Final Rounds: A Father, A Son, The Golf Journey Of A Lifetime

I actually bought this copy to replace one that I gave a friend. This is a great family story that uses golf as a connection between father and son. Beautifully written. I also have The Dewsweepers by the same author. Another great read.

50th Anniversary gift.

I’ve read several of Jim Dodson’s books and loved every one. His straight-forward writing and the very personal things he shares are engaging and compelling reading. The closeness of his family is extraordinary But the relationship he shared with his father was beyond close, it was of father, friend, brother, mentor, pastor, teacher . . . And Jim’s description of what they shared together is touching to the essence, to the core. This book will cause most every son to wish they’d had this kind of open, caring, and direct communication with their fathers - it did that to me and I had a fairly close relationship with my Dad. But Jim Dodson and Opti the Mystic were in a very special place of their own.

A heart warming book. A non-golfer may glaze over a little as the author discusses rounds of golf but he always has good humor about it. My family all plays to one degree or another and I related well to the little digs between father and son and the simple joy of seeing your daughter have some success at the most difficult of games. The author clearly loved, admired, and respected his dad and while golf is the vehicle for their interaction, it is really at best an aside to a father and son story. Wonderful.

Dobson had a great set up for a book. The only problem was the story just wasn't particularly compelling. He did read all the Graham Greene novels, so I'll give him credit for that (should I have issued a spoiler alert here?).

Great book

As a father who loves to play golf with his adult sons, I found this a very moving book. It is a great story, and well written.

I enjoyed this book and I am not a reader. I loved the relationship development and the golf focus. I found myself thinking about my own relationship with my father. Thought provoking and revealing.I bought this book because I thought it was written by Dr James Dobson from focus on the family. Reader beware. One of the best mistake purchases I have ever made.

Having read, loved and bought several copies for golfing friends of Dodson’s Dew Sweepers. I wanted to love this tale of a Father Son’s final big golfing adventure. Whisking his dad back to the UK, where he had served in the USAF during WW2 and to play one last time some of the iconic courses that had solidified his love for game during those turbulent times. The opening was poignant and I was immediately hooked …. That is, until they arrived in the UK, when for some bizarre reason Dodson turns into a whinging Anglophobe. It felt that everything about our small island was ‘tired’ ‘dull’ or substandard. It’s written with the faint whiff of an entitled American visitor who felt that every Brit he engaged with should have bowed and scrapped before him … I’m just over halfway through and whilst there are some small gems, there’s very little really about their shared journey experience so far (with one powerful exception) that hits the mark I suspect he was going for. In short, thus far it reads as a bad Tripadvisor review!At one stage when they arrived at their first hotel whining Dodson junior toyed with packing their bags and returning home … I have to say, for his adorable dad, that may have actually been a blessing!UPDATE: I persevered with it and am so glad I did. Much of what Dodson describes started to resonate with myself and my own ‘non-golfing’ son and as the book neared it’s end, Dodson and his adorable dad, reminded me why, despite it’s constant highs and lows, I love this game so much and I gained some new pearls of wisdom about playing, including NATO Golf … (Nope, you’re just going to have to read it!)

Bought for a Christmas gift so hopefully the recipient will enjoy it. My husband read this years ago and really enjoyed it. Hence why I purchased for a friend who plays golf.

Loved this book. Sharing sport with your dad is quite a bond and is like no other. Add to that some familiar courses and you have a cracking read. I wrote to the author to congratulate him but didn't hear back. If your reading this James, thank you.

As a golfer of senior age with 2 sons who are very keen golfers with much lower handicaps than ever could achieve,i could understand the thoughts , concerns ,the highs and lows of the writer.Th book was well written and the writer's feelings for the golf and understanding of his father's problems came over very well .A little tear in my eye at the end of the book

A very poignant story of a father and son enjoying time together on many golf courses before the father dies.