Reviews of
The Caddie Who Played
with Hickory
TheSandtrap.com
July 15, 2008
"John Coyne weaves a tale about golf, love and the pursuit of your dreams that might just make your 'must read' list."
The Caddie who Played with Hickory is the newest novel written by John Coyne, author of over 20 books of fiction and non-fiction. As a former caddie, Mr. Coyne is able to share his experiences of how the caddie system worked at a country club and how caddies of the mid-1900s interacted with the members. This knowledge is woven into the story of a boy who is just graduating from high school and is trying to determine what to do with his life. For the time being, he's content to caddie and play golf. What happens in the summer of 1946 changes his life forever.
SYNOPSIS
The novel takes place in the post-war Midwest during the summer of 1946 at Midlothian Country Club. This story is told by the main character, Tommy O'Shea, as he looks back at that summer when his life changed dramatically.
Tommy O'Shea is a farm kid who graduated from high school earlier in the spring and is trying to figure out what to do with his life in post-war America. After seven years of caddying, Tom has become the #1 caddie at Midlothian and quite an accomplished golfer as well. His only dream is to caddie for Walter Hagen, returning that summer to Midlothian to play a match to commemorate his U.S. Open win there in 1914.
That all changes when a mysterious stranger, Harrison Cornell, a World War II vet and POW suddenly appears and begins to tutor Tommy on not only the game of golf but also on life, love, and the pursuit of one's dreams. What Tommy later finds out is that Harrison has a past history with Walter Hagen and that is what drives Harrison to teach Tommy to play with hickory-shafted clubs.
The story offers some fascinating glimpses of what country club life may have been like for both the members and all the behind-the-scenes help that made Midlothian run during the 1940s. You can feel the undertones of tension between the two classes of people who occupy Midlothian: the members and the hired help who help run the country club. While the members enjoy the spoils of the good life, the hired help daily worked on a tightrope where one false move meant swift judgment and banishment from Midlothian.
Offering some mystery, the beginnings of a love story, and of course some great golf shots featuring Tommy, Walter Hagen, and a small host of others, I often found myself finishing a chapter only to decide, "I need to find out what happens next!" so I would continue, which was why I knocked out the book in three days.
As to what happens next, well, go buy the book to find out.
HISTORICAL REFERENCES
What makes the story really stand out is the amount of historical references about tournaments, equipment, and players that Mr. Coyne worked in. Quite often, I would find myself putting the book down and doing an online search so I could learn more about the history behind the story (as well as to find some great books on Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, etc.). So I was able to learn a bit about "Long Jim" Barnes, Joe Kirkwood, Chick Evans, being stymied, how hickory clubs were made and the differences in which one had to swing them compared to the steel-shafted irons we play today.
So while the book is a novel, it also ended up being for me a historical guide that led me to explore the history of golf and the cast of characters who shaped the game of the early to mid 1900s.
CONCLUSION
The Caddie Who Played With Hickory is a good novel that will not only grab you and not let go until you finish but also may lead you down the path of exploring the history of golf. It's a tale of not only of a golf match but also of life and love, the choices we make and the dreams we share.
While golfers will like this book for the golf matches and the historical references, the story will also captivate any reader who enjoys a good tale. One doesn't have to like golf to like this book however if you do like golf, it might give you a greater appreciation for those who shaped the early history of this grand game.
— Alan Olson
hcp34.it
8 Luglio7, 2008
L'EMOZIONE DI USARE gli hickory è paragonabile a quella di un tennista che gioca con le antiche racchette ? Forse sì, come lo shaft in legno dei club influenzava molto il modo di effettuare lo swing, cosè il materiale delle prime racchette influiva sull'efficacia dei tiri.
Però, penso che la nostalgia di altri tempi legati ai club con nomi intraducibili (cleeks, mashies e jigger) sia più intensa di quella sentita nei confronti della racchetta. Non so se sbaglio.
Il bel romanzo di John Coyne, ambientato dopo la seconda guerra mondiale (1946) al Midlothian Country Club di Chicago, narra di una intrigante gara golfistica con gli hickory, che coinvolge grandi campioni come Walter Hagen (chiamato da The New York Times "the father of modern professional golf") e Chick Evans (secondo all'Open del 1914, dopo Hagen; unico golfista a vincere nello stesso anno (1916) sia U.S Open sia U.S. Amateur tournaments).
