Surely golf is a game for posh people, country clubs and networking businessmen, for unfortunate sweaters, politics and trousers? Andrew Greig grew up on the East coast of Scotland, where playing golf is as natural as breathing. He sees the game as the great leveller, and has played on the Old course at St Andrews as well as on the miners' courses of Yorkshire. He writes about the different cultural manifestations of the game, the history, the geography, the different social meanings, as well as the subjective experience, the reflections between shots. He plays alone, with friends and brothers, with ghosts. He is looking for the essence of golf, the pure heart of it, which can be found, Andrew Greig believes, on the free 9 hole course on North Ronaldsay.
Preferred Lies: A Journey to the Heart of Scottish Golf
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Review
'Greig's purely struck prose is not the only strength of this book. For one thing he has excellent taste in golf courses.' (Lawrence Donegan THE GUARDIAN )
'one you should look out for is novelist Andrew Greig's PREFERRED LIES. To describe it as a tour of the Scottish golf courses is to do it a grave disservice, as it is really a book of 'life thinking.' (Giles Foden CONDE NAST TRAVELLER )
'If you have, or ever have had, any interest in golf, buy this book and read it. Buy it for your loved one, your lost one, the Saturday morning medal deserter . . . They and you will love it, inhabit it, and possibly be transformed by it. It's the best book about golf I've ever read.' (Tom Moreton SUNDAY HERALD )
PREFERRED LIES is satisfying, demanding, allusive and provocative. I finished it not merely wishing I was as good at golf as Greig, but also as good at learning from it.' (Rick Gekoski SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY )
Greig....., has crafted a wonderful book about how it feels to be alive, in which the game of golf is a conduit for sensation. Here, golf isn't a metaphor for life - it is life. Sculpted in luminous prose, which echoes his work as one of Scotland's leading poets and novelists, this is a beautiful, affecting piece of work.' (Mike Aitken THE SCOTSMAN )
a wonderful and wise book, quite unlike any golfing book you will have ever read before. (Dermot Bolger THE IRISH TIMES )
'Thought-provoking and moving.' (Doug Johnstone THE LIST )
'PREFERRED LIES feels like quite a special book.' (Tom Cox THE INDEPENDENT )
'Greig writes engagingly. His observations are sharp, sometimes zany.' (Michael Lister THE TLS )
'he does have an ear for the way people talk and express themselves on and off the course.' (Ian Dunlop THE SPECTATOR )
'a triumph..... his beautiful prose and wry observations will keep you reading into the night.' (GOLF PUNK )
'The pleasure of this book is no doubt down to the fact that the author is an accomplished writer' (GOLF INTERNATIONAL )
'If you are looking for a seriously fine piece of writing and have a rudimentary understanding of a game which involves using a stick to hit a little white ball into a hole several hundred yards away, then PREFERRED LIES is worth reading.' (Brackley Sumner TRIBUNE ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
'one you should look out for is novelist Andrew Greig's PREFERRED LIES. To describe it as a tour of the Scottish golf courses is to do it a grave disservice, as it is really a book of 'life thinking.' (Giles Foden CONDE NAST TRAVELLER )
'If you have, or ever have had, any interest in golf, buy this book and read it. Buy it for your loved one, your lost one, the Saturday morning medal deserter . . . They and you will love it, inhabit it, and possibly be transformed by it. It's the best book about golf I've ever read.' (Tom Moreton SUNDAY HERALD )
PREFERRED LIES is satisfying, demanding, allusive and provocative. I finished it not merely wishing I was as good at golf as Greig, but also as good at learning from it.' (Rick Gekoski SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY )
Greig....., has crafted a wonderful book about how it feels to be alive, in which the game of golf is a conduit for sensation. Here, golf isn't a metaphor for life - it is life. Sculpted in luminous prose, which echoes his work as one of Scotland's leading poets and novelists, this is a beautiful, affecting piece of work.' (Mike Aitken THE SCOTSMAN )
a wonderful and wise book, quite unlike any golfing book you will have ever read before. (Dermot Bolger THE IRISH TIMES )
'Thought-provoking and moving.' (Doug Johnstone THE LIST )
'PREFERRED LIES feels like quite a special book.' (Tom Cox THE INDEPENDENT )
'Greig writes engagingly. His observations are sharp, sometimes zany.' (Michael Lister THE TLS )
'he does have an ear for the way people talk and express themselves on and off the course.' (Ian Dunlop THE SPECTATOR )
'a triumph..... his beautiful prose and wry observations will keep you reading into the night.' (GOLF PUNK )
'The pleasure of this book is no doubt down to the fact that the author is an accomplished writer' (GOLF INTERNATIONAL )
'If you are looking for a seriously fine piece of writing and have a rudimentary understanding of a game which involves using a stick to hit a little white ball into a hole several hundred yards away, then PREFERRED LIES is worth reading.' (Brackley Sumner TRIBUNE ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
A book about golf that will appeal to both players and non players, by Scottish poet and novelist.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I'm Scottish, my folks live in the Highlands, I now live a city-professional life, and oh yes, I love golf! OK, so I'm biased, but this book I bought took me on a journey that had golf as a metaphor for life itself, how to live it, see the positives, take risks, and to appreciate the time we have with one another, and the memories that remain and linger.
Andrew Greig is to be congratulated for a deeply touching piece of work, that encapsulates so many things we all find ourselves too busy to either give time to, or remedy. If this doesn't win the William Hill Sports Book Of The Year, then there is something wrong somewhere.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone who feels they've lost touch with their past, or need to feel they belong in the world, and he plays some bloody good courses too!
