You do not have to be a golfer to enjoy John Coyne's “The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan.” Rarely have I approached a novel with such skepticism but found myself so convinced.

Despite an unconvincecing framing device — most of this 271-page novel is presented as a speech a former caddie is giving to members of an exclusiveIllinois golf club — the book hs everything a good yarn needs.

There's a romance between a golf pro and a young lady, frowned upon by her upper-crust parents. There's a first-person narrator with a sharp eye, who observes the fated love affair but also pays close attention to the mysterious figure who comes to play a tournament at the club: Ben Hogan.

As Golf fans know, Hogan was a master who won an [sic] 63 tournaments. He also was a brooding personality. Coyne's ability to integrate him into his fictional narrative is a triumph.

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