Chasing the Dream

By Harry Hurt III

Book Overview

CHASING THE DREAM is one reborn duffer's personal journey from amateur tournaments and mini-tours all the way to the PGA Tour Qualifying School and beyond. It is an incredible saga of missteps, mishaps, miracle putts and mid-life perseverance; of hard work, challenges met and mountains scaled. With a reporter's observant eye, a storyteller's skill, and a player's intimate knowledge of the game, Harry Hurt vividly re-creates his inspiring, sometimes outrageous and always determined quest to taste the thrill every true golf lover fantasizes about.

Spanning the nation's most diverse and treacherous courses--from Long Island's blue-collar Barcelona Neck to Dorel's "Blue Monster" in Florida--Harry's story includes a stellar cast of supporting characters: PGA Tour stars Greg Norman, Fred Couples, Ben Crenshaw, Tiger Woods and Bruce Lietzke; the colorful tennis great Ivan Lendl, pursuing a second stint in the spotlight as a golf pro; exciting up-and-comers such as PGA Tour rookie Shane Bertsch. Along the way, Harry takes lessons from legendary gurus such as the brothers Butch and Dick Harmon and sports psychologist Dr. Rob Rotella. He meets a host of "no namers," has-beens and never-weres driven by the same glorious obsession that has captured Harry Hurt. And by the time he nails his dramatic first pro victory, Harry has discovered exactly what all golfers need inside to succeed.

As riveting as a classic final round at the Masters, CHASING THE DREAM is an extraordinary memoir of an incomparable year on the links--a book for hackers and dreamers, scratch players and pros, and everyone who loves the game. It is a modern true fable of competition and commitment, fatherly guidance and familial love. It is the unforgettable story of one man's search for a better game and a better life...and the relentless pursuit of a glorious vision that took him further than anyone could have possibly dreamed.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380787407
• ISBN13: 9780380787401
• Release Date: June 1998
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 279 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Eye opening

I was given this book as a present from my mother whose idea of golf is Putt-Putt so I was not expecting too much from it. Boy was I wrong. Hurt's ability to tell a good story was obvious from page one and he truly made you feel like you were along for the ride as well, all the way to the tour. Although overly detailed in parts, he more than made up for it with a wealth of information about golf as a whole. He talks of meeting the Harmon brothers and the tips he learned from them. He takes you to a psychologist to learn the head game of golf. He shows you all the other tour options available to a golfer... while trying to gain your card. It was great read, one I could not put down in the four days or so it took to read.

Great golf reading

Tired of golf instruction books and even more tired of those "golf Zen" books, this was a refreshing book about a sport I really love. If you've ever thought "what if" about playing pro golf, this is great reading.

A book for dreamers and lovers of the game of golf.

For those of us who excel at the game, but for reasons of work, family or expense have never been able to chase the dream, this is a must read. The author goes into detail of tournament rounds with the same thoughts as the rest of us. You will not be disappointed.

Engaging account of life in golf's "minor leagues"

This is an entertaining, well-written account of what life is like in golf's "minor-league" tours. For anyone who's wondered what it's like and what it takes to "chase the dream", Mr. Hurt delivers an insightful look at not only the events and on-course challenges, but more interestingly, the "in-his-head" challenges he faces.

Harry Hurt lives our dreams in this book.

This is one of the top three books I've read about golf. A must for all hackers like me who dream and wonder what it would be like scrapping out on the mini-tours, fighting the courses as a professional. Harry is a great writer who recants his tales in wonderfully vivid and humourous style.