Synopses & Reviews
and#160;
A hilarious and poignant memoir of a Harvard student who comes of age as a caddie on St. Andrewsandrsquo;s fabled Old Course. In the middle of Oliver Horovitzandrsquo;s high school graduation ceremony, his cell phone rang: It was Harvard. Heandrsquo;d been accepted, but he couldnandrsquo;t start for another year.
A caddie since he was twelve and a golfer sporting a 1.8 handicap, Ollie decides to spend his gap year in St. Andrews, Scotlandandmdash;a town with the U.K.andrsquo;s highest number of pubs per capita, and home to the Old Course, golf andrsquo;s most famous eighteen holesandmdash;where he enrolls in the St. Andrews Links Trust caddie trainee program. Initially, the notoriously brusque veteran caddies treat Ollie like a bug. But after a year of waking up at 4:30 A.M. every morning and looping two rounds a day, Ollie earns their grudging respectandmdash; only to have to pack up and leave for Harvard.
There, Ollieandrsquo;s new classmates are the sons of Albaniaandrsquo;s UN ambassador, the owner of Heineken, and the CEO of Goldman Sachs. Surrounded by sixth generation legacies, he feels like a fish out of water all over again and canandrsquo;t wait to get back to St. Andrews. Even after graduation, when his college friends rush to Wall Street, Horovitz continues to return each summer to caddie on the Old Course.
A hilarious, irresistible, behind-the-scenes peek at the worldandrsquo;s most celebrated golf courseandmdash;and its equally famous caddie shackandmdash;An American Caddie in St. Andrewsand#160;is certain to not only entertain golfers and fans of St. Andrews but also anyone who dares to remember stumbling into adulthood and finding oneandrsquo;s place in the world.
Review
"Oliver Horovitz is a writer to watch. Even if you don't play golf you will enjoy the Ring Lardner style of Ollie's An American Caddie in St. Andrews. The book has great characters and a wonderful sense of being a fish out of water." -Michael Douglas
“This is a story you have to read before your next bogey. Oliver has his priorities spot on!” --Gary McCord
"An American Caddie in St. Andrews is a funny, charming, coming-of age tale about golf and life ... Horovitz is a gifted writer, and an engaging storyteller ... and he can read putts!" -Huey Lewis
"While exposing the insular world of the St. Andrews caddie, Oliver Horovitz discovers a good deal of truth about golf, golfers, and himself. A terrific read. Recommended."
- Curt Sampson, author of The War By the Shore
Review
andquot;An American Caddie in St. Andrews is a funny, charming, coming-of age tale about golf and life ... Horovitz is a gifted writer, and an engaging storyteller ... and he can read putts!andquot; -Huey Lewis
andquot;While exposing the insular world of the St. Andrews caddie, Oliver Horovitz discovers a good deal of truth about golf, golfers, and himself.
A terrific read. Recommended.andquot;
- Curt Sampson, author of The War By the Shore
Review
"Oliver Horovitz is a writer to watch. Even if you don't play golf you will enjoy the Ring Lardner style of Ollie's An American Caddie in St. Andrews. The book has great characters and a wonderful sense of being a fish out of water." -Michael Douglas
“This is a story you have to read before your next bogey. Oliver has his priorities spot on!” --Gary McCord
"An American Caddie in St. Andrews is a funny, charming, coming-of age tale about golf and life ... Horovitz is a gifted writer, and an engaging storyteller ... and he can read putts!" -Huey Lewis
"While exposing the insular world of the St. Andrews caddie, Oliver Horovitz discovers a good deal of truth about golf, golfers, and himself. A terrific read. Recommended."
- Curt Sampson, author of The War By the Shore
Review
and#160;
"Oliver Horovitz is a writer to watch. Even if you don't play golf you will enjoy the Ring Lardner style of Ollie'sand#160;An American Caddieand#160;in St. Andrews. The book has great characters and a wonderful sense of being a fish out of water." and#8211;Michael Douglas
and#160;
and#8220;This is a story you have to read before your next bogey. Oliver has his priorities spot on!and#8221;and#160; --Gary McCord
"An American Caddie in St. Andrews is a funny, charming, coming-of age tale about golf and life ... Horovitz is a gifted writer, and an engaging storyteller ... and he can read putts!" -Huey Lewis
"While exposing the insular world of the St. Andrews caddie, Oliver Horovitz discovers a good deal of truth about golf, golfers, and himself. A terrific read. Recommended."
- Curt Sampson, author of The War By the Shore
Review
"This poignant, funny memoir by Oliver Horovitz, a Harvard student who finds his calling on the Scottish links, is an intriguing tour of life at the world's most celebrated course."
—Parade
“With the energy and joy of youth, he describes his ‘gap year…His interaction with the group of ‘pretty university girls, deemed ‘Model Caddies, is wondrous…Horovitz shares his deeply felt memories of golf, girls, and the academy boldly, never taking himself too seriously or being irreverent about the caddie tradition on the time-honored Old Course links.”
—Publishers Weekly
“In this breezy memoir, the younger brother of a Beastie Boy spills insider tales about looping and living in St. Andrews…the characters—bitter old caddies, the authors university pals and his 83-year-old uncle—are lovable. So, too, are Horovitz's yarns, which feature late-night antics in the Old Toon and a round caddying for Seinfeld creator Larry David.”
—Golf Magazine
"A must read."
—PGA.com
"Anyone looking for a good read should look no further than An American Caddie in St. Andrews."
—GolfBiz.net
"An utterly absorbing, affectionate, and funny narrative of his halcyon days in St. Andrews. I loved his memoir so much I lingered over it, relishing my own memories of that mysteriously captivating town, historic links, and addictive Scottish game, and I recommend Ollie's book to those who've either already walked in the footsteps of Old Tom Morris or have a visit to the home of golf on their bucket list."
