Golfing with God: A Novel of Heaven and Earth
Posted on
May 28th, 2011
by golfswinghelp
Golfing with God: A Novel of Heaven and Earth
Herman “Hank” Fins-Winston was a pro golfer destined for greatness. Now he lives in a condominium on the thirteenth fairway of one of heaven’s glorious courses – a fact he finds surprising and amusing, since for one reason or another, a fair percentage of golfers never make it to paradise. Hank is having the time of his afterlife until he’s summoned one idyllic morning to play a round with the Almighty. It seems that God is having some trouble with His game. As they play the heavenly courses,
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A wonderful read!,
My favorite American storyteller is Stephen Vincent Benet. Roland Merullo, author of Golfing With God certainly has Benet’s storytelling ability, giving us a well-crafted story.
In Golfing With God Herman (Hank) Fins-Winston, has just arrived in heaven with its 3,000-plus golf courses. Readers see his past as a new touring pro who blows THE putt that would have sent him to the top. In order to help Hank, God ask him for help with his/her short game. Throughout the book, Hank receives the education that he missed–the education of his soul.
Merullo looks at both golf and spirituality with loving humor. A wonderful bit is when Hank has a foursome with Jesus, Mary and Moses. Moses cheats by parting the water on the hazard, and Jesus is wonderfully patient with his mother who consistently shoots double and triple bogeys, if she’s fortunate.
With gentle humor, Merullo also builds tension as Hank travels from earthly course to earthly course with God, a trip that leads to his ultimate match with Rogan, a.k.a. as Mephistopheles and Beelzebub. The match’s description is superlative both of the play-by-play and the famous Augusta course.
The author intertwines observations about the relationship between golf and spirituality. His overriding emphasis is on the spirituality of people–not their religious beliefs. Later Hank observes, “Much of the beauty of the game of golf lies in the quiet dignity with which it is played… Think of what earthly life might be like if those same rules of etiquette were applied more widely.”
While Merullo lushly describes his setting, he seems to prefer his story over his characters. The characters are delightful, and since one of the two main characters is God himself or herself–as the situation develops–perhaps we can forgive him for not totally revealing the nature of the character.
Armchair Interviews says: Golfing With God is a well-crafted, quick-moving story. Merullo has shown us the remarkable connection among philosophy, spirituality, not necessarily religion, and golf. For a thought-provoking, enjoyable few hours, we recommend Roland Merullo’s Golfing With God.
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|Golfing with God,
This is the best book I’ve ever read, and I’ve given copies to all my closest friends. It is appealing to those who are outwardly religious and those who aren’t. I read it periodically and love it more with every reading.
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|Blessed is the Golfer who gains Grace,
Play golf with God! With a plot like that, I read it quickly to see what happens. My review title gives you a good idea as to what happens but see for yourself. It is a short story worth reading, if the time spent reading does not take you away from actually playing golf. In Seattle the rain is now setting all time records.
Merullo’s story could help you with the emotional/ mental of your game. I doubt it will do anything for your swing.
I subtract one star, because I was looking for for more fascinating detail about golf to be worked into the plot. But I can see another reader holding back a star, because they were looking for more about God.
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