An American Caddie in St. Andrews

Growing Up, Girls, and Looping on the Old Course

By: Oliver Horovitz

Narrated by: Oliver Horovitz

Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

In the middle of Oliver Horovitz's high school graduation ceremony, his cell phone rang: It was Harvard. He'd been accepted, but he couldn't start for another year. A caddie since he was 12 and a golfer sporting a 1.8 handicap, Ollie decided to spend his gap year in St. Andrews, Scotland - a town with the UK's highest number of pubs per capita, and home to the Old Course, golf's most famous 18 holes - where he enrolls in the St. Andrews Links Trust caddie trainee program.

Initially, the notoriously brusque veteran caddies treat Ollie like a bug. But after a year of waking up at 4:30 a.m. every morning and looping two rounds a day, Ollie earns their grudging respect - only to have to pack up and leave for Harvard.

There, Ollie's new classmates are the sons of Albania's UN ambassador, the owner of Heineken, and the CEO of Goldman Sachs. Surrounded by sixth-generation legacies, he feels like a fish out of water all over again and can't wait to get back to St. Andrews. Even after graduation, when his college friends rush to Wall Street, Horovitz continues to return each summer to caddie on the Old Course.

A hilarious, irresistible, behind-the-scenes peek at the world's most celebrated golf course - and its equally famous caddie shack - An American Caddie in St. Andrews is certain to not only entertain golfers and fans of St. Andrews but also anyone who dares to remember stumbling into adulthood and finding one's place in the world.

©2013 Oliver Horovitz (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Horovitz shares his deeply felt memories of golf, girls, and the academy boldly, never taking himself too seriously or being irreverent about the caddie tradition on the time-honored Old Course links." ( Publishers Weekly)

Loved loved this audible

My husband and I did a golf trip through Scotland- we downloaded this book and listened our entire week as we drove and played 6 courses in 8 days. We loved Ollie's stories and we met him and he caddied for us on "The Old" - great book, if you love golf and even if you don't this is a wonderful coming of age book!

fantastically narrated by the author.

Ollie did a fantastic job narrating this audio book. his impressions of the Scots are hilarious. very interesting person with a great story to tell. A man who found himself trapped between two very different worlds. there is a lot more depth to this book than the cover suggests. this is not just for golf fans.

More than a golf book

I bought it to learn more about the Old Course, but got a lot more out of it than that. It's the inside view of the things that go on at the Old Course. It's life in Scotland. It's golf. It's being young. It's a lot of things. Oliver is a very good writer and does a great job reading his own work. He is mature beyond his years and his coming of age story was very interesting.

hilarious!

Great story about Ollie's seasons of caddying at St. Andrews. Lots of laughs. Totally enjoyable.

Golf to the max.

If golf is in your heart and you appreciate the nuances of the game, this book is for you. Golf Nerd Was Here.

Great read and listen

I initially read this book, and loved it! It is so much better on audio, which solidified its position as one of the best golf stories ever

A must for golf enthusiasts

Performance starts slow but author grows into his characters and performance. Lots of great golf stories and experiences shared. Really enjoyed it.

Very entertaining

I really enjoyed this book anyone who has played and loves St Andrews will enjoy this book.

good story. took 2 chapters to get into it

For the first two chapters I thought Ollie's voice was a little too monotone. however he later starts to do more voices as more characters appear.

Great listen

I got this book since the Open was being played at St Andrews this week and wanted to get a flavor for what it is like being a caddy there. I wasn’t expecting it to be more than just a collection of stories about the course and golfers. This story is so much more. Uncle Ken and Henry are two “characters” that, intertwined with the golf, make this a great story of friendship, love and respect for those who have done so much for us to be able to just worry about our golf game. Absolutely worth a listen. And I wish I could see what “Rick” looks like. The voices Ollie does truly make this book.