I Golfed Across Mongolia: How an Improbable Adventure Helped Me Rediscover the Spirit of Golf (and Life)

Too much golf, not enough Mongolia—that's the main problem with this intriguing though ultimately frustrating book. During a 2002 trip to Mongolia during a yearlong sabbatical from an engineering job, avid traveler and golfer Tolmé had a not-so-transcendent vision while slightly drunk: "This country is one giant golf course!" One year later, he began what is essentially a stunt—"to whack a little white ball across the natural terrain of an entire country that's almost the size of California, New Mexico, and Texas combined"—that becomes the "grandest adventure" of his life. Tolmé clearly has affection for Mongolia and its people, and as he travels 1,300 miles of countryside, he presents just enough history to give a casual reader a good sense of what the country is like today. He also presents in his last chapters an all-too-brief exploration of how his golf adventure gave him "an understanding of the interconnectedness of natural forces." But most of the book details his golfing, which, while energetically described, unfortunately is not compelling. (June)