I Golfed Across Mongolia: How an Improbable Adventure Helped Me Rediscover the Spirit of Golf (and Life) - Hardcover

Tolme, Andre

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1560258225 ISBN 13: 9781560258223

Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2006

Synopsis

What golfer hasn’t daydreamed about quitting his job, tossing his clubs in the trunk, and just taking off? Granted, most of us don’t dream about taking off for Mongolia, but then again, André Tolmé — the New York Times's Golfer of the Year — isn’t like most of us.

This is a book of gonzo golf writing that spans continents and cultures. It starts in 2004 when Tolmé, a thirty-five-year-old civil engineer from New Hampshire and all-around ordinary guy, quits his job and travels to Mongolia with a 3-iron, a backpack full of golf balls, and a dream of golfing his way from one end of the country to the other. At 2,322,000 yards — more than 1,200 miles — the home course of Genghis Khan would be the longest ever played, and par would clock in at a daunting 11,880.

In I Golfed Across Mongolia, Tolmé skillfully blends adventure and golf writing to create a wholly unique book that will delight all those united around one universal passion: golf.

About this title

About the Author:

André Tolmé was born in Laconia, New Hampshire, in 1969. He is a licensed civil engineer as well as an accomplished writer, explorer, and golfer. Since hitting the road in December of 2000 he has visited more than fifty countries on five continents. Tolme is the founder of Golf Mongolia Tours and may be reached through his website at www.golfmongolia.com.

From Booklist:

Extreme sports and absurd adventure come together when wacky travelers get the idea of taking their favorite sports to far-flung places. Tony Hawks defined the concept in Playing the Moldovans at Tennis (2001), in which he set himself the challenge of playing tennis with every member of the Moldovan national soccer team. Now Tolme reports on an even more bizarre quest: playing golf across Mongolia. His account largely eschews explanations (why bother?) and gets right to it: 18 chapters describing the 18 "holes" he mapped for himself across the breadth of Mongolia. The sheer absurdity of Tolme's goal--swatting three-iron shots across a country that's never seen a golf ball--eventually recedes in the face of the enormity of the challenge: tents blowing away, injuries, and, of course, the overriding fear of running out of golf balls. Fortunately, he combines unswerving dedication to the task at hand with a sense of humor, and it's that willingness to laugh at himself that forces the bemused reader to stick with this crazed 15-handicapper until the last three iron is struck. Bill Ott
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About this edition

• Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1560258225
• ISBN 13: 9781560258223
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256