—Ron Hansen, author of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
"Oliver Horovitz is a writer to watch. Even if you don't play golf you will enjoy the Ring Lardner style of Ollie's An American Caddie in St. Andrews. The book has great characters and a wonderful sense of being a fish out of water.
—Michael Douglas
“This is a story you have to read before your next bogey. Oliver has his priorities spot on!”
—Gary McCord
"An American Caddie in St. Andrews is a funny, charming, coming-of age tale about golf and life ... Horovitz is a gifted writer, and an engaging storyteller ... and he can read putts!"
—Huey Lewis
"While exposing the insular world of the St. Andrews caddie, Oliver Horovitz discovers a good deal of truth about golf, golfers, and himself. A terrific read. Recommended."
—Curt Sampson, author of The War By the Shore
Review
and#8220;With the energy and joy of youth, he describes his and#8216;gap yearand#8217;and#8230;His interaction with the group of and#8216;prettyand#8217; university girls, deemed and#8216;Model Caddies,and#8217; is wondrousand#8230;Horovitz shares his deeply felt memories of golf, girls, and the academy boldly, never taking himself too seriously or being irreverent about the caddie tradition on the time-honored Old Course links.and#8221; and#8212;
Publishers Weekly and#8220;In this breezy memoir, the younger brother of a Beastie Boy spills insider tales about looping and living in St. Andrewsand#8230;the charactersand#8212;bitter old caddies, the authorand#8217;s university pals and his 83and#8211;yearand#8211;old uncleand#8212;are lovable. So, too, are Horovitz's yarns, which feature lateand#8211;night antics in the Old Toon and a round caddying for Seinfeld creator Larry David.and#8221; and#8212;Golf Magazine
"Oliver Horovitz is a writer to watch. Even if you don't play golf you will enjoy the Ring Lardner style of Ollie'sand#160;An American Caddie in St. Andrews. The book has great characters and a wonderful sense of being a fish out of water." and#8211;Michael Douglas
and#8220;This is a story you have to read before your next bogey. Oliver has his priorities spot on!and#8221;and#160; and#8212;Gary McCord
"An American Caddie in St. Andrews is a funny, charming, coming-of age tale about golf and life ... Horovitz is a gifted writer, and an engaging storyteller ... and he can read putts!" and#8212;Huey Lewis
"While exposing the insular world of the St. Andrews caddie, Oliver Horovitz discovers a good deal of truth about golf, golfers, and himself. A terrific read. Recommended." and#8212;Curt Sampson, author of The War By the Shore
Synopsis
A hilarious and poignant memoir of a Harvard student who comes of age as a caddie on St. Andrewss fabled Old Course.
In the middle of Oliver Horovitzs high school graduation ceremony, his cell phone rang: It was Harvard. Hed been accepted, but he couldnt start for another year.
A caddie since he was twelve and a golfer sporting a 1.8 handicap, Ollie decides to spend his gap year in St. Andrews, Scotlanda town with the U.K.s highest number of pubs per capita, and home to the Old Course, golf s most famous eighteen holeswhere he enrolls in the St. Andrews Links Trust caddie trainee program. Initially, the notoriously brusque veteran caddies treat Ollie like a bug. But after a year of waking up at 4:30 A.M. every morning and looping two rounds a day, Ollie earns their grudging respect only to have to pack up and leave for Harvard.
There, Ollies new classmates are the sons of Albanias UN ambassador, the owner of Heineken, and the CEO of Goldman Sachs. Surrounded by sixth generation legacies, he feels like a fish out of water all over again and cant wait to get back to St. Andrews. Even after graduation, when his college friends rush to Wall Street, Horovitz continues to return each summer to caddie on the Old Course.
A hilarious, irresistible, behind-the-scenes peek at the worlds most celebrated golf courseand its equally famous caddie shackAn American Caddie in St. Andrews is certain to not only entertain golfers and fans of St. Andrews but also anyone who dares to remember stumbling into adulthood and finding ones place in the world.
Synopsis
A coming-of-age memoir about a Harvard students summer as a caddie on the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland
In the middle of his high school graduation ceremony, Oliver Horovitz received a call from Harvard. He was accepted but couldnt start for another year.
A caddie since age twelve and a golfer sporting a 1.8 handicap, Ollie decides to spend his gap year at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. In addition to the school having a 70/30 female-to-male ratio, the town itself has the highest per capita number of pubs in the United Kingdom and is home to the worlds most fabled eighteen holes of golf: the Old Course. To earn money, Ollie enrolls in the caddie trainee program offered by the St. Andrews Links Trust and begins work as a trainee on the Old Course. Initially, Ollie struggles to gain acceptance and respect from the veteran caddies at St. Andrews. But after a year of looping two rounds a day and waking up at four thirty every morning to line up at the caddie shack, Ollie proves himself worthy. By this time, though, his gap year is over and hes due to return to the States to begin his freshman year at Harvard.
When Ollie arrives at Harvard, he feels like a fish out of water all over again. Surrounded by sixth-generation legacies, he cant wait to get back to the caddies on the Old Course, and he returns to St. Andrews for each of the summers that follows for more caddie duty. As his friends rush to Wall Street banks and consultancies, Ollie opts to take what hes learned and walk a path of his own.
About the Author
Oliver Horovitz is a writer, filmmaker, and caddie on the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. He has written feature articles about his rounds in Sports Illustrated, Golf World, Golf Digest, and New England Golfer. In 2007, he wrote and produced a documentary called The Caddies of St. Andrews. He lives in New York City.