SPORTS FICTION

Missing Links

by Rick Reilly

Review by Xiyan Liu, San Ramon, CA

“Golf is such a boring sport,” one may say. Luckily, this book breaks this conventional thinking and illustrates the joys of playing golf. Missing Links is a comedic novel written by Rick Reilly. As a junior golfer, I first picked up this book due to its golf-related subject. Then, I was intrigued by this book’s humor, accurate interpretation of golf, and the meaningful messages conveyed.

This novel is based on the sport of golf. It is about a group of golfers in Boston who play at a poor-conditioned golf course called Pocky. The story is narrated by a man named Ray, also known as Stick or Stickman in the story, as all of the characters go by nicknames. Some of Ray’s friends are Two Down, Cementhead, Hoover, Crowbar, and Thud, and these groups of friends are known as the Chops. At the beginning of the book, the Chops play happily in Pocky. They endure and train themselves to play in the long grasses, rough lies, and difficult angles. They find joy in socializing with each other when playing there. However, everything changes when a hole is knocked at a hedge in Pocky, which opens up with a view to a marvelous golf course next door. The Mayflower Club is one of America’s most exclusive golf courses, solely made up of descendants of the Mayflower ship. The course only opens up a few spots for people to join the club each year, with an exorbitant membership fee of $35,000 that is impossible to afford. Peeking into The Mayflower golf course, the Chops are curious to discover what the exclusive course looks like and want to play in it. In that case, “The Bet” begins, a bet to see who can finish 18 holes at The Mayflower Club first. Each person thinks of their techniques for sneaking into the club. Throughout the process, Ray demonstrates his passion for The Mayflower Club and encounters situations that allow him to grow in relationships and adulthood.

Missing Links is a highly entertaining book, and I enjoyed reading it. There are jokes scattered on every page. Even though the book was first published in 1996, the jokes still create laughter today. For example, “‘Actually,’ said Two Down, ‘I guess if you did notice your shadow, it would help your swing. I mean, you could see whether your club face was a little open at the top or whether your elbow was flying or all kinds of stuff.”’ When playing golf, the player’s shadow should not get into the way of the golfer hitting because that can seriously disturb the player from knowing where to hit the ball and where to align the club face towards the hole. Two Down’s comment is a creative way of finding an excuse for his ignorance, which is funny. If you pick up this book, so many of these kinds of funny moments can be found. Moreover, the book also indeed portrays an accurate illustration of golf. Golf-related terms and phases such as “Titleist” (8), “breaking 100” (18), “par 3” (23), “U.S. Open” (23), and “3-iron” (24) appear throughout the pages. I cannot believe these specific golf vocabularies can be incorporated into novels so well while not making the book an educational golf flyer but an exciting novel. If you do not understand these golf vocabularies, do not worry because the book also does a great job explaining these terms.

There are also numerous themes throughout the book. One of them is relationships; Stick manages a friendship with the Chops. During “The Bet,” he encounters conflicts with his friends due to the different rules of “The Bet” applied and ideology regarding if they should conduct certain actions or not. This golfing experience allows Stick to understand the importance of communication and compensation. The universe does not always rotate around one person, so sometimes one needs to sacrifice some aspects of their life in order to receive a larger benefit. Moreover, Stick also explores family relationships. Initially, he had a hostile relationship with his father; luckily, “The Bet” provides an opportunity for Stick to talk to his dad and enables them to play rounds of golf together. He realizes how great it is to have a family member who he can talk and reconnect with. You can read the book to find out how their relationship becomes.

If you are a golf lover or player, this is the perfect entertaining book. If you know nothing or have never played golf before, this book is also perfect for obtaining golf-related knowledge. If you want to learn more about golf and the lives of a group of golfers, Missing Links is waiting for you on the shelf.