Golf Story, Well Received...What a Review

I published Downswing a few weeks ago thinking it would only appeal to golfers, and golf fiction must be a really narrow niche. Dear Katy loved it. And here is her review. Golf widows, read and learn:

This is the latest short story from Randy Attwood and will bring me up-to-date again with his works. I like to stay abreast of Randy's writings, because he has such a terrific and interesting style, each book unique but containing a familiar voice. Now, I had to wonder exactly how he would make golf interesting, especially in just eight pages, but I shouldn't have worried. Listen to this description of placing a ball on a tee: And eighteen times this easy gesture, this stooping over with the tee between the fingers, the ball hidden, protected in the perspiring palm, the insertion into ground the wooden link to earth the ball would soon be contacting - all this, for me, had given the gesture a quality of sacredness. Isn't that gorgeous? The story is full of beautiful prose like that.

"It's just a stupid game," my wife had always told me. How could I explain it was more than just a game...It was the celebration of a kind of mystery; the fusion of the mechanics of physics and the feeling of soul." That quote sort of covers the overall idea behind the story. There is also a subtext regarding the golfer coming to terms with a change in his life, but I won't go into details on that to avoid spoilers.

An absolutely gorgeous story, voluptuous descriptions that just beg for someone to paint the scenes in oils. Who thought that a short story about golf could be so intense, so vivid and so engaging - I literally walked out to the mailbox with my Kindle in my hand, reading. You don't want to miss this latest from Randy Attwood - go get it, and his other works while you're at it. You really won't regret it.

"Downswing:" a Story for Golfers

Golf once was an addiction for me. Good thing I wasn't better at it or I'd still be in rehab. I loved playing the game, (though play here seems really the wrong word). But I couldn't get any better at it. Became increasingly frustrated. And it cost too much money and took too much time. I gave it up. I still love it. It's the one sport I watch on television without caring who is playing or winning. I'm in KC and I watch the Royals on the rare stints when they are doing well. I watch the Chiefs. Of course I watch KU basketball. But the truth is. I don't watch much baseball, football or basketball unless my local team is involved. I think that means I'm not a true fan of those sports. Not so golf. The Masters is my Christmas. I'll watch any tournament. I love the game. To hit a golf ball well is an extraordinary feeling.

I have never been a person jealous of other people. I don't care if someone has a bigger, nicer home car etc. than I have. But one time I was invited to play at Kansas City Country Club (when it was the home course of Tom Watson). Being a public course player I was used to keeping up with the group before me and looking back to see that I wasn't holding up the group behind me. But at this country club we would actually stop our carts in the middle of a hole and just sit and chat. I was jealous.

Downswing is a short story I'm rather surprised I'm publishing. I can't imagine it will appeal to many people. Golfers, yes, who are also of a certain sensitivity. Downswing was written out of a desire to see if I could capture in words so many feelings I had on the golf course: The beauty of the setting, the frustrations, the glories, and the inner soul of a golfer.

It's a story of only 2,500 words, so I'm pricing it as low as I can on Kindle at 99 cents. Kindle edition

Other readers can find it at Smashwords. Other ereaders

It may be an attractive length for those who are now reading on smartphones.

Comments and reviews always welcome. Be interesting to know if Downswing resonates with anybody.