Meet John Richardson. A typical weekend golfer who enjoyed the game but couldn't break one hundred. Married. One seven-year old daughter. Full-time job. But he differed from the average 24-handicapper in one crucial way. He was determined to break par within a year at the local golf course, while working in a demanding full-time job and trying his best to remain a good husband and father. Virtually everyone he came across told him that it wasn't possible. Sam Torrance advises John to 'dream on' and Darren Clarke tells him that three years would be a more realistic time frame. Add to the mix a range of golfing injuries, family responsibilities and a rigorous working schedule, and you can understand why there were so many doubters. Dream On is the story of how John achieved the seemingly impossible - from how the initial challenge took shape and the methods he used to dramatically improve his game to that glorious day, less than one year later, when he broke par and played the best round of his life.
Dream On: One Hacker's Challenge to Break Par in a Year
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Review
'Well done young man!' --Sam Torrance, BBC commentary during the Open at Turnberry
'Best sports book for Christmas' --The Independent
While the overwhelming majority of us would be content with the occasional miracle in a thousand efforts, the author went after 70 of them. Consecutively. Yes, the Ulsterman made it his mission to go from being unable to break 100, to breaking par in the space of a year. And not only that, but the self-avowed slob in his late thirties would do so while holding down a full-time job as well as bringing up a family. As Sam Torrance said when he heard of the project, 'Dream On!'. Thus the Scot gave Richardson his title, if not some extra incentive. --James Corrigan, Golf Correspondent, The Independent
'For golfers [John's] achievement is already being marvelled at and studiously picked over for any nugget of information that will help them improve. But whether you are a golfer or not, John's story is a lesson for life. It may be the cliche of all cliches but if you believe in something and work hard for it, then you can achieve it.' --Irish Times
While the overwhelming majority of us would be content with the occasional miracle in a thousand efforts, the author went after 70 of them. Consecutively. Yes, the Ulsterman made it his mission to go from being unable to break 100, to breaking par in the space of a year. And not only that, but the self-avowed slob in his late thirties would do so while holding down a full-time job as well as bringing up a family. As Sam Torrance said when he heard of the project, 'Dream On!'. Thus the Scot gave Richardson his title, if not some extra incentive. --James Corrigan, Golf Correspondent, The Independent
'Best sports book for Christmas' --The Independent
While the overwhelming majority of us would be content with the occasional miracle in a thousand efforts, the author went after 70 of them. Consecutively. Yes, the Ulsterman made it his mission to go from being unable to break 100, to breaking par in the space of a year. And not only that, but the self-avowed slob in his late thirties would do so while holding down a full-time job as well as bringing up a family. As Sam Torrance said when he heard of the project, 'Dream On!'. Thus the Scot gave Richardson his title, if not some extra incentive. --James Corrigan, Golf Correspondent, The Independent
'For golfers [John's] achievement is already being marvelled at and studiously picked over for any nugget of information that will help them improve. But whether you are a golfer or not, John's story is a lesson for life. It may be the cliche of all cliches but if you believe in something and work hard for it, then you can achieve it.' --Irish Times
While the overwhelming majority of us would be content with the occasional miracle in a thousand efforts, the author went after 70 of them. Consecutively. Yes, the Ulsterman made it his mission to go from being unable to break 100, to breaking par in the space of a year. And not only that, but the self-avowed slob in his late thirties would do so while holding down a full-time job as well as bringing up a family. As Sam Torrance said when he heard of the project, 'Dream On!'. Thus the Scot gave Richardson his title, if not some extra incentive. --James Corrigan, Golf Correspondent, The Independent
Review
'For golfers [John's] achievement is already being marvelled at and studiously picked over for any nugget of information that will help them improve. But whether you are a golfer or not, John's story is a lesson for life. It may be the cliche of all cliches but if you believe in something and work hard for it, then you can achieve it.'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
54 of 57 people found the following review helpful
By A. Brown
Format:Paperback
|
Length:
1:26
Mins
How many of us have dreamt of playing just one round of par golf or better, when the reality is that we are barely struggling to break 90 or 100. Well John Richardson didn't just dream about it, he actually went out there and did it!
