Book Review: The Greatest Game Ever Played

I add books to my reading list and cross them off at a ratio of about 3:1 and for that reason The Greatest Game Ever Played written by Mark Frost sat untouched on my book shelf for over a year.

In the spirit of preparing myself mentally for what is no doubt going to be a most glorious golf trip I recently bumped it to the top of the list and I’m couldn’t be happier that I did!

The reviews for The Greatest Game Ever Played set my expectations dangerously high but after reading the book, I’m happy to report that every ounce of the praise it received was well deserved!

In The GGEP Mark Frost presents sweeping insight into not only the game of golf, but into an entirely different America. The sport in contention is the same as it is today, and--aside from a handful of rules--is played the same way today, but the way of life at the time that this novel takes place couldn't be more different.

Reading this account and acknowledging the fact that this book--set a hundred years ago--frequently makes reference to the even then a long and storied history of the game really puts into perspective the scale of the games history. I don’t think there is any one thing that struck me more about this book, than the fact that golf, with it’s centuries of storied history, truly is a royal and ancient game.

After enjoying the book so thoroughly, I decided to bump Disney’s theatrical interpretation to the top of my Netflix list. Unfortunately the movie was a bit of a let down.

Normally it’s my policy to read a book before seeing the movie so that I don’t spoil the books ending but in this case I think that I spoiled the movie by reading the book. It had nothing to do with knowing the ending, rather the book was simply too good. There was no way for the movie to live up to my expectations!

Clearly that the book was made for a much smaller audience than the movie. Disney is a business and movies are a lot more expensive than books to make so I suppose if you’re going to make one, you had better do everything you can to get the greatest ROI possible, even if that means making rather liberal changes the original story. The result? From a book that is written by and for a lover of golf, you get a move that appeals to people who like golf, romance, history, music, drama, etc, etc, etc...

From a historical standpoint the movie trimmed all the fat and kept just the lean bits. If there’s anything I’ve learned as a lover of good food, fat equals flavor, and if you're cutting it all out, you're going to have a bland meal!

The bottom line: Read the book, and expect greatness! See the movie if you want, but don’t set your expectations too high.

-DLux of Arizona