In realtà, la sfida in campo nasconde risentimenti e delusioni, al punto che vincere avrebbe consentito almeno di placare le amarezze subite in passato. All'importante evento partecipa anche il caddie Tom O'Shea, il cui impegno si rivela determinante per l'esito del match.
Molto interessanti sono le descrizioni dell'autore sul metodo da adottare per usare correttamente gli hickory. Tom deve imparare a fare una torsione diversa, a tenere square la club face durante l'impatto con la pallina, a non spezzare i polsi, a concentrarsi sul takeaway. Cambia anche il grip e, solamente dopo un lungo lavoro, il protagonista riesce ad instaurare il giusto feeling con gli shaft, trovando alla fine divertente adoperare gli hickory.
Nella tipica atmosfera dei golf club, si incrociano vicende imprevedibili, che rendono assai piacevole la lettura del libro.
— Trudy
IS THE EMOTION of a golfer using hickory clubs comparable to that of a tennis player who plays with ancient racquets? Perhaps yes. The wood shaft of the clubs influence the way one carries out the swing, so does the material of the first racquets influence the effectiveness of the shooting? But ascribe these questions to the nostalgia for other times and the legacies of clubs with difficult names (cleeks, mashies and jiggers), or a more intense feeling than that felt regarding the racquet. I do not know if I am mistaken.
The beautiful novel of John Coyne is set after the Second World War (1946) at the Midlothian Country Club of Chicago. He narrates an intriguing golf contest played with the hickory clubs that involves great champions Walter Hagen (called by The New York Times "the father of modern professional golf"), and Chick Evans (second in the Open of 1914 to Hagen, and the only golfer to win in a same year — 1916 — the U.S Open and U.S. Amateur tournaments).
In the story, the challenge on the field hides resentments and disappointments to the point that to win could have calmed bitterness endured in the past. Another participant in the important event is caddy Tom O' Shea, whose engagement is revealed determines the outcome of the match.
The author includes a lot of interesting descriptions of methods to adopt in order to use the hickory clubs correctly. Tom must to learn to change the torsion of his body, to hold the club face square during the impact with the little ball, to not break his wrists as he swings, to concentrate on the takeaway. He changes also his grip and, only after much work, the protagonist succeeds in establishing just the right feeling with the shaft, finding at the end that it is enjoyable to use the hickory clubs.
In the typical atmosphere of golf, unforeseeable vicissitudes occur, that render much of the reading of the book pleasant.
TravelGolf.com
June 7, 2008
"John Coyne and His Two Caddie Novels"
I DON'T KNOW JOHN COYNE. I knew a Kevin Coyne once, but he was from Rochester and spoke too fast, too young . . . I’d heard of John’s brother, Tom Coyne; he’s the fellow who walked around Ireland, playing golf. Understand, he didn’t ride anywhere, just walked the whole damned island! Either Tom uses hair gel for redheads or John is way older than Tom. With my luck, I’ve confused two Coyne family branches. They’re both probably lucky to have each other, cosmic siblings (if not blood ones) in the golf family.
John Coyne is a horror and science fiction [writer] in another life . . . notice I use the present tense where past would do, in order to make this seem like fiction. John Coyne is a writer, not a golfer. He knows golf and he knows writing. You’ll find rhetorical tricks and tropes everywhere: metaphor, simile, the unreliable narrator turned reliable. In an interview, Coyne handled the following question: Why did you decide to have the central match of the tournament a practice round and not the Open itself?
I did that for a number of reasons, mostly so I would not have as the obvious final climax the last round of the tournament. I liked the idea of Hogan and Matt in single combat with Jack as the “go between.” I wanted the match “off stage” so to speak. It appealed to the novelist in me.
Also I find, even as a golf fan, that an endless accounting in prose of a tournament does not work dramatically. You’ll see in golf movies how the director will speed ahead, compress and telescope 18 holes into a few dramatic moments.
So, while I needed to be true to an event like a 4-day golf tournament, I didn’t want every hole and all the rounds of golf. The match between Hogan and Matt is just nine holes. I then focused on the back nine of Matt’s opening round.