In Dream on: The Challenge to Break Par in a Year John gives an honest account of the period during which he devoted himself to the highs and lows of trying to break par. It's awe-inspiring to read about John's rollercoaster ride throughout the 12 months of this golfing challenge where through hard work, pure determination and sheer bloody-mindedness he stuck to the discipline and succeeded triumphantly!
Evidence of what an amazing feat this was to achieve is evident in Sam Torrance's comment that John should "Dream On" and his fellow Irishman Darren Clarke telling him it would take a minimum of 3 years to achieve his break par goal.
Having been aware of John and his self-imposed golf challenge to break par some years ago I was intrigued to read this book. I've read many golf books but this was one which did not disappoint - I read it cover to cover in 2 days! In my opinion this book was a small investment which delivered not only huge performance improvements with my own golf but also helped me to deal with the mental aspects and challenges of the game.
What makes this a fascinating and easy read is John's straightforward storytelling which is laced with his fantastic Irish wit and his inspiring honesty. At the outset of his story what John lacked in golfing ability he certainly made up for with his passion for the beautiful game. Throughout the book, as well as explaining how tough this challenge was for him and those around him, he entertains us with the experiences which he encountered during his year long journey. This is a classic tale of man vs golf ball, one you won't be able to put down - I promise you!
You can take things away from this book to improve your own game. Personally I will be re-reading this whenever I feel in need of motivation - I think the book clearly confirms that we can achieve anything in life as long as we have belief in ourselves and are willing to devote time and energy to working at it.
Even if you're not an avid golf fan you will still enjoy this book. You will come away from reading it energized and motivated! I highly recommend it.
In Dream on: The Challenge to Break Par in a Year John gives an honest account of the period during which he devoted himself to the highs and lows of trying to break par. It's awe-inspiring to read about John's rollercoaster ride throughout the 12 months of this golfing challenge where through hard work, pure determination and sheer bloody-mindedness he stuck to the discipline and succeeded triumphantly!
Evidence of what an amazing feat this was to achieve is evident in Sam Torrance's comment that John should "Dream On" and his fellow Irishman Darren Clarke telling him it would take a minimum of 3 years to achieve his break par goal.
Having been aware of John and his self-imposed golf challenge to break par some years ago I was intrigued to read this book. I've read many golf books but this was one which did not disappoint - I read it cover to cover in 2 days! In my opinion this book was a small investment which delivered not only huge performance improvements with my own golf but also helped me to deal with the mental aspects and challenges of the game.
What makes this a fascinating and easy read is John's straightforward storytelling which is laced with his fantastic Irish wit and his inspiring honesty. At the outset of his story what John lacked in golfing ability he certainly made up for with his passion for the beautiful game. Throughout the book, as well as explaining how tough this challenge was for him and those around him, he entertains us with the experiences which he encountered during his year long journey. This is a classic tale of man vs golf ball, one you won't be able to put down - I promise you!
You can take things away from this book to improve your own game. Personally I will be re-reading this whenever I feel in need of motivation - I think the book clearly confirms that we can achieve anything in life as long as we have belief in ourselves and are willing to devote time and energy to working at it.
Even if you're not an avid golf fan you will still enjoy this book. You will come away from reading it energized and motivated! I highly recommend it.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By J. Allan
Format:Paperback
As an ex-obsessive, but now very occasional, golfer I found this a superb insight into the psychology of the amateur player.
Do we not all have a copy of the Big Book Of Excuses?
Have we not all at one time strung together our best efforts on each hole and thought "If I could just string them together I'd shoot a 67"? Well John Richardson didn't just ponder this, he got off his clubhouse barstool and went and did just that.
I appreciated that it would require a lot of time, effort and stress, but what John's account brought home to me is just how much self-examination and willingness to change was required to complete the challenge. I am not sure many people could open themselves up in such a way.
As John struggled with his lack of progress in scoring even though he was working long hours and improving his game I could literally feel his frustration as I read his account. Fortunately I also got to share in his excitement as `the round' progressed to it's climax and actually felt a sense of relief as he described holing that final putt.
