Little Balls Big Dreams, a novel by James Wolfe tells the story of average golfer Matt True who one day makes a hole in one at his home course and is instantly transformed by the golf gods into a Tour-class player.

The story follows Matt as he makes the tough decision whether to follow his dreams and try and play on the PGA Tour or to put family first and stay home and let his dreams remain dreams.

He sets out to refine his talent and see if he can make it. Along the way, he has to deal with intense pressure, family stresses, and the ever looming possibility that he might still fall short of the dream that has been with him since childhood.

The Good

• The story was a fun ride. It was an interesting look at a situation where the talent issue is gone, so now what does a man do to reach his dream? As it unfolded, I found myself further wrapped up in wanting him to succeed.
• I enjoyed the characters and their interaction. From Matt’s golf buddies who were constantly needling each other, to the fast-talking head of the golf school that Matt attends to Matt himself who was purposely ordinary, I thought they all worked well with the story.
• The length of the novel was good. It’s relatively short at 167 pages, though it’s length serves the story well. It flows well and can be finished fairly quickly.

The Bad

• There were a handful of minor spelling and grammatical errors in the book. It was published by a small, independent publisher, and I’m guessing if it had been picked up by one of the big houses, there would have been an editor to help with the clean up. Overall, the writing style is solid, but the book just needs a bit of refinement.

Conclusion

If, like me, you’re a sucker for “golf is a metaphor for life” stories, then this is one you’ll enjoy. I also happen to have a very weak spot for stories about following dreams, and this book delivers in that department too.

If you’re going to get hung up on the few typos, then you might want to give it a pass. Underneath those superficial things, there’s a fun story waiting to be told, though.

I enjoyed it, and I think you might as well.

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Further Reading:

James Wolfe Books

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