In previous book review blogs, I’ve bemoaned the lack of writing capacity exhibited by published golf writers. BV and Tom have bemoaned MY lack of talent (to set the record straight, I’m correct; they’re mistaken.) Coyne offers much literary capacity, much versatility, much knowledge of the game of golf.
Coyne has two golf books now, The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan and The Caddie Who Played with Hickory. The author knows better than to tell us the story of an unknown; he salts the clouds of both texts with great players of a bygone era (Hogan and Walter Hagen.) I’d like to think that both stars were as embraceable as Coyne presents them to be, but I just don’t know.
Coyne’s story lines are enthralling. He keeps us connected because we embrace his narrators. We like the young man in the “Hickory” tome; we respect the old man and cheer on his younger persona in the “Hogan” text. Do all of his characters reach complete depiction, full development? Not at all, and that’s fine. To know Yin, we must have Yang; black and white enhance each other, and a great character can be offset by a slighter one.
Coyne’s two novels remind me of the “Greatest . . . Never” trilogy by JM Veron. They feature the fall and the rise and the redemption of classic writing. Without these archetypes, we have post-modern slop. I encourage you to read both novels in one fell swoop (what’s a fell swoop?) You’ll embark on a literary voyage and dock at a port of vindication for golf writing. Dan Jenkins and Turk Pipkin represent one facet of golf literature, Steven Pressfield and Michael Murphy occupy another flat, and Coyne and Veron quite comfortably share space in a third. — Ron Mon
Amazon.com
THIS IS A BOOK about caddying and golf and golf's history and includes a pretty heated romance and a cameo appearance by golf legend Chick Evans. Which I loved because I learned how to golf at the Chick Evans public course on Chicago's North Side.
People who aren't necessarily interested in golf shouldn't overlook this book because the book is about a lot more than that. First and foremost, the book explores the class divide between the haves and the have-nots in Post WWII Chicago in a way that offers a commentary on our own times. And Coyne also writes very well about first love and passion on those summer nights of our youth which we all remember, and yearn for still. Coyne's women are three dimensional and sexy, the caddies who long for them mysterious and haunted by what they saw in the war. And then there's a whole lot of golf. I knew nothing about the game pre-steel shafts, am thinking of taking a swing with a hickory stick myself. A minor footnote to all of this is how the book chronicles the ways in which environmental change shape our lives. When hickory became scarce in the earlier part of the century due to over-harvesting, golf clubs and a lot of other things besides (for example drumsticks . . . in fact many ballroom songs of '20s included references to "hickory sticks") became a thing of the past. Coyne takes us back there through this story about a caddie and his triumph over not only the notorious Walter Hagen on the links, but over the high wall of class division.
— George "Hombre"
BookReporter.com
"2008 Summer Golf Books Roundup"
THE EXPANDING POPULARITY OF GOLF throughout the years has created an increasing market for those who prefer fiction. Much of recent golf fiction follows a standard formula. Novels are generally set in the period between or shortly after the World Wars and feature golfing legends such as Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Walter Hagen. The books usually evoke memories of golf before big money and its influence changed the game. The Caddie Who Played with Hickory by John Coyne follows that formula but adds a few new twists that readers will find charming and appealing.
The title character of Coyne’s novel is a young man named Tommy O’Shea, who works as a caddie at Midlothian Country Club near Chicago, Illinois. The Club is preparing for an exhibition by the golfing great Walter Hagen, whose appearance will commemorate his victory in the 1914 U.S. Open held at the Club. O’Shea is the best caddie at Midlothian and is hopeful that he will have the opportunity to carry Hagen’s bag on that auspicious day. But the story soon takes some interesting twists. One is the appearance of Harrison Cornella, a mysterious fellow who knew Hagen years ago. Second is the news that Hagen will play with the hickory shaft clubs he used to win the Open in 1914. Modern golfers can only attempt to comprehend what it was like to play with hickory shafts, which required superb timing and left little room for error. Today’s forgiving golf clubs and golf balls make the game far easier for those lacking good hand-eye coordination.
