Review of Life In 18 Holes
Posted: 30 Oct 2022, 08:37
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Life In 18 Holes" by Don Evans.]
The author of Life In 18 Holes is Don Evans, a passionate golfer who also just happens to be a retired full-time minister. In this book of just over one hundred pages, we accompany the writer as he plays a round of golf at his favourite course, the Old Silo in Kentucky. The author’s purpose is to get the reader to draw lessons from the game and, in the process, gain some valuable insight into the whole business of living.
I don’t need to issue a spoiler alert to tell you that the author, as a former pastor, views life from the perspective of a committed Christian. As he drives, chips and putts his way around the eighteen holes, he faces different challenges. These come from the course itself, the weather and his equipment. Each time, he uses the moment as a teaching opportunity. He uses biblical quotations to highlight some points and draws on his own life experience to illustrate others. His objective is to get readers to focus on what really matters and not to sweat the small stuff.
In the interests of full disclosure, I should state that I am neither a golfer nor a committed Christian. That didn’t prevent me from enjoying this book, however. The author’s writing style has a lot to do with that. He writes in a chatty, informal way that makes you feel like you are sitting beside him on the golf cart or standing there with him on the tee. I also liked his passion. This is a man who truly loves the game of golf! Each tee, fairway and green are described in detail. Every shot he plays gets the same treatment. The understanding he displays about the game speaks of many years spent on the fairways.
The author’s love of golf is matched by his passion for the beliefs of his Christian faith. His is a practical theology, one that stresses the need for planning, honesty and integrity. I liked that his biblical quotations are used in pursuit of equally practical outcomes; at one point, he quotes from Ephesians to illustrate why a man should pay attention to his wife when they are sitting together for lunch rather than constantly scrolling through his phone!
If there is a fault with the book, it lies with the author’s occasional tendency to write for a male-only readership. Golf is a game played by both men and women, so there should be scope to appeal to both genders. Once or twice, however, women seem to be excluded. I’m basing that on comments such as ‘treat your wife like the queen she is’ (page 16) and the constant exhortations to ‘man up!’
I’m happy to give this book four out of four stars. It is very well-edited, and I came across only two minor errors. You don’t have to be either a golfer or a Christian to enjoy it but being one or the other (or both) certainly won’t do your chances of liking it any harm. I also recommend it to readers who, in the author’s words, feel ‘like a lost ball in high weeds.’ (page 4) This book might just help you get out of the rough and back on the fairway.
******
Life In 18 Holes
View: on Bookshelves
The author of Life In 18 Holes is Don Evans, a passionate golfer who also just happens to be a retired full-time minister. In this book of just over one hundred pages, we accompany the writer as he plays a round of golf at his favourite course, the Old Silo in Kentucky. The author’s purpose is to get the reader to draw lessons from the game and, in the process, gain some valuable insight into the whole business of living.
I don’t need to issue a spoiler alert to tell you that the author, as a former pastor, views life from the perspective of a committed Christian. As he drives, chips and putts his way around the eighteen holes, he faces different challenges. These come from the course itself, the weather and his equipment. Each time, he uses the moment as a teaching opportunity. He uses biblical quotations to highlight some points and draws on his own life experience to illustrate others. His objective is to get readers to focus on what really matters and not to sweat the small stuff.
In the interests of full disclosure, I should state that I am neither a golfer nor a committed Christian. That didn’t prevent me from enjoying this book, however. The author’s writing style has a lot to do with that. He writes in a chatty, informal way that makes you feel like you are sitting beside him on the golf cart or standing there with him on the tee. I also liked his passion. This is a man who truly loves the game of golf! Each tee, fairway and green are described in detail. Every shot he plays gets the same treatment. The understanding he displays about the game speaks of many years spent on the fairways.
The author’s love of golf is matched by his passion for the beliefs of his Christian faith. His is a practical theology, one that stresses the need for planning, honesty and integrity. I liked that his biblical quotations are used in pursuit of equally practical outcomes; at one point, he quotes from Ephesians to illustrate why a man should pay attention to his wife when they are sitting together for lunch rather than constantly scrolling through his phone!
If there is a fault with the book, it lies with the author’s occasional tendency to write for a male-only readership. Golf is a game played by both men and women, so there should be scope to appeal to both genders. Once or twice, however, women seem to be excluded. I’m basing that on comments such as ‘treat your wife like the queen she is’ (page 16) and the constant exhortations to ‘man up!’
I’m happy to give this book four out of four stars. It is very well-edited, and I came across only two minor errors. You don’t have to be either a golfer or a Christian to enjoy it but being one or the other (or both) certainly won’t do your chances of liking it any harm. I also recommend it to readers who, in the author’s words, feel ‘like a lost ball in high weeds.’ (page 4) This book might just help you get out of the rough and back on the fairway.
******
Life In 18 Holes
View: on Bookshelves