March 6, 2017
Gang of Eight Book Captures Love of the Game
Book Review
Have you, as a golfer, ever daydreamed about finding the time, the cash and the chutzpah to drop everything, cross the pond and play some of the most famous old courses in Scotland? Now imagine trying to coordinate the same imposing trip with seven of your best but occupationally, economically, and temperamentally diverse golf buddies, and you come face-to-face with the outrageous obstacles that must be overcome in Darby Winterhalter Löfstrand’s engaging golf book, Gang of Eight: The First Tee.
Author Darby Lofstrand
All eight golfers are highly likeable, each in his own unique way. As a player, I thoroughly enjoyed their Lee-Trevino-like side bets and their final determination to make their shared Scottish dream come true. I thoroughly enjoyed “seeing” them lose their golf balls in bottomless heather, and get soaked to the skin in never-predictable Scottish squalls. Oh, and with golf skills as wide-ranging as their occupations, it is perhaps worth noting that one of the Eight was the club pro at a California course, while another is Patrick Quinn, the current president of the NCGA.
Because six of the eight are no longer young, there are also health issues that give added immediacy to their adventure. If not now, when? So follow them as – after years of bickering over such issues as practicality and the seeming impossibility of getting eight corresponding tee times at St Andrews – they at last board a plane and head for Scotland.
As the daughter of one of the Gang of Eight (and having herself played such prestigious courses as Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill), Ms. Löfstrand is in a perfect position to tell this true and engrossing tale. She is always adept as a writer, while her love of the game shows through on every page. Available through Amazon or B&N, Gang of Eight: The First Tee is a “must read” for anyone with an interest in, or a love of, this mad game called golf.
Gang of Eight: The First Tee can be purchased on Amazon
-Mark Kosloff