Along the way, mystery, romance and some very good golf writing make this an enjoyable tale. In addition, Coyne will probably introduce many readers to the legendary Charles “Chick” Evans, a golfing luminary who many may not know. Evans was the first American golfer to win the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur in one year. Many Chicagoans will recognize the Evans name from college scholarships established by him for caddies in the Chicago area. The fictional Evans appears in The Caddie Who Played With Hickory at a critical moment in the novel. Readers may well enjoy learning about a golfing legend whose career was overshadowed by many with far lesser accomplishments on the links. — Stuart Shiffman
The Armchair Golfer
May 15, 2008
WHEN I BEGAN READING an advance copy of John Coyne’s The Caddie Who Played with Hickory a few weeks back, I’ll admit I was already a fan. In a nutshell, it’s a fictional story about how a teenage caddie comes to play the great Walter Hagen in Hagen’s final match with a prized set of hickory clubs. Getting to that match is an entertaining journey.
I had read Coyne’s first “caddie” story,The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan, about a year ago and wrote at the time that I was skeptical about putting Hogan in a fictional story in a real place, Chicago’s Midlothian Country Club (also the setting for this new book). But Coyne’s storytelling skills (he’s authored more than 20 books, mostly novels) combined with his first-hand knowledge of country club life as a teenage caddie made the golf tale entertaining and believable.
For me, “Hickory” is even better: the story, the characters (more with more depth) and the little plot twists and surprises along the way. Plus, there’s the colorful Walter Hagen, a larger-than-life golf professional who out-earned Babe Ruth! My hunch is that Coyne is more comfortable in what’s looking like a “caddie” series.
I didn’t know much about the hickory era, but Coyne has a way of educating the reader without ever being tedious. That’s great for me because I enjoy learning about different eras and players. The bonus was getting a fun page-turner, with golf matches, a mysterious character and, instead of Hogan, the trail-blazing Hagen, the greatest hickory player of all time. Another legend, amateur Chick Evans, also makes an appearance in the climactic challenge match.
If you read the “Hogan” book and liked it, you'll want to read The Caddie Who Played with Hickory. If you’re new to John Coyne but enjoy golf history in the hands of a gifted storyteller, I highly recommend it. It’s a satisfying read.
Piedmont Post
IT'S TEMPTING TO SAY that The Caddie Who Played with Hickory is spot-on for that reader who most weekends throws into the trunk of his or her car a golf bag filled with clubs, a favorite leather glove, spiked shoes still covered with remnants of grass and mud, some rain gear just in case, a box of new balls, and a lucky hat and then heads off to the links to play eighteen holes.
But John Coyne's tale of a young caddy, Tom O'Shea, looping for the members of the Midlothian Country Club in the summer of 1946, is one heck of an enjoyable read and will appeal to those who have never followed a small white ball around some of the most lovely and carefully groomed real estate imaginable. This is a well written, tightly plotted novel with solid and appealing characters beginning with O'Shea: just graduated from high school, a farm kid who not only needs the money but has a talent for and a love of the game of golf.
At the beginning of that one summer, Midlothian is abuzz with talk and anticipation: the legendary Walter Hagen, the first touring professional golfer in America, and the greatest match golfer who ever lived, will be returning to the country club for one final round of match golf before retiring, to be played with his own set of hickory clubs.
What is wonderful about this book is that Coyne can take all that is esoteric and nuanced about golf, to include playing with hickory golf clubs, and make it not only intriguing but a seamless part of the narrative; it's all but impossible not to be captivated. Hickory shafts are part of golf's arcana, from those early years of the sport before steel, graphite and titanium. They are the equivalent of wooden ice axes, cars with wooden spoke wheels, beautifully crafted buggy whips, wooden radios and phones that cranked. Each club was carefully crafted by hand, often by the golfers who used them.
O'Shea — with the help of a visiting caddie, Harrison Cornell, a recently returned WWII pilot, and a man of mystery — tentatively begins to prepare for that final Hagen match. But first he must master playing with those hickory clubs, each with strange sounding names like cleek, mashie, niblick and jigger, and each cranky in its own way. Coyne weaves nicely into the plot a subtle tension that exists between those who work at the country club and the more affluent membership, made manifest when O'Shea begins a forbidden relationship with a member's daughter.
Now non-golfers might think that reading a detailed account of how hickory clubs are played, while submerging the reader in the fine points of the game, is comparable to discussing how grass grows. But they would be wrong. Coyne is remarkably adept at bringing the game to life, in rich detail, with all of its subtle strategies, wherein walking along a fairway, anticipating the next shot, or trying to read a green all become as interesting as any piece of compelling fiction.
