The Caddie Who Played With Hickory
April 29th, 2008My new novel, “The Caddie Who Played With Hickory” has just been published. Walter Hagen, Chick Evans, hickory clubs, and Chicago’s Midlothian Country Club are all featured in this story of championship golf and a love story. The novel is set in the summer of 1946, just after WWII, and a young caddie has the chance to move from the caddie yard to the clubhouse—but only if he can beat the legendary Walter Hagen, using classic wood-shafted clubs. He’s got no chance, or so it seems.
May 24th, 2008 at 3:27 am
Just finished your Hickory book and really enjoyed it. It will move up to the top of my bookshelf in my golf libary. I suppose being an avid golfer and former caddy (and an Evans Scholar), I am your target audience, but the book has a nice way of layering golf and golf as a metaphor for life and a novel with interesting stories all together to make it enjoyable for most anyone to read (except maybe people who hate golf). Congrats on a great book and I hope you have great success with it. If you ever get out to Seattle to promote the book, would be happy to have you for some golf at my club.
June 16th, 2008 at 7:32 am
i just wanted to say that even though the closest i have ever gotten to a golf course was a driving range, i have thoroughly enjoyed your books. while i might not go out and start playing, i can’t wait for your next caddie book.
June 27th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Having been a caddy in the ’60s and a life-long student of the game, I enjoyed “Caddy… Hickory” very much. While Hagen may not have been the perfect role model, he did broaden participation in the great game (as you point out), but I think your protagonist’s crack about him “just playing golf with the Duke of Windsor” was not really necessary. It’s my understanding that Hagen played a good number of exhibitions benefiting the war efforts during both World Wars. If you wouldn’t mind giving me an e-mail or post office address, I’d like to ask a couple of questions about writing, and writing about golf in particular. I look forward to reading your other books.
September 9th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Your books are top o the line!
Keep them coming and I will keep reading them!
January 5th, 2009 at 5:18 am
Dee–thanks for your comment. John
February 4th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
I read your book “Hobgoblin” about 20 years ago when I was a young D&D playing teen. I’ve long since stopped playing those kinds of games, but I’ve never forgotten the book. In fact, I liked it so much, I read it twice. Great book. Thanks for the memories. Best,
V.
February 4th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Vance–thanks for writing, and remembering Hobgoblin….from D&D to golf….seems like a natural move to me. One is as tough as the other. John
March 10th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
I caddied at Midlothian CC in 1958 when you were the caddymaster. Keep the golf books coming.
Is Tom Coyne related to you?
Jim Parch
June 5th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Hi, Congratulations to the site owner for this marvelous work you’ve done. It has lots of useful and interesting data.
June 10th, 2009 at 12:49 am
Jim, thanks for writing…yes, Tom is my brother, but not the Tom Coyne, golf writer, who is a good guy, but no relation.
Thanks.
John
July 11th, 2009 at 9:56 am
John, I just finished “The Caddie Who Played With Hickory” and I really enjoyed it. I was born and raised in the southwest suburbs of Chicago and caddied at Beverly Country Club for nine years. It was great reading a book about the best game ever that took place in my own back yard.
October 20th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Now this is a reader from heaven! Thank you, Susan.
—
I know absolutely nothing about golf, don’t care about the sport, and the language used in your books about golf is completely foreign to me — and yet I am enthralled by the story line and characters in those books.
From a golf non-enthusiast, I thank you for your glorious books.
Susan
January 10th, 2010 at 9:48 pm
John, I finished this wonderful book and as a golfer, your descriptions with words put me in the gallery. An author friend of mine from St. Louis recommended this and I owe him. I picked up your book one cold afternoon down here on the coast off Va. Beach and that evening after supper, I completed it. I send you sandy high-fives, friend.
I’m now reading Caddie/Ben Hogan. With forty pages to go…I say the same thing. You use a perfect setting with Jack giving the lecture. Nicely done. I’ve learned so much about Hogan you have me ready to read some of the books on him. With your talented skill, I feel I know him.
Thank you, John. I await your next book…Caddie/The Masters.
Keep writing and smilin’…Lee