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It is great that we can purchase a 40 mm. purple faceted crystal at this price. Very affordable. However, the color is not as saturated as pictured.

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Purchased this for my Grandfather for Christmas. It came on time & is a very nice shirt. I'm considering purchasing one for myself.

My son has had Penguin shirts and pants in the past and likes them very much. He told me the shirt runs somewhat small (hence 4 stars instead of 5), so if you're between sizes, you might want to go up to the next size (unless you want the skin-tight look).

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I was not satisfied with the quality of these towels as they were very thin and only printed on one side. However, their customer service is GREAT!! I called Andrew Christian directly and they were very helpful and accomodating in accepting the return and sharing the shipping costs. So, just because this paricular product was unsatisfactory, give these guys a shot! They are willing to work with you if you are not happy with what you get! Bad towel, good comapny!

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Adding this toy to my collection is like a trip back to childhood. It occupies a prominent space on the display shelf.

I could hear the pieces rattling around the box when I picked it up. It didn't come with any instructions. It won't wind. It's a shame because it was supposed to be a gift for my golf-loving husband on our 10th anniversary (which traditionally is the tin anniversary).

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Mr. Hiaasen hit the tee-shot straight up the fairway with this book. It was a great read and just what I needed in the middle of winter to rekindle my golf itch.

If you love golf you will love this story. Full of good humor and full of golf.

I got this book for my Dad for Christmas. He picked up the game of golf soon after he retired. He's never read Carl Hiasson, before, but he is one of our favorite authors. I love his quirky style. My Dad enjoyed the book, and sent it on to share with his twin brother.

Despite being a golfer and a big Hiaasen fan, this book starts with promise, but quickly grows dull.

This guy Hiaasen thinks that making you feel sorry for his lousy golf game and his addictions to purchasing foolish gimmicks to fix it are actually funny. In fact, neither are. Would I recommend this book to any respectable golfer? In short, no. I suppose some folks can relate to a high handicap golfer's desires to improve his/her game. I think instead Hiaasen ought to write about a truly scintillating game like croquet where readers wouldn't mind being bored. Yes, now that would be a challenge for him, because The Downhill LIe is truly worse than a sticky wicket -- like having a perfect drive end up in a deep, unplayable fairway divot -- leaving the reader frustrated, disappointed and finally just annoyed. How does one label a book written on the glorious subject of golf that offers nothing more than a plodding diary of how a 20 handicapper desperately fails at every level -- instruction, a sense of feel for the game, anecdotes that lead nowhere, and last of all, precious little humor. This guy doesn't need Strunk & White, he needs a shrink for his neuroses. Yes, several more chapters on the art of choking are really what are needed here Carl... And I think yoou ought to pick better friends or else get to know fellow Floridian Dave Barry who really is funny. David Sedaris you are not. Stick to your novels Carl... Paul in Potsdam

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Charlie McLeod shows up at a famous San Francisco golf club to work as a caddy. At this club the caddies are men, most often with a past, a taste for cards and liquor, and occasionally woman - and they understand the game of golf. Drunk or sober they can put the right club in their player's hands. And they often bet more on their players, than the players themselves do. They also have long memories - of matches won and lost, the money that changed hands, and who couldn't make the grade in the prime of life. Charlie fits right in. He can caddie with the best of them, though no one knows why. Then one day he swings a club, something he hasn't done in over 25 years. And the magic swing that won a state high school golf championship at age fifteen with his father's guidance - and that was ruined with one swing of the club - has returned. Whatever anyone has ever been able to do with a golf ball and club, Charlie can do - and better. And when word of that gets around the club - the conflict begins. For Charlie the game has always been about the perfect swing, playing the course and the next shot, not the recognition or the money. But that's not the case at the club. Charlie's skill is seen as a way to redeem a match lost long ago by men - both caddies and members, still at the club. So Charlie must play a high stakes match on a course he has never seen against a pro who has never lost - and play on the pro's home course. And his job and the jobs of his caddie friends are at stake, along with a suitcase full of money, and who knows what else. Mott is a master storyteller who will have you enjoying every moment of Charlie's journey to redemption. The golfer will recognize the characters as people at their own club. You will recognize the team spirit that can exist in what is often seen as a solitary sport - and you'll enjoy the humor that often crops up in unexpected places. Armchair Interviews says: You'll cheer as Charlie finally finds his place in the sun.

Great read that you cannot put down, especially if you love the game. Lot's of interesting characters that are easy to envision.

I enjoyed this book. Í agree with the last reviewer in that it was not believable but hey, its fiction. You have to turn your suspicion off and not be too critical of what the writer is trying to ask you to believe. Charlie is a likable character and that is part of your (mine,anyway) willingness to believe what was written about his golf skills. For a real life version of a talented golfer who also quit for a long time, I really enjoyed "Striking it Rich" about the doctor who got on the pro tour after not playing for 30 years. He is the same age of Charlie McCleod and there are some interesting paralels there.

The Back Nine by Billy Mott is an oft-told yarn which wasn't credible the first time it was told, and certainly not now. It is full of fantastic deeds which are neither interesting nor believable. It is full of 450 yard drives, driving par fours, making eagles, and could be a catalog of golf feats which never would have happened. Leaping small buildings with a single bound is great for Superman, but not so good for a caddie, now playing in a comeback match. It will remake his life, but no worry because it seems that he can shoot 55 or so at will. Rubbish.