The novel has a wonderful, deliberate rhythm, and Coyne's deep knowledge of the game is apparent on every page. He is also able to demonstrate that, like so many sports, playing golf well, with tenacity and commitment, can be a metaphor for life. On the field of play lessons about courage, honor and an unwillingness to yield are brought into relief and that certainly applies to match golf.
Tangentially, one of the most difficult things for a writer to do well is begin a novel. To write those first few pages in such a way that the reader, who is testing the water, so to speak, will be captured. It's no small thing. Coyne is a master at creating good will and interest at the outset and inviting the reader to turn the page . . . and then the next. Find The Caddie Who Played with Hickory and chances are good those first several pages won't be your last. — Chris Honore'
Good Housekeeping
July 2008 issue
"To sink into"
A FRESH WORLD to explore — Masters Golf in the 1940s — plus some clever plot twists make this engaging midwestern romance a hole in one. Tee up for a treat.
GolfBlogger.com
April 29, 2008
GRADE: A
TEACHER'S COMMENTS: It’s a good story, but even better in the way it evokes a particular time and place.
With The Caddie Who Played with Hickory, John Coyne returns to the world of the Midlothian Country Club. As in his earlier golf novel, The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan, the focus is not on the members, but on the caddies, wait staff and other help who keep the place running. It’s a wonderful read, and manages to convey a strong impression of time and place.
The year is 1946, and with that summer comes the news that the legendary Walter Hagen will return to Midlothian to commemorate his 1914 US Open victory at the Club. The game of golf has changed greatly in those thirty years, but for this event, Hagen will return to playing the hickory shafted clubs with which he made his mark.
Hagen’s return offers an opportunity for two caddies at the club: Tom O’Shea, who needs to find a way to get through college; and Harrison Cornell, a mysterious older newcomer who is somehow linked to Hagen’s past. Cornell teaches O’Shea to play with hickory shafted clubs, and together they plot to have him play a match against The Haig.
A terrific writer, Coyne has a particular skill for crafting interesting and believable characters. I think he could write a book about virtually every one of the characters in “Hickory.” Oddly though, for me the least believable character in the book also was one of the two around whom it revolves: Harrison Cornell. Coyne’s other characters might have been people he actually met; Cornell was someone he made up, and never quite got to know.
Coyne obviously is a fan and a player of the game of golf. His descriptions of play and on-course strategies are for me dead on. He also has apparently played with hickory, for his descriptions of how to play those old shafts are very informative. I’ve never played with hickory (nor likely ever will), but from Coyne’s descriptions, it seems as though it would be like playing with a graphite shaft that has too much flex.
Another strong theme in the book is one you’d expect—that of class consciousness in the late 1940s and 1950s. O’Shea, the other caddies and the “help” live in an entirely different world from the members. And O’Shea’s interest in one of the members’ daughters presents an interesting thread throughout. Coyne, I am certain has experienced these distinctions himself.
I enjoyed the book so much (and also his first golf book, The Caddy Who Knew Ben Hogan) that I am hoping that Coyne has another “caddy” book in his bag. The first two were so good, that a “trilogy” seems a natural.
Publisher's Weekly
March 29, 2008
IN COYNE'S ENGROSSING hole-in-one (after The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan), it’s the summer of 1946 and Tommy O’Shea, a top caddie at Midlothian Country Club, gets a fantastic chance to challenge golfing legend Walter Hagen in the “last important golf match of his life.” To do so, Tommy must be proficient in the usage of hickory golf clubs, the kind Hagen used to win his first U.S. Open in 1914. At stake is a $1,000 prize that could finance farmer’s-son Tommy’s college dreams. In walks Harrison Cornell, a WWII vet and former POW, who wants to caddie for Hagen. As it turns out, Harrison has a secret score to settle with Hagen dating back to 1941. As Tommy prepares to compete against Hagen — one of golf’s first superstars — he learns much about golf and life from Harrison (“Carry your own clubs. Be your own man”), flirts with a club waitress and falls for Val, a member’s daughter. Coyne’s neat plotting and firm grip on even the most obscure corners of the sport make this the perfect treat for hackers and pros alike.
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