Book Review: 'A Course Called Ireland' by Tom Coyne

by Bryan Wright

Now that Calgary is firmly into the winter season, I thought it time to talk about my summer passion, golf.  Well, not necessarily about golf, but rather a book about golf.  Several months ago I read a book entitled A Course Called Ireland by Tom Coyne.  With the sub-title ‘A Long Walk in Search of a Country, a Pint, and the Next Tee,’ it chronicles the author’s four month journey golfing and drinking in Ireland.  Of course there are no shortage of books on the subject, so Coyne threw in a tiny caveat; he walked from course to course, circling Ireland, over 1,000 miles, on foot.

Obviously this book is aimed at the golfer in the crowd, but it’s as much about Ireland as it is about golf and could be classified as a travelogue as much as a golf book.  Instead of a shot by shot account of his over 55 rounds, he instead focuses more on the people he meets, the towns he visits, and the rigors of walking such a distance.