Golf Books #30 (Four Iron in the Soul)

Lawrence Donegan’s tale of life as a golf caddy is a refreshing look at sport through the eyes of neither a star, a fan nor an outside observer. Four-iron in the Soul is told from a fresh angle–that of a newcomer to golf and all its to-ings and fro-ings–a tale expertly told by the amusing ramblings of a man well travelled in his own chosen profession. Donegan, a musician of “Lloyd Cole and the Commotions” and “Bluebells”(remember the staccato “Young at Heart”?) fame, and later journalist with the Guardian, put down his bass guitar and tucked his quill in his pocket to caddy for pro golfer Ross Drummond on the European Tour.

Donegan’s childhood dream had been to become a professional footballer or golfer but after a brief flourish in his early years he abandoned his sporting aspirations. That was until Drummond–by his own admission one of the competitors present more to make up the numbers in most tournaments–grudgingly agreed to let Donegan be his caddy. Donegan points out that he was more of a bag carrier for the player ranked towards the bottom half of the world’s top 500. He tells of the day when, researching an article, he first met Drummond and got bitten by the caddying bug.

Four-iron in the Soul is open and witty, blunt and hilarious all at once. It is an enjoyable read and a crisp, original insight into the game of golf. –Andrea Thursday

In this very funny sports book (a cross between Nick Hornby and Bill Bryson) young journalist Lawrence Donegan tells the story of the summer he spent caddying for Scottish golfer Ross Drummond, ranked over 400 in the world,on the European Tour. Thisis the inside story of the geniuses,the cheats, the gurus and the hangers-on that make up the golf scene. (source)

“A joy to read. Not since Bill Bryson plotted a random route through small-town America has such a breezy idea for a book had a happier or funnier result” – Lynne Truss, The Times

“Funny, beautifully observed and it tells you things about sport in general and golf in particular that nobody else had thought to pass on” – Patrick Collins, Mail on Sunday