Classy Divots

Here it is, a magnum opus for golf-fiction fans: thirty-seven stories, written over the course of eighteen years (1986-2003), polished from their original online versions to an even greater clarity concerning the spiritual, psychological, and animal aspects of our game.

Classy Divots: The Best From Golf's Online Literary Magazine presents ample helpings of R.N.A. Smith's principal characters -- haughty Professor Birdbaum, luscious lawyeress Leslie Brentel, Shakespeare-lover Roger Alcott, and rock-hard pro "Saint Peter" Cunnard. But, this story collection is more noteworthy for the common threads of ingenuity, sophistication, and wit that spin through each tale like well-struck wedges.

If you have trouble picking your driving strategy, read "To Tee Or Not To Tee"; if you think there's got to be a better way to speed up play, delve into "The Wizards"; if you ever wondered what the Devil's golfing weakness would be, it's there in "Double Eagled"; or, if you like to bet on the links, flip a coin between "In The Beginning," "Plumb Bob Crazy," "The Other Side Of The Coin," and "Naked Nerve." No matter which story comes "up," you're a winner.

Two classics, "A Golfer's Christmas" and "Cupid Plays A Round," commence a strong foursome of holiday stories at the center of this "scratch" collection.