I would have loved to be there when he called Sam Torrance to break the good news...
Do we not all have a copy of the Big Book Of Excuses?
Have we not all at one time strung together our best efforts on each hole and thought "If I could just string them together I'd shoot a 67"? Well John Richardson didn't just ponder this, he got off his clubhouse barstool and went and did just that.
I appreciated that it would require a lot of time, effort and stress, but what John's account brought home to me is just how much self-examination and willingness to change was required to complete the challenge. I am not sure many people could open themselves up in such a way.
As John struggled with his lack of progress in scoring even though he was working long hours and improving his game I could literally feel his frustration as I read his account. Fortunately I also got to share in his excitement as `the round' progressed to it's climax and actually felt a sense of relief as he described holing that final putt.
I would have loved to be there when he called Sam Torrance to break the good news...
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By Ginola14
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Golf book for sure. Self-help and motivational - even more so.
On the surface aimed at golfers - in reality us all.
I nicked the quote above from Walt Disney and the book. And I read this in one evening before realising at 445am it was probably time to go to sleep.
All of us can identify with these writings - and as the average handicapper of 17 who has nevertheless on one benign day at London and Hatfield shot a 73, we know that this has the added benefit of being true.
Cannot recommend this highly enough - and Im sure looking back now the author realises how many hundreds of thousands can be inspired by a challenge like this.
And spend less time down at the garden centres.
Or the pub, or watching TV, or bemoaning our luck...
When all is said and done theres a lot more said than done.
Just do it - and congratulations by the way.
On the surface aimed at golfers - in reality us all.
I nicked the quote above from Walt Disney and the book. And I read this in one evening before realising at 445am it was probably time to go to sleep.
All of us can identify with these writings - and as the average handicapper of 17 who has nevertheless on one benign day at London and Hatfield shot a 73, we know that this has the added benefit of being true.
Cannot recommend this highly enough - and Im sure looking back now the author realises how many hundreds of thousands can be inspired by a challenge like this.
And spend less time down at the garden centres.
Or the pub, or watching TV, or bemoaning our luck...
When all is said and done theres a lot more said than done.
Just do it - and congratulations by the way.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable but don't expect an instruction manual...
First of all...this is not an instruction manual so you won't find loads of drills to try in order to reduce your golf handicap. Read more
Published 2 hours ago by P G Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dream on
Inspirational to say the least. Full of events and incidents fun funny and a must read for golf hackers :)
Published 13 days ago by Reno
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant!
Item arrived on time and could not have got better value anywhere else. Great price and good quality! Highly recommended!
Published 2 months ago by sec
4.0 out of 5 stars
Stimulating
Certainly helps the golfer who wants to improve and play the game at a better level. A very good read!
Published 3 months ago by Nick Olpin
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great challenge
This is great story of a gug who wants to break par on golf. However, at some point it gets little bit pooring to read. Still i can recommend it.
Published 3 months ago by T. Virtanen
2.0 out of 5 stars
OK
Not sure anyone who can drive a ball three hundred yards is a 'Hacker' great story, great piece of 'fiction' ;0). I will stick to Bob Rotella.
Published 3 months ago by SteveArmy
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read for any struggling Hacker
This book is a like a golfing Karma.
It helped me to feel inspired and to keep going in my pursuit of a 100 target score.
I must read for all new gold addicts!
It helped me to feel inspired and to keep going in my pursuit of a 100 target score.
I must read for all new gold addicts!
Published 4 months ago by Paul Tate
5.0 out of 5 stars
Golfing triumph
Very enlightening ,and a great lesson
if you work hard enough smart enough and want it enough , nearly everything is possible
if you work hard enough smart enough and want it enough , nearly everything is possible
Published 4 months ago by ROBBIE MICHELANGELI
5.0 out of 5 stars
Golfers read
I loved it .Amusing and interesting but only if you are a golfer I think .Couldn't put it down .
Published 4 months ago by JOHN A SMITH
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
Fantastic book very relatable to any aspiring golfer. Really helped me want to improve my own game and encouraged me to practise harder, I'd recommend highly
Published 4 months ago by kyle picton
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