Andrew Greig is to be congratulated for a deeply touching piece of work, that encapsulates so many things we all find ourselves too busy to either give time to, or remedy. If this doesn't win the William Hill Sports Book Of The Year, then there is something wrong somewhere.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone who feels they've lost touch with their past, or need to feel they belong in the world, and he plays some bloody good courses too!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By ian mcilgorm
Format:Paperback
Such a wonderful book, full of heart and hope, but beautifully tinged with the warm melancholy of remembered youth (and a better golf swing). Links lovers should read this above all other "golf memoirs". Andrew Greig has recorded a journey of the soul, played out on links turf, and made it a compelling and uplifting account of a life recovered. It is as joyous as the birdie you have at the hole where you always mess-up. And tastes better than the drink afterwards.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By PJW Griffin
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I suspect that even a non-golfer would enjoy this book, but for those who love golf, but don't like golfers and golf clubs, the book is a revelation. Poignant, warm and uplifting, it is everything that so many 'great writers' fail to provide - honest truth, economically and directly expressed. The way that golf exposes the depths of a personality, to the self and to others, is the core; love, loss and the transience of life are other themes explored while narrating a journey into the author's life. Just brilliant.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By jasa
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have owned a copy of this book for several years and have read it over and over. I was going to lend it to a friend but decided not to risk losing it so bought him a copy instead.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By SE Killick
Format:Hardcover
A delightful book, not least because those who have played the courses Greig so lyrically describes cannot help but share his love of them. This is a delightful armchair read and is essential reading for anyone who loves golf, rather than simply plays it, and takes us truly into the spirit of this maddening yet joyous game.
My only reservation is that sometimes it veers almost towards psycho-babble and a talking of golf in terms of sex with his wife, to this reader at least, seems strained at best. However these are only minor quibbles. Having played some of the courses he describes I want to play them again, taking in as much of the atmosphere as Greig does, rather than remaining hell bent on the result of my game. Those courses I have not been so fortunate to play yet are stored away and will, hopefully, be played before too long.
This little book is an inspiration and a joy.
My only reservation is that sometimes it veers almost towards psycho-babble and a talking of golf in terms of sex with his wife, to this reader at least, seems strained at best. However these are only minor quibbles. Having played some of the courses he describes I want to play them again, taking in as much of the atmosphere as Greig does, rather than remaining hell bent on the result of my game. Those courses I have not been so fortunate to play yet are stored away and will, hopefully, be played before too long.
This little book is an inspiration and a joy.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By shaumbra
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a beautiful book, poetic and thoughtful and is as much about life (and death) as it is about golf. I suspect you do have to have a little love of golf in your veins to truly appreciate this book, but it is about so much more.
After recovering from near fatal illness the author sets about visiting and revisiting various golf courses,as part of his 'rehabilitation', if you like,.....reflecting as he does so on his past, and delving into his present perspective on life and golf. A thoroughly good read, and a book I will be coming back to.
After recovering from near fatal illness the author sets about visiting and revisiting various golf courses,as part of his 'rehabilitation', if you like,.....reflecting as he does so on his past, and delving into his present perspective on life and golf. A thoroughly good read, and a book I will be coming back to.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Loui358
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Had no idea on what to buy my hubby for Father's Day, whilst scrolling through books on golf I came across this little gem, he was absolutely over the moon with it, in fact it was a book he had already added to his wish list, great minds I suppose.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Jim Jim
Format:Paperback
Preferred lies is a lovely book. Some of the prose is delightful and the descriptions of the courses and the joy of playing them are wonderful. The only problem is that reading this book just makes you want to pick up your clubs and go for a round. With that in mind, probably best to wait until the summer before picking it up
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Preferred Lies
This is an unusual and useful gift for your active friends. A wonderful and uplifting lesson about golf and life for all golfers, whatever handicap.
Published 1 month ago by peebee
5.0 out of 5 stars
Golf book with a difference.
An absolutely wonderful book of golf. Not a teaching book, but the best book on golf that I have ever read, marvellous!
Published 3 months ago by Peter K. Mullins
1.0 out of 5 stars
Boring
Even as a keen golfer I was quickly bored with this book. Perhaps I have missed out as I couldn't get beyond the first half of the book
inwhich the author describes, in at... Read more
inwhich the author describes, in at... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Philip S. Flynn
5.0 out of 5 stars
life, golf, and everything
There are few books that i read more than once for the sheer pleasure in the reading, but this is one of them. Read more
Published 11 months ago by markr
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning
A stunning book about life and golf......
The courses Andrew chose to play are exceptional, the accounts and people he meets make for a wonderful read. Read more
The courses Andrew chose to play are exceptional, the accounts and people he meets make for a wonderful read. Read more
Published on 17 Jan 2011 by Michael Kellett
4.0 out of 5 stars
More than just a golf book
The first circa two thirds of the book are by far the most interesting, where the writer rediscovers golf, having given up as a teenager, for the attractions of guitar and girls. Read more
Published on 30 Dec 2010 by David G. Mattinson
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read for golfers, Scots and everyone else
An excellent and life affirming journey by a writer with the natural touch. It would be hard not to enjoy this book.
Published on 10 Sep 2010 by P. A. Webster
4.0 out of 5 stars
Preferred Lies
To paraphrase Lance Armstrong "It's not about (the) golf" but a lot to do with human relationships with golf as a basis. Read more
Published on 27 Sep 2009 by John M. Allan
2.0 out of 5 stars
great for golf players, hideous for others
I was sold this book by a friend who said it was about life not golf. Well he was wrong, it's the other way round. Read more
Published on 26 Sep 2009 by Mr. Geoffrey Stephenson
5.0 out of 5 stars
an unusual approach to writing about the great game of golf
I found this to be an unusual but very special book where the author has not attempted to dwell on the technical side of the game but has provided a quite delightfully written... Read more
Published on 16 Sep 2009 by J. Mcgavin
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