Writing a good sports novel requires an author who can traverse the delicate path between constructing a book for the rabid fan and one that appeals to the reader who simply appreciates fine writing. On occasion they successfully accomplish that task, and books such as SHOELESS JOE by William Kinsella and THE GREATEST PLAYER WHO NEVER LIVED by J. Michael Veron are the result. But more often than not, writers have difficulty maintaining that fine balance. This doesn't mean that the novels produced are not worthwhile; indeed my shelves are lined with many sports books that were simply enjoyable and entertaining reading experiences. THE BACK NINE by Billy Mott comes a long way towards attaining that precise balance, though in the end, Mott tells his readers a little too much about golf and not quite enough about life. Charlie McLeod is the middle-aged anti-hero searching for the lost glory of his youth. A quarter of a century ago the young man was a golfing prodigy, bringing the legendary Oakmont Country Club golf course (the site of the 2007 U.S. Open) to its knees. We meet Charlie as he arrives in San Francisco deciding that he can earn some money toiling as a caddy at an exclusive country club. Mott is a part-time actor and full-time caddy, and his writing establishes both his respect for those who tote golf bags and his knowledge of the work involved. Through his eyes and pen we meet some veteran caddies and country club golfers, all of whom perfectly fit the stereotype of the social milieu they occupy. We learn about Charlie and the events that shaped his life, but Mott tells readers very little about what life has done to the enigmatic main character. Charlie's father made him a golfer and a freak injury destroyed his career before it really began, but that's about all the pedigree we learn. You can't appreciate what a man accomplishes unless you know a bit more about the adversity that shapes his life. That history is missing from THE BACK NINE. A sports novel requires as its bete noir, the ultimate contest, the climatic battle between teams or individuals that capture for readers the struggle that is life. Here, the contest is an 18-hole golf match between Charlie and the legendary Larry Siegel, a golf hustler who certainly would have been portrayed by the late Jackie Gleason in the movie version of this book. Before the match, however, Charlie must rekindle his skill and love for golf, and find some romance and tragedy to hone his character for the novel's denouement. The match itself is spectacularly chronicled. Mott shows his love of golf and appreciation of what the game entails. Readers, even non-golfers, will appreciate the drama of the titanic struggle between golfers of great skill. It is eerily reminiscent of the battle between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus at the 1977 British Open Championship in Turnberry, Scotland. Golf fans will appreciate and hopefully understand many of Mott's subliminal historical golf references. But non-golfers also will appreciate a well-written and endearing novel that mixes elements of Rocky, Hoosiers and Field of Dreams. I am neither an entertainment authority nor a gambler, but I am willing to place a small wager that we will see THE BACK NINE at a movie theater near us in very short order. --- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman

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This books value is in a simplistic version of the Editorial review description: "This book helps fill a . . . gap in understanding a great era of golf, 1919 to 1942..." providing a chance to visually see some of the unique clubs designed during this era. It's nicely done and beautifully photographed, but, that's where it stops. The book also identifies unique designs, which is where one will gather the best value, though the pictorial representations are not supported by any text other than the simplistic descriptions and approximate values. Sadly, it lacks any degree of information. It appears to be more of a catalog of someone's collection than a reference work. Although there is a great deal of individually identified (cataloged) clubs, there are far too many instances where it reads more like an auction bulletin, with descriptions such as "Drivers, pyratone shafts 1923 - 1942 approximate value $55.00 each" to describe a page full of images that are all too small to allow the reader to identify any of the single clubs represented on the page. This is also a problem in other areas of the book such as the grips section. Other then the main chapter headings ("Metal Woods"; "Custom Clubs"; "Wood Heads, Steel, Pyratone, or Wood Shafted Clubs"; "Irons and Full Sets"; "Composite Materials"; "Fancy Face Woods"; "Fancy Face Putters & Irons"; "Utility Irons"; "Practice Clubs"; "Putters"; "Adjustable Clubs") the individual club listings do not appear to follow any order. The listings within each chapter do not follow any date order, and the dates are mixed from within the "era" of the titled subject matter: from the 1920s through the 1940s. On one page the reader can find clubs represented from 1920 and 1930, where the next starts with 1940 ending with1920. It appears that the order was controlled by the graphic designer with no thought given to the usage of the book as a reference source. Unfortunately, if you were looking to this book as a reference to learn more about any individual clubs you'd have to look through every page listed in the index under the manufacturer's name as the main chapter headings are the sole order. As example: a particular Spaulding wood might be in listed the "Wood Heads, Steel, Pyratone, or Wood Shafted Clubs" chapter because of the type of shaft utilized in its manufacture, whereas a different Spaulding wood could be listed in any one of the "Metal Woods", "Fancy Face Woods", or "Composite Materials" chapters. In closing if one is expecting this book to compare to The Golfworks series of "The Golf Club Identification and Price Guide" they will be disappointed. If they are looking for a coffee table pictorial of a good deal of the clubs that were manufactured before ones cataloged in The Golfworks price guides.