The Green

By Troon Mcallister

Book Overview

The Ryder Cup. A biennial tournament considered the premier event in the golfing world, pitting the twelve best players in the United States against the twelve best of Europe in a contest so pressure-filled it can paralyze even the most battle-scarred tour veterans. United States captain Alan Bellamy, with one precious slot unfilled and none of the remaining top tour players willing to sign on against a clearly superior European squad, makes a desperate decision in his attempt to preserve America's golfing honor: he selects as his twelfth man one Eddie Caminetti, a low-life, two-bit hustler from a municipal course in South Florida. The most prestigious tournament in golf will never be the same. As the unforeseen consequences of Caminetti's participation on the Ryder team unfold riotously, Troon McAllister takes us into the minds and souls of elite professional athletes and poses a question as old as golf itself: Why would God create a game even He can't play?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385494602
• ISBN13: 9780385494601
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Main Street Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A Must Read

While Mr. McAllister has certainly written an exceptional and worthwhile tale for anyone who has ever lined up 10 footer with money on the line I believe most avid golfers will agree that the final sting left much to be desired. Without giving away the ending I believe there were a myriad of other hustles that the author could have used. It was totally amateurish and did not fit with Eddie's character. However, Eddie is still my hero and the book follows a very close second to Bagger Vance.

Troon Makes an Eagle

This story started out with birdies, shot par and a bogie or two in the middle chapters and made an eagle at the end to save a great story. I recommended this book to golfing friends after reading the first few chapters. It was clever and funny and once I accepted the premise, that an honest and honorable golf hustler could be asked to play and ultimately lead the U.S. Ryder Cup team, I thought I was reading one of the best sports' novels ever. There seemed to be a slight letdown and the story became a little silly once "Alternate Shots" and "Best Ball" matches started. However, the Individual Matches and of course the explanation for Eddie's behavior salvaged the story and caused a pleasant feeling and smile to cross my face.This is the kind of story that will be recalled with a chuckle and highly recommended to others.

Best book I have read in recent memory.

"The Green" is the finest book I have read in many years. Read much of it on a long flight had folks sitting around me wondering why why I laughed out loud every 5 minutes. Great characters, great subject, and hilarious situations with nearly every page turn. Yet, "The Green" has a very real story to tell about life in the fast lane on the PGA Tour. A must read for all--not just golfers.

Read it while the Ryder is fresh in your mind

THE GREEN stands on its own as one of the best sports novels ever written. But with the recent Ryder Cup, one of the most memorable events in the history of team sports, fresh in memory, THE GREEN becomes doubly enjoyable: it will take you inside the minds of characters eerily like those who played in the tournament, Europeans as well as Americans, and provide insights that simply couldn't be gotten from watching television coverage. A treasure to be read again and again.

It really is a "minor miracle of fiction," just as...

...the book jacket says. With so little time to read (I'm an orthopedic surgeon), I have to pick books carefully, and chose this one because of the review I read in Kirkus. Just finished it this morning and it's still haunting me. I am a golfer, and thought I knew it all, but after reading this beautifully written story, I think I might just fall in love with the game all over again. It's sure to become a classic, not just of golf fiction or sports fiction, but on its own as a novel.