Around the World in 80 Rounds: Chasing a Golf Ball from Tierra del Fuego to the Land of the Midnight Sun | 
 enlarge | Author: David Wood
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $12.96
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Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 109364
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 6 x 1.1
ISBN: 0312375778
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.3520207
EAN: 9780312375775
ASIN: 0312375778
Publication Date: March 18, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
“Jealous. That’s what I am. Green with golf envy…Why didn’t we think of that? I mean, what golfer worth his, or her, balls wouldn’t want to trade all the troubles of life for the adventure and privilege of teeing it up everywhere from the glacial volcanoes of the Andes to the Arctic Circle in Norway?”--from the foreword by Turk Pipkin
At 47, David Wood sold everything he owned and set out to fulfill every golfer’s dream: For one year, he traveled the world (covering 60,000 miles and every continent except Antartica) by plane, boat, train, motorcycle and rickshaw, to play the game he loves in the most exotic locales, including the world’s highest, driest, hottest, coldest, and most remote golf courses, and lived to tell the tale.
Along the way, he met a bevy of fascinating characters, including surly cabbies, taxi drivers with a death wish, welcoming golf course managers, threatening kangaroos, and golf pros out for a quick game. David faced dire situations, such as bouts of food poisoning in India and Egypt, altitude sickness in Argentina, getting booted out of the Ukraine by armed guards, and muddling through with limited language skills, but through it all he maintained a sense of humor and of course his passion for golf, which he played every chance he got.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Only for rich privileged snobs July 2, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was fascinated by the title and the premise of the book when I saw it in my neighbourhood library.
The problem I had with this book was nothing specifically about golf but about his attitude..
- The author's latent ignorance/prejudice about life in a developing country, poverty and the issues surrounding that.
- The author came across as being a rich American snob with no taste for understanding/empathising with the plight of poor people.
- So, when he tries to make light of those things be it poor roads/hygiene/hot conditions line jumping/small shanty towns in remote S.America, it sounded like whining and making fun of the poor people. It definitely left a VERY poor aftertaste.
He seemed to specifically have a problem with India(maybe 'cos he fell sick there) and the indian experience going so far as to say "I disliked India.." but a taste of somemore interesting comments.
It is truly amazing to see how he was able to make such a commentary on a nation(India), its ancient, proud culture by spending a few days in India and basically going around golf courses!! You would think the tremendous positive news coming out of India that we read of in the news is fictional.
Downright nasty stuff:
======================
"Mind-altering drugs are mandatory for serenity in India."
"Indian inability to avoid walking into each other.." (he mentioned this point atleast 10 times in different ways)
"Mumbai is the quagmire of India"
"India has more blah, more poverty....more people living on the streets, more people trying to fleece you and your money. In 15 minutes of walking you'll be hit on hundreds of times"
"...families keep breeding like rabbits on Viagra"
Exaggerations
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"Pigs, goats, monkeys, water buffalos, cows...all are jostling for elbow room with all the humans."
"The initial joy of my fist glance at S.Africa reflected my happiness at being out of India"
"People demand a tip just to get out of the way. It boils down to simple arithmetic: there are way too many Indian people, not enough rupees, you the tourist have dollars/euros/pounds that can be converted into many rupees."
The positive thing about the book is that it indeed is funny in parts. It also gives us a good idea about the kinds of places people have built golf courses. The most interesting one was the Arica (Chile) golf course that had no grass! The author takes through this interesting golf based journey via South America to Australia, NZ, S.E Asia, China, India, Egypt..
All in all, I would avoid this book.
Go Places You'll Otherwise Never See June 3, 2008
Only the privileged few, whether by the level of their bank account or their skill at the game, have the chance to fully experience every kind of wonder the game of golf has to offer. The rest of us have a new second-choice option: living vicariously through David Wood.
Wood went to places most of us would never dream about visiting, let alone lugging our clubs to. His journey is not a story of golf courses but of golf culture. What motivates us to play we find shared by golfers he encounters in remote southern South America or in the jungles of Vietnam or in economically devastated Zimbabwe. Like any memorable golf round, he shares with us stories of triumph over long odds and unanticipated pitfalls. He also uses his keen observational skills developed as a professional comedian to often make the people he encountered on his journey gain a sharp edge in the reader's mind.
Any true golf fan will be jealous of Wood's experience and, at the same time, glad that he took the journey that he did. There's a lot more to golf than most of us know firsthand from our own little corners of the world or from watching the Golf Channel. Wood's book has the ability to both broaden your golfing horizons and brighten your day.
 All books should be this compelling a read May 30, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
David Wood's "Around the World in 80 Rounds" is about golf, people and the world in which we live. While the title infers golf is the predominant subject I would argue it is equally about people, many of the world's greatest sites, and a global/spiritual connectedness. David's book is so interesting, easy to understand and well-written that you don't have to know a lick about golf or world travel. He conveys, with equal parts poignancy and humor, an amazing story everyone should read. This may have been the most compelling book I've read in the past several years.
 Barely worth the effort May 25, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Not sure this book is worth the effort. Some fun stories to be sure and wacky adventures too. Did enjoy the perspective given on how lucky we are to be golfers in America. But the writing is poor and too often predictable. But it is a book about golf, so points for that.
Pursuing Passion May 20, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is not limited to an audience of golfers alone. I am not a golfer, never even held a club in my hands, and still I was captivated by the wider, more encompassing themes running throughout each chapter. Certainly, I've known many who are drawn to the greens, and for them these tales may be richer still, but mostly what is found here are honest reflections sure to resonate with anyone who knows what it means to have a dream and a drive to pursue it at any cost. This book is a reminder to all of us that life is short, true passions are rare, and living well means giving it all that we've got, sticking our necks out, not taking our mistakes or our triumphs too seriously, seeking adventure, and most of all never having regrets because we played the game too safe.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs a good dose of levity, laughter and inspiration. An easy read with colorful descriptions and a relaxed style. Fun!
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