BOOK REVIEWS
Autobiography
Out Of The Rough
Steve Williams
We Rate:
BOOK SYNOPSIS
Steve Williams' much-anticipated account of his years caddying for some of the world's top golfers, including Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Greg Norman and Raymond Floyd. One of the most successful caddies of the modern era, having amassed 150 wins, Steve Williams has worked with some of the golfing world's best including 13 years on the bag of Tiger Woods. Together, Woods and Williams won more than 80 tournaments - with 13 major championships among them. In this candid reflection on his years caddying for Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Raymond Floyd, Terry Gale, Ian Baker-Finch and Adam Scott, Williams shares the highs and lows of their careers, explains the critical role of a caddy and offers a rare insider's view of the professional golfing world.
OUR REVIEW
Lets be honest, why would you want to read an autobiography from a Golf Caddy? The reason; it's not any golfer he caddied for, arguably the greatest modern golfer there ever in Tiger Woods and what can only be described as his controversial career both on the course but also off the course. We'll start with Williams' early life however and it's refreshing to see such focus early on, particularly for a career that isn't very conventional and certainly wouldn't be top of many youngsters minds. However, what he does is show that with dedication to a craft, it's not the worst job you could have, travelling the world, working at some of the greatest golf courses in the world.
The dedication shown by Williams pays off and his journey firstly with Greg Norman and later Ray Floyd and their relationships are a key aspect of the book and show the intensity that Williams has, perhaps at times showing his stubbornness but equally fascinating as he builds his reputation. Clearly best known for his time with Tiger Woods, the book explores their relationship which is often at ease but with what I feel is a simmering undertone of unease throughout the book with Williams' work ethic and morals evidently clear and in contrast to that of Tiger at times.
There are lots of lighter moments in the book surrounding the wins at the various tournaments and in particular, exploring the Major wins are a fascinating insight. His own beef with certain golfers, such as Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson are evident too and make for extra tension in the book away from the Tiger affair. As we always say, there are two sides to every story and the book paints a definite positive light on his own life with little analysis of his own attitudes and so whilst the book is an entertaining read, i'll be holding back until I understand the other side of this excellent book, just to give perspective and clarity.
All in all though, this is a very good book and certainly one I'd be recommending you to read. Go grab it and let me know if you agree with the above assessment!
