Review: The Nine Lessons

London Witte loves golf so much he named his only child Augusta Nicklaus Witte.  London’s beloved wife died when August (as he preferred to be called) was four.  London immersed his young son in golf, thinking it was what his wife wanted him to do.  Their relationship wasn’t easy, though, since August wasn’t a good golfer, and it suffered what seemed irreparable damage when London cut August from the high school golf team.

Years later, August is married and he and London have a tenuous relationship, at best.  August doesn’t want children, so he’s floored one evening when his wife announces she’s pregnant.  In a fit of anger, August hops into his car and rushes to his father’s home.  His car gets stuck in the mud and he walks to his father’s house to get help.  His father shows him an odd journal he’s kept on golf score cards through the years and agrees to allow August to read it on one condition – August must take one golf lesson a month from his father throughout his wife’s pregnancy.

August reluctantly agrees and the lessons end up to be life lessons rather than golf lessons.   For example, they played during torrential rain during one lesson – they couldn’t use a cart and there were large puddles on the course.  The moral of the lesson was, “Some days we play the game of life in the bloody rain.  Not all days can be sunny skies and fair weather.  But sooner or later the dark clouds dissipate. . . and the light shines through.”  August learns about life through the lessons and about his father through the journal and slowly comes around to anticipating the birth of his child.

The Nine Lessons by Kevin Alan Milne is a sweet, endearing book.    It’s an emotional tale about forgiveness and father-son relationships.  There are great golf quotes at the beginning of each chapter, like this one from Charles Rosin – “Golf isn’t a game, it’s a choice that one makes with one’s life.”  You don’t need to be very knowledgeable of golf to enjoy this book, though.   I think anyone looking for a light, inspirational book will enjoy this one like I did.