A Nasty Bit of Rough

From Publishers Weekly This first novel by broadcaster and Golf Magazine columnist Feherty is a totally silly, completely unbelievable tall tale that succeeds more often than it fails because of the vibrancy of the voice and the straightforwardness of the telling. Scrought's Wood is the world's oldest and strangest golf course, so venerable it makes St. Andrew's look like a teenager. The membership has dwindled to nine, and the club, buried deep in Scottish gorse and heather, is virtually unknown to the outside world. Every 50 years, led by its owner and chairman Sir Richard Gusset ("Uncle Dickie"), its members compete in a golf match against the McGregor clan, a rough and ready gaggle of Scottish hillbillies, the prize being the petrified middle finger of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. Scrought's Wood, using very devious tactics, wins "The Digit," as it is known, only to have it stolen back by the McGregors while the old duffers are reveling in their victory. Scrought's Wood's members are gleefully eccentric, plagued by hilarious ailments, defects and unmentionable afflictions. When the outside world insists they allow a woman to join the club, one of the old-timers has a sex change operation. It would be awfully easy to dismiss this novel as trivial and inane, for many of the jokes are painfully set-up groaners, while others miss the mark entirely. Overall, one is often reminded of smirking teenage boys talking about sex. But there is a cheerfulness and a spit-in-the-face-of-authority aura about it that makes it the Naked Gun of golf literature. (Mar.)Forecast: Feherty, a former professional golfer, is a popular CBS commentator with a ready-made following; many will recognize Scrought's Wood from its appearances in the pages of Golf Magazine. His author tour engagements should be well attended, and he's a natural for radio and TV interviews. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From Booklist CBS golf commentator Feherty writes a column in Golf magazine about a fictional English golf club called Scrought's Wood, presided over by Major General (ret.) Sir Richard ("Little Dicky") Gussett and a band of stiff-upper-lipped hell-raisers who have more in common with the gang from Animal House than they do with the regulars at St. Andrews. Requests for more stories about Little Dicky prompted Feherty to tackle a novel, and he's come up with a rollicking farce in which Little Dicky and accomplices travel to Scotland, where they tangle with their ancient rivals, the MacGregor clan of the Tay Club, who are in possession of the most valued prize in golf, the Digit, otherwise known as the petrified middle finger of St. Andrew. What follows melds the best of the Crosby-Hope road pictures with the worst of the Three Stooges. Feherty throws together some genuine laughs, far too many incontinence jokes, and a tantalizing dose of golf history. Golfers who love the movie Caddyshack will love this book nearly as much. Bill Ott Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "...a pure delight...Every golf nut will love this book." -- Dan Jenkins, author of The Money-Whippped Steer-Job Three-Jacket Give-Up Artist and Dead Solid Perfect "A nasty bit of rough is a pure delight, as I suspected it would be since the delightful David Feherty wrote it. He has transferred his natural wit and knowledge of golf from the bunkers and rough and microphone to the printed page. Every golf nut will love this book."--Dan Jenkins, author of The Money-Whipped Steer-Job Three-Jack Give-Up Artist and Dead Solid Perfect "Work on your abs before reading A Nasty Bit of Rough , because your stomach is going to get a workout from laughing out loud. Vintae Feherty--another random act of insanity. Somewhere in Ireland, a village is missing an idiot."--Gary McCord, CBS Golf Analyst and Senior PGA Tour Player"I didn't know Dad could write."--Rory Feherty, age 8"First Joyce, then Yeats, now Feherty. The tradition of Irish literry excellence continues, but with this difference: of the three, only Feherty is funny. At once ribald, hilarious, esoteric, moving and profound, David Feherty's A Nasty Bit of Rough shares this quality with other original works of geniuis: only eh cold have produced it. Pick this book up. If you don't laugh out loud at least onec in every chapter, I will personally confiscate your splatterguard niblick." -- "If you don't laugh out loud at least once in every chapter, I will personally confiscate your splatterguard niblick." -- Steven Pressfield, author of The Legend of Bagger Vance "If you're one of those people who think golf is a religion, prepare for some seriously funny blasphemy." -- Troon McAllister, author of The Green and The Foursome "Work on your abs before reading [this], because your stomach is going to get a workout from laughing out loud." -- Gary McCord, CBS golf analyst and Sr. PGA Tour Player David Feherty is a mainstay throughout the PGA golf season on CBS Sports as an on-course personality and commentator. In addition to penning his monthly Golf magazine column, Feherty also writes a bi-weekly column for Golfonline.com, the most popular golf site on the Web. Born and raised in Ireland, he now lives in Irving, Texas, with his wife Anita and their five children, Erin, Rory, Shey, Karl, and Fred. Read more