Playing Through

Book excerpt: In the tradition of Peter Mayle and James Dodson’s Final Rounds, Curtis Gillespie gives us a delightful and heartwarming story of people, place, and golf. In this funny, wise, and moving book, Curtis Gillespie chronicles the year he spent with his family among the gorse and heather of Gullane, Scotland, site of this year’s Open. Gillespie had hoped to golf at Gullane with his father, who died several years before, and the memory of his father provides the catalyst for both Gillespie’s trip and the book. He writes affectionately about place, family, life, the obsessive nature of golf, and the personalities who are drawn to the sport. Along the way Curtis Gillespie discovers how much he owes his father -- and finds a rich sense of belonging among the local courses and the people who play them. Playing Through is a warm and wonderfully told memoir that transcends the boundaries of travel and sports writing.