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Paper Tiger: An Obsessed Golfer's Quest to Play with the Pros | 
 enlarge | Author: Tom Coyne
Publisher: Gotham
Category: EBooks
List Price: $26.00
Buy New: $10.50
You Save: $15.50 (60%)
Rating:  30 reviews
Sales Rank: 19911
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.352092
ASIN: B000OT8GT4
Publication Date: March 22, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
"The riotously funny story of one weekend golfer who lived the dream--devoting a full year to nothing but the quixotic quest to qualify at the PGA Q-School A lifelong golfer and former caddy, Tom Coyne could drive the ball 300 yards but always struggled against stiff competition; he had often wondered whether the pros won because they were more innately talented or just because they were more obsessed. On the cusp of turning thirty, overweight, and saddled with a 14 handicap, Coyne embarked on a yearlong quest to do everything he could to lift his game---and find out if he could make it through the PGA Tour Qualifying School. Paper Tiger takes you on a rollicking ride into the beer-gutted underbelly of semipro golf, into a world of crash diets, punishing workout regimens, high-flying sports shrinks, cutting-edge club technology, and obscure tournaments. With his girlfriend as caddy, Coyne traverses from Miami to Chicago to Toronto to see how he stacks up against the competition. Ultimately he takes his game to a new level--or at least a new continent--on the links of Australian Q-School, where amidst forty-mile-an-hour winds he must choose between the love of a fickle game and the love of the long-suffering woman who has stood by him throughout all the shanks, hooks, yips, and chili dips. Brimming with humor and insight about the world's most beautiful and maddening game, Paper Tiger will delight golfers and the sane people who love them. BACKCOVER: Praise fo--MARK FROST, AUTHOR OF THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED AND THE GRAND SLAM "Tom Coyne is a standout among the next generation of talented young golf writers. His personal quest to make it in the brave new world of tournament golf with the help of Dr. Jim Suttie (one of golf's great unheralded teachers) is refreshingly candid and heartbreakingly funny--a brilliant new take on the secret ambition of millions. The unexpected payoff makes the pain of his journey all the more special, this memoir of golf obsession nigh unforgettable.??? ???JAMES DODSON, AUTHOR OF FINAL ROUNDS, THE DEWSWEEPERS, AND BEN HOGAN: AN AMERICAN LIFE "In the tradition of George Plimpton, Tom Coyne takes us through the tiers and tears of competitive golf, with all the laughs and gaffes that accompany it. But he's no dilettante--Coyne commits, strives, and gets damn good. He emerges from the journey as one of our best golf writers. Astute and funny, Paper Tiger casts a critical eye at the golfer's Grail. This book is a double fist pump." --BRIAN DOYLE-MURRAY, CO-CREATOR OF "CADDYSHACK" "Paper Tiger races along with humor, suspense, and behind-the-scenes stories that will grab any golfer's heart." --BUD SHRAKE, COAUTHOR OF HARVEY PENICK'S LITTLE RED BOOK"
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| Customer Reviews: Read 25 more reviews...
 Humorous read but.... April 9, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I will say Tom Coyne got me from the jump; I was intrigued from the beginning upon referral from a friend.. I bought in, settled in, and gave the book a go.. The first couple chapters flew by, I thoroughly enjoyed the "hacker's ascent to respectability" portion of the book.. I enjoy his writing style, the self deprecating humor and everyman's take on golf..
Then it all fell apart.. In my opinion, there is much more fantasy than reality in this book.. The constant failure to post legit scores combined with a GHIN lookup of Mr. Coyne made me doubt the author's recollection. But I plodded on, hoping for a dramatic finish.. It never came..
In my opinion this was a golf odyssey failure turned marriage proposal; a writer moonlighting into his hobby, the end game not happening, and turning to Plan B, true love...
If a better golfer wrote this, it would have been more believable that he was a +HCAP.. But then, that better golfer probably would have been an awful writer..
For me, I just couldn't buy in 100% because I just don't believe Coyne posted the HCAPs he claims.. This is proven time again in his failure during public qualifying events..
 Breaking 80? December 18, 2007
I have to agree with another reviewer that it would seem highly unlikely that a person could carry a plus-handicap and RARELY be able to break 80 (and sometimes 90) in the tournaments. That said, the book is full of insight into the PGA and the enormous effort it takes to qualify for "the show". Mr. Coyne is an excellent and oftentimes very funny writer who finishes his story on a high note.
This book would make an excellent gift for the golf fanatic in the family!
 This Book Has It ALL November 28, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
From Reid Sheftall, author of "Striking It Rich: Golf in the Kingdom with Generals, Patients and Pros"
I can't begin to express how much I enjoyed this book. It works on every level. It is very, very funny. It is instructional. It is enlightening. It is honest. The main character (Tom Coyne, the author) is so very likable.
The book is rich with love of game and girl. Perspective abounds at the end.
Am I making myself clear?
If you like golf you will love this book...if you don't you will also September 8, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Tom Coyne has a wonderful book here. I ended up laughing more times then I can count reading it. He has such a smooth style about his writing that it will wrap you up and make you want to keep reading. Reading this book you will laugh, be shocked, and amazed at what is going on. I highly recommend this book to any golfers out there or any one who has dared to follow their dreams.
 delusional golfer July 4, 2007
1 out of 8 found this review helpful
this guys claims to have a plus handicap but shoots plus 40 in every tourney
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