The Swinger: A Novel
“A funny, fast-moving book . . . Dead on . . . The authors know their man and know their game. . . . Credible and brightly apt.”—Janet Maslin,The New York Times"In their roman à clef about Tiger Woods, Shipnuck and Bamberger thinly disguise as fiction plenty of gossip they've heard over their four decades, combined, covering the PGA Tour. . . . What’s more relevant to the story, and to the reader—including, possibly, Tiger Woods himself—is the way Tree approaches his post-scandal life. The authors’ idealized version of Woods comes totally clean about his past mistakes. There are no staged interviews, no clipped or dodgy answers. Tree Tremont lets his guard down, even cracks a few jokes about the absurdity of his situation. He starts enjoying the company of his fellow players and—gasp—the fans. Tree wins that Masters, his game even gets better, and yes, fans fall for him all over again. . . .When readingThe Swinger, you can’t help but wonder: what if Tiger were more like Tree?”—Timemagazine“Hilarious . . . A sensational novel of life on Tour.”—Golf Magazine“An entertaining, revealing, thought-provoking, and cautionary tale . . . As you readThe Swinger. . . it’s easy to catch yourself wondering: Is this what really happened? No one may ever know exactly what happened to Woods, and the book is fiction — keep repeating that with each turned page — but it provides invaluable insight into the life and times of Woods. . . .The Swingeris a golf book, but it is a 21st century sociology lesson, too.”—Bill Pennington,The New York Times“Not a fan of sports books, or golf, or Tiger Woods, but I lovedThe Swinger.”—Jennifer Weiner, author ofThen Came YouandGood in Bed“The Swingeris a raucous, lively and at times laugh-out-loud funny look inside the world of professional golf and modern celebrity. . . . The surprising ending should leave those still frustrated with Tiger’s post-scandal actions feeling satisfied. And I guarantee you’ll never think of Altoids, Vijay Singh, the wine cellar at Augusta National or, for that matter, Tiger Woods, the same way again.”—Geoff Shackelford“A must-read for golf fans . . . I laughed out loud.”—Yahoo! Sports“It leaps to the top of the golf novel genre.”—Bradley S. Klein, senior writer,Golfweek“An enjoyable and enlightening read . . . Equal parts an inside joke, an authentic glimpse into the PGA Tour, and a deeper look into journalism and society's treatment of celebrities. . . . Even though the story is a fictional account, Shipnuck and Bamberger pour invaluable insight into their alternate universe with little details that they’ve scooped up while covering golf for a combined four decades.”—Monterey Herald“The phrase ‘ripped from the headlines’ has never been more apt than in this entertaining, funny and surprisingly poignant and sentimental book by two writers who have been around since the beginning of the Woods Era. They skillfully weave reality and fiction to offer a morality play that, in the end, is more about hope than a tabloid slash-and-burn. Bamberger and Shipnuck’s knowledge of the game gives the book a reality rarely seen in golf fiction outside of Dan Jenkins. . . . There are enough laugh-out-loud scenes to satisfy fans of the Jenkins Era of golf novels such asDead Solid Perfect. The one in the Augusta National wine cellar, for example, will leave you howling. Unlike the current problems plaguing Tiger Woods,The Swingerhas a resolution and it’s one of redemption and optimism. Those who have admired Woods and his remarkable skills since he burst on the scene will finish the book wishing him the same fate.”—Florida Times-Union"Fast . . . Juicy . . . There's lots of insidery detail . . . Part of the fun is squabbling with the authors' speculation about what made Tiger—excuse me, Tree—behave the way he did."—John Paul Newport,The Wall Street Journal“A devilishly fun summer read for sports fans, celeb-gawkers, or anyone that just likes a good story . . . If you had any interest at all in the Woods saga as it played out, you’re nearly guaranteed to love this novel.”—Fortune“Funny and raunchy . . . The book really shines when it provides an alternate-history version of how a smart, sensitive, self-aware Tiger might and should have handled his return to the tour.”—Jeff Neuman,Real Clear Sports“Yes, it is fiction, but it will tell you more about Tiger Woods than we knew for years . . . And yes the golfer in the book is nicknamed ‘Tree’ instead of Tiger, and yes there is an upbeat ending, but in many ways this is a scary novel about the greatest golfer in the world who lost his own soul on the way to the green.”—Bill Reynolds,Providence Journal“No,they didn’t!Oh yes, they did! . . . An entertaining, clever work of fiction that gives readers an inside look into pro golf and life in tour . . . I'm still laughing.”—Wei Under Par