The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan - Hardcover

Returning as an honored guest to the exclusive country club where he caddied for Ben Hogan as a youth in 1946, historian Jack Handley recounts a dramatic match between Hogan and an idealized club pro. By the author of Easy on the Island. 30,000 first printing.

Invited to speak at the anniversary of the Chicago Open, Jack Handley returns to the exclusive Midwest course where he caddied as a young boy. Now a respected and elderly historian, Jack recounts to the assembled sons and daughters of members he once knew the historic summer of 1946 when Ben Hogan visited the club to play in their famous PGA golf tournament.
      At the time, Matt Alexander was the young club pro—Jack’s idol, his dear friend, and a talented player with a velvet swing. Caddying for Matt, Jack oftentimes reined in Matt’s reckless play as together they dissected each hole in preparation for Matt’s attempt to qualify for the Chicago Open. But a secret romance that began between working-class Matt and Sarah, the daughter of the club president, threatened to disrupt their training—and their friendship.
      Shortly before the Open, on a momentous late afternoon, fourteen-year-old Jack found himself caddying a tense practice round between Matt Alexander and Ben Hogan. In between golf swings and cigarette breaks, Hogan spent time with the impressionable Jack, teaching him far more about life than about golf. 
      Jack, thrilled by Hogan’s presence at the country club but mindful of his own friendship with Matt, found his loyalties were divided when it came time to caddie in the Open. In a series of events—both poignant and tragic—Jack’s decision on whom to caddie for became the pivotal moment of the summer, and perhaps his life.
      The summer of 1946 was a time of heightened emotions for the young teenager, and the Chicago Open itself was a moment of truth for Jack Handley. Retelling the story at the anniversary, he relives the golf matches—and reveals to his audience the human side of the iconic Hogan.
      The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan is filled with stories about this golden era of golf and the legendary Ben Hogan. It is a bittersweet novel about golf and growing up, and the strangers we meet along the way who make all the difference in our lives.  Advance Praise for The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan
 
This novel achieves something remarkable. . . . The two fictional marathon golf contests . . . are presented with such narrative skill, such compelling detail, and such evident love of the game that they are transfixing. John Coyne has managed to employ golf as a lens through which aspects of Midwestern daily life in the 1940s, of thwarted love, of social class, are revealed with stark and unsettling clarity.
—Norman Rush, winner of the National Book Award for Mating
The imagined anecdotes involving Ben Hogan ring true. A great job by John Coyne.
— Curt Sampson, author of Hogan and The Grand Slam
Don’t play golf myself. The only two balls I ever hit was when I stepped on the garden rake. But I can tell you that John Coyne captures the skill and magic of fellow Texan Ben Hogan in a helluva great story.
—Kinky Friedman, next governor of Texas and author of Texas Hold ’Em and Cowboy Logic
John Coyne has come up with a winning golf tale. Anyone who loves the game will have trouble putting down this intriguing story, which skillfully mixes fact and fiction. Coyne gives us tragedy, triumph, and Ben Hogan all in one. For those who enjoy a good read about golf, it’s perfect!
—J. Michael Veron, author of The Greatest Player Who Never Lived
He so cleverly tells this original tale that you will be shocked to learn that this is merely the product of his rich imagination.
—Geoff Shackelford, author of The Future of Golf and Grounds for Golf
I knew Ben Hogan on the golf course and off. John Coyne has captured the spirit of the man as well as the player himself.
—Jules Alexander, photographer for The Hogan Mystique
A must-read not just about the game of golf, but also about the game of life.
 —The Professional Caddies Association
John Coyne knows golf and golf history, and he understands the intricate workings of the human heart. Anyone who loves golf—and many readers who don’t know a five-iron from a free throw—will appreciate his skill and be happily drawn into this fine story.
—Roland Merullo, author of Golfing with God