Mar
19
2009

Book Review: Follow the Roar

Posted by Double Eagle in Book Reviews

Follow the RoarFollow the Roar, by Bob Smiley, is a chronicle of Smiley’s journey to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of following Tiger Woods on every single hole of every single tournament during the 2008 season.

I have to be truthful in saying that when I first got my hands on the book, I didn’t have high expectations.  I pictured a sort of logbook of every shot Tiger made in 2008.  It was probably his most amazing season, given his winning five times in seven tournaments on a bad knee and broken leg.  And in the two he “lost” he finished second at the Masters and fifth at the WGC CA Championship.

But  I wasn’t sure how compelling it would be to read about every hole.   I was wrong.  Smiley caught my attention early and kept it through the end of the book.  Tiger is obviously the centerpiece of the book, but I’m a road trip-loving guy and Smiley’s adventure was a fun ride for me.

The Good

  • It’s quite a fun read.  At the time he started his challenge, Bob Smiley was an unemployed sitcom writer.  His wit and lighthearted style made for some laughs through the retelling of a number of humorous happenings along the way.
  • As I said at the top, 2008 was probably Tiger Woods’ most amazing season.  It was a pleasure to watch it unfold, and it was definitely a pleasure to relive the season throughout the book.
  • The slew of people Smiley connected with over the season was quite interesting.  Some of them were real characters and many of them shared moments of commiseration with Smiley during Tiger’s bad shots and moments of elation during Tiger’s good ones.  It really added to the shared emotion that is Tiger Fandom.
  • Smiley encountered a number of challenges in trying to see Tiger on every hole of every tournament, from travel mishaps to getting tickets to every round of every event.  When I started the book, I didn’t know if he actually succeeded or not, and I won’t tell you either, but I was definitely wrapped up in that part of the tale and was rooting for him through his setbacks hoping that he would achieve his goal of seeing Tiger play every hole.

The Bad

I really try hard to note down any criticisms for all the books I review, however small, but I’m coming up short here.  No book is perfect and I’m sure there’s something that can be stated here about Follow the Roar, but I’m a golf nut, not a literary critic, so I’m just going to say that nothing stood out in the book that I didn’t like.

One thing I will say, not as a criticism of the book, but as a warning to people who may not know what to expect, is that this book isn’t going to give you much insight into Tiger Woods.  It’s written from the outside looking in, from the perspective of a golf fan who evolved into a Tiger fan.  It’s not a biography and not a book about how Tiger plays golf.  Aside from few the snippets of conversation Smiley caught between Tiger Woods and his caddie, Steve Williams, you’re not going to really get any of that stuff.

Conclusion

As I said from the top, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.  I think any fan of Tiger Woods will enjoy reliving all his great moments from 2008 from the perspective of another fan.

Bob Smiley was a man on a mission, trying to see Tiger on every hole and it was a roller coaster of ups and down.  You’ll notice a definite transformation of Smiley’s own attitude about Tiger from the start of the book through to the end.

You don’t necessarily need to specifically be a fan of Tiger to enjoy this book.  Any golf fan can appreciate the journey that Smiley embarked on starting with the Buick Invitational in January 2008 and ending abruptly in June at the U.S. Open with one of Tiger’s greatest wins.

Watching golf on TV is great, but there’s something special about being there and seeing it in person.  Smiley really did justice to that in this book.  Take if from me – if you’ve ever been to a tournament with Tiger Woods in the field, you know that Follow the Roar is about as perfect a title as he could have picked.  His gallery is huge and so is its roar.

Follow the Roar definitely gets a thumbs-up from me.

—————————————-

Further Reading:

Fore Right (Bob Smiley’s blog)

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There are currently 5 responses to “Book Review: Follow the Roar”

  1. 1

    Yardage Pro said:

    Tiger Woods is one of the weird things… Yes, he is a great golfer – maybe the best ever (though I’m not convinced – yet). But it seems as if there is something about him that attracts people to become Tiger fans outside of his greatness – something about him specifically. I’m not sure exactly what.

    Remember in the early days of his career when there was suddenly a kind of celebrity phenomenon surrounding him at golf courses? It was different than other golf greats had experienced…it was a kind of cult like following – before he even got to the great level he is at today.

    I think there is something charismatic going on here that makes him such a star -= and makes books, even from teh outside in, fun to read.

    Thanks for the review -

    Posted on March 21st, 2009 at 4:17 pm

  2. 2

    Double Eagle said:

    YP, I think there is definitely something “different” surrounding Tiger Woods. I think maybe people believe that in the end of his career, he’ll be the best ever so they want to be there for the ride. Plus, media today is so much different than in decades past. When Jack Nicklaus was in his prime, there was no internet, no dedicated TV station for golf, and golf wasn’t as main stream. That might have something to do with it too. And of course, like you said, there’s something about him specifically that’s compelling. His steely focus and determination and all that, as well as the insane shots and wins he’s pulled off.

    Either way, I think you’re on to something.

    Posted on March 21st, 2009 at 10:56 pm

  3. 3

    Yardage Pro said:

    Thanks, DE. I’ve been thinking more abbout this (wife sleeping, kids in bed – I’m bored). :) I think the reverse may also be true. Are there golfers out there who have a distinct LACK of that “special something” and this lack actual makes them perform worse????

    And – for Tiger – does the following actually impact his performance? It must – for the better or worse is the question…

    Interesting, indeed.

    Posted on March 22nd, 2009 at 12:11 am

  4. 4

    Andy Brown of GolfSwingSecretsRevealed.com said:

    It actually does sound like a very interesting read. There are so many people who try to capture the greatness of such an athlete by doing the same old summary-of-a-career-filled –with-achievements kind of books that they never realise it gets boring after a while. This is a very interesting way to chronicle the greatness of Tiger by simply lugging around with him for every tournament. And I am sure the best part about the book is not so much what Tiger does and how he reacts but quite simply how people around him behave. That has got to be the highlight of this book.

    And it would make for great stories when someone like that who has such an aura associated with him is in your midst. I am not like trying to go overboard while talking about Tiger’s achievements but when you do a proper valuation those are just the kind of terms that sit well on his shoulders.

    I think the bit where you explain what could be wrong with this book is actually the selling point. It isn’t Tiger’s perspective that would have made this book great. A fan’s perspective gives the read a much better flavour and in a way also tells us what we missed!

    I can’t wait to lay my hands on this book.

    Cheers

    Andy

    Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 5:54 am

  5. 5

    PaulN said:

    I picked this up about a week ago, and got through it in something like six days. Because I’m suck a golf freak I thought it was fascinating. I connected immediately with Bob’s humor, and I rerally enjoyed watching him ‘convert’ into a Tiger fan.

    Tiger is, without a doubt, an extraordinary golfer, but there nust be something else to it. Some of Bob’s observations shed light on what some of those qualities might be, inculding his apparent ability to focus on the task at hans without regard to anything else, including a broken leg and mangled knee.

    It you like Tiger, get this book.

    Posted on April 21st, 2009 at 11:19 am

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