Three Up on Seventeen

THREE UP ON SEVENTEEN: A Collection of Chip Shots and Cheap Shots is a book by a golf junkie for golf junkies. As both a passionate player and former USGA/PGA Rules Official, Bill Murphy brings his own unique perspective of the game, cleverly connecting golf’s often difficult dots with an engaging, witty, and brilliantly clear viewpoint.

The author gives a view from “inside the ropes” of South Florida’s bustling, hustling professional mini-tour and amateur circuits—including some extraordinary encounters with professional golf great Bubba Watson and a unique friendship with Julius Boros. The book includes Murphy’s often hilarious takes on some of the game’s inevitable subjects: from the Runyon-esque characters that are drawn to the game, to the gamblers, cheaters and players of every questionable ilk, and even the occasional alligator. Follow “Murph” to some of Westchester County’s most prestigious golf clubs to get a first-hand look at their infamously lush fairways and the “suits” that inhabit them.

In its final pages, the golf course also becomes a bittersweet and poignant stage for author and reader alike as Murphy recalls the events of November 1963 and September 2001, his accessible narrator’s voice becoming all the more engaging, moving and indelible.