Claret Dreams
Tim Alpaugh
2010, iUniverse
Claret Dreams by Tim Alpaugh (2010, iUniverse) offers a pleasant diversion for a hickory golfer. What would it be like for a player to show up at a tournament with old, very old, hickories and show what a bit of artistry, and luck, can do?
This modern fairy tale, if not taken too seriously, presents just this scenario, along with a touch of golf history. The MacCoren family owns a brewery on the Isle of Arran. Ian, the head of family, meets and befriends Old Tom Morris, beginning a lifelong friendship. After his own son's death in 1875, Old Tom takes an interest in Ian's son, William.
One summer day in 1889, Old Tom presents a beautiful hand-made set of clubs to William and thus is born a tradition of handing down this wonderful set of clubs in the family until we come to 1962 and the set's then-current owner, Ian's great-grandson and namesake, Ian.
The young man proves to be a skilful golfer with the old sticks. A visit to the 1962 Open provides an unexpected opportunity to test those skills on golf's grand stage. And, of course, there is a helpful caddy.
It's not an easy thing to carry a reader along a golf match, but Alpaugh keeps us interested and we find ourselves rooting for the young man, even if the caddy's unexpected first-person narrative seems a bit jarring and abrupt.
There is a bit of melodrama and some staging that appears forced to fit the scheme of the story, but this is a fairy tale, so we can forgive this and allow a bit of sentiment to take over.
Those who know their clubs may find it more difficult to get past some serious discrepancies regarding the "other" central character in the story - the set of Old Tom's clubs. The clubs are, in the context of the story, asked to behave in a manner that strains credulity.
As the drama of the Open unfolds, the hickories are lost in the background. Nothing is really said of them beyond a few stares or laughter from onlookers. As I read, I wanted them brought more to the front, as characters in their own right, full of the magic of Old Tom. I wanted them to exist as paint brushes in the hands of an artist, young Ian showing how the old sticks can be made to craft beautiful golf shots that curve and bend in the wind, dropping here, scooting along the ground there, etc. I felt they were forgotten, and their loss was keenly felt, especially as we were told on the cover that this was to be a tale of historic hickories in the modern British Open.
One last thought, a quibble that might be forgiven in proportion to our belief in Ian's prodigious skills. To get a smooth-faced mashie to propel a ball 218 yards... well, perhaps Ian could do it. But no other man, I am willing to bet, has ever struck a ball that far with that club. He might get 140, 150, maybe 160, but no further. Even a mashie from the 1920's would be well struck indeed to get 160 yards. The great Bobby Jones played his mashie to about 140 yards and even used it for run-up shots. So, did the old clubs really have some mystical power?
Despite these quibbles, I enjoyed Claret Dreams. As I say, it is not hard to dream of such things happening, to wonder what might have been had the old clubs been played by a young golfing genius in a modern event. This is a book we can enjoy and, in the end, feel hope the old clubs carry their magic still for the young lady, next in the MacCoren line, who has inherited them.
It is a quick read, as the book is just under 100 pages and, at $10.95, could be a nice last-minute gift. Go to www.iUniverse.com and search for Claret Dreams under the "Sports and Recreation" heading.
JD