The best books of golf fiction

This strange little book was published in 1971 by Michael Murphy and has sold well over a million copies and been translated into 19 languages. It’s fiction, but it’s also philosophy, mysticism, mythology, and a little golf instruction, too. It tells the story of someone named Michael Murphy (!) who’s on a visit to Scotland to play a little golf, and who runs into a golf pro/shaman named Shivas Irons (one of the great character names in literature). The first half of the book tells the enchanting story of the Scottish friends Michael meets, who all like to talk about golf, and then about the very strange round he plays with Shivas Irons, which may, or may not, be a dream.

The second half of the book ends up deep in the weeds like an errant tee shot, as Murphy discusses the metaphysical aspects of the game. Stick with it… it’s a fascinating and inspirational book.

Dan Jenkins (1928-2019) was a quintessential sportswriter who wrote for newspapers in his native Texas as well as for Sports Illustrated and many others. In 1974, he published this ribald classic about the pro golf tours, starring Kenny Lee Puckett, a down on his luck pro who has more luck getting in trouble with the ladies than he does making tough putts.

If you don’t laugh while reading this book, then you need a humor transplant.

I suspect more people saw the movie (starring Will Smith, Matt Damon, Charlize Theron and Jack Lemmon in his final role) than read the book by Steven Pressfield. Too bad, because the book’s pretty good.

It tells the entirely fictional tale of a 36-hole showdown match during the Depression between Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, and a local hero named Rannulph Junuh and his caddie, Bagger Vance. Grantland Rice and O.B. Keeler are there (famous sportswriters in the 1920s), and, of course, there is a femme fatale. But there is an underlying respect and honor for the game, which makes this novel a keeper.

John Updike, writing about golf? Well, why not? This novel, from one of America’s greatest writers, is something of a riff on Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, in a story about a disgraced minister sent off on a sabbatical. He keeps a daily journal, which is what makes up the novel.

Naturally, this being Updike, there are stories about his affairs, his drinking, his family relationships, and more. But there are also wonderful passages about his golf game. Like much of Updike’s work, this book is thought-provoking and an interesting window into the American mind of the 20th century.

J. Michael Veron is a trial lawyer and avid golfer who has written a trilogy of legal thrillers (he’s been called the John Grisham of golf) that all have a strong golf theme. The Greatest Player was the first, featuring a summer intern at an Atlanta law firm who finds an old file of correspondence between the legendary Bobby Jones (who was, when not winning most of the golf tournaments between 1920 and 1930, when he retired from tournament golf, an Atlanta attorney) and a fictional teen-aged golf prodigy named Beau Stedman.

There’s a murder mystery and a court case and a lot of golf from the Golden Age of the sport.