fun read which does a great job of showing the commitment required to become a PGA Tour Pro. It also does a great job of highlighting how difficult it is for the average Joe to breach the walls of this exclusive club.
However, I would say in the many years since the release of this book, others have tackled this similar journey with a bit more groundeness and character. If you're interested in following the journey of the better-than-average golfer who is on a quest to become great, I'd suggest the podcast Chasing Scratch. It's essentially a more relatable journey than the one Coyne ventures, since very few can put their entire life on hold to chase this dream, which is exactly what Coyne does.
Nonetheless, I still would recommend this book. Coyne does an incredible job of going behind the curtain to reveal the nearly impossible requirements to cross over into the realm of being a PGA card holder.
However, I would say in the many years since the release of this book, others have tackled this similar journey with a bit more groundeness and character. If you're interested in following the journey of the better-than-average golfer who is on a quest to become great, I'd suggest the podcast Chasing Scratch. It's essentially a more relatable journey than the one Coyne ventures, since very few can put their entire life on hold to chase this dream, which is exactly what Coyne does.
Nonetheless, I still would recommend this book. Coyne does an incredible job of going behind the curtain to reveal the nearly impossible requirements to cross over into the realm of being a PGA card holder.
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Coyne's introspective prose and charming wit made it fun to learn about life as a semi-pro golfer trying to make the pros.
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
What a fantastic book! I've been hunting for this for awhile, refusing to purchase online. When I finally came upon it in a local B&N, I started reading it later that night and was hooked from the start. Tom Coyne writes a captivating memoir of his year-ish of dreaming of professional golf. It proves why so many of us love the game despite it being one of the hardest to learn and play, especially at the highest level.
Rarely do I laugh out loud reading books. This was one of those times. I could relate on some level, being an amateur hack. Amazing story.
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
As I neared the end, I realized I was gritting out the last few pages and ready to be done with it.
I got a couple laughs, a couple interesting insights into the insane level of competitive golf (which made me imagine how much more insane it must be today, 20 years later), but not much else.
It’s 300 pages of long-winded descriptions that fall flat for the casual golfer (many, many references and descriptions went over my head entirely).
I got a couple laughs, a couple interesting insights into the insane level of competitive golf (which made me imagine how much more insane it must be today, 20 years later), but not much else.
It’s 300 pages of long-winded descriptions that fall flat for the casual golfer (many, many references and descriptions went over my head entirely).
Every time I read a Tom Coyne book, my appreciation for the game, its history and the maddening amount of skill it requires increases. This is my third Tom Coyne book, and I am glad I came back to check out Paper Tiger. It is clear that over the past two decades Coyne's writing style has been refined, while his wit and humorous approach to his books have only gotten better.
As a newly golf-inclined wife to a golf-obsessed husband, I also feel like Coyne's books are approachable to people with little knowledge of the game. It is a mistake to think you won't understand them if you aren't a golf fanatic. Occasionally I do need to look up a golf term, but I generally feel there is enough context provided to help me understand the nuances being discussed. I appreciate that the author takes time to break things like Q-school and other structures of golf and the PGA down. I like the underlying story about his budding (or stagnant, depending on how you look at it) relationship. And I see a lot of myself in Allyson, who popped up as a welcome relief throughout the book.
4 stars here, but 4.5 if I had the choice. I just got my copy of [b:A Course Called America: Fifty States, Five Thousand Fairways, and the Search for the Great American Golf Course|55711589|A Course Called America Fifty States, Five Thousand Fairways, and the Search for the Great American Golf Course|Tom Coyne|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1621173952l/55711589._SY75_.jpg|86884044], so onto the next!
As a newly golf-inclined wife to a golf-obsessed husband, I also feel like Coyne's books are approachable to people with little knowledge of the game. It is a mistake to think you won't understand them if you aren't a golf fanatic. Occasionally I do need to look up a golf term, but I generally feel there is enough context provided to help me understand the nuances being discussed. I appreciate that the author takes time to break things like Q-school and other structures of golf and the PGA down. I like the underlying story about his budding (or stagnant, depending on how you look at it) relationship. And I see a lot of myself in Allyson, who popped up as a welcome relief throughout the book.
4 stars here, but 4.5 if I had the choice. I just got my copy of [b:A Course Called America: Fifty States, Five Thousand Fairways, and the Search for the Great American Golf Course|55711589|A Course Called America Fifty States, Five Thousand Fairways, and the Search for the Great American Golf Course|Tom Coyne|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1621173952l/55711589._SY75_.jpg|86884044], so onto the next!
I've read several books by Tom Coyne, but not in the order that he wrote them. Reading this now was like going back in history, Coyne knows how to tell stories, especially golf stories. An intersting part was Coyne's experiences with golf instructor Jim Suttie, who is more well known for his work at the Cog Hill Golf club in the Chicago area. Coyne also practiced at Green Garden golf club in the Chicago area.
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
slow-paced