The Book:
What would happen if one of your greatest dreams were conquered? Who would you become? How would reaching your goal change the world around you?Single Figures in an Irish Summer is the true story of one man's quest to reach a seemingly unattainable goal of single figure golf scores -- in a mere sixty days! Like most quests, the obstacles, adventure, and circumstances surrounding such an undertaking unfold in unexpected and sometimes hilarious ways.
The cast of Irish characters are authentic comedic relief as this daunting and almost impossible goal of single figure golf challenges its subject in ways that beckon him to quit. Most journeys to unknown territories outside ourselves or within ourselves are saturated with magic at every turn, transforming and evolving our world one dream at a time.
A terrible golfer to single figures in just sixty days? The true story of the author, Colin Hegarty, and his quest to try and do this.
He met a rude and unlikely character, Nathan, who boasted he could get anyone to single figures in a summer. Nathan talked too much, most of it rubbish, yet some instinct made Colin sense that what Nathan said about golf was true.Colin brilliantly takes the reader alongside him each day of his-sixty day adventure. Thus leading us to the place within ourselves that is full of doubt, risk, courage, failure, hilarity and eventually completeness.
For most golfers just the idea of playing to single figures in sixty days…Well, it just seems like pure fiction, doesn’t it? Wrong! The systematic and surprisingly casual steps taken in this journey Mr. Hegarty embarked on can be mastered by anyone of any skill level or schedule.
For non-golfers out there, expect to be entertained, inspired, and uplifted. But also be prepared to hear a message that goes way beyond golf.
With perseverance, dedication, and the willingness to act on those elusive gut feelings, any dream can become a reality in a relatively short amount of time.
The setting is Ireland’s lush countryside, but the author does not leave out the Irish characters in this very personal quest to single figures. Characters with nicknames as only the Irish can provide with such conviction: Mad Bill, The Jolly Banker, The Happy Golfer, and many others. These pivotal players in Mr. Hegarty’s story are multi-dimensional personalities with hilarious character flaws in there as well. Proving the age-old truth, "with humor, all things can be dealt with." The Irish daily routines are interrupted as Mr. Hegarty infiltrates their world with his own brand of magic and change. Unknowingly, the locals offer up the same recipe for him.Often in the romanticized mythology of the human experience, if a person sets out to do something, greater than the hum drum ordinary of everyday surroundings, that One transforms many. That person becomes the alchemist of his/her environment. Single Figures in an Irish Summer is no different from the ancient tales of human achievement against opposition. Odds do not have to be epic to have a purpose in the grand scheme of life. Sometimes, to overcome your own self-proclaimed limitation is the only hero’s journey worth setting out on.
With all great adventures, achievements, or failures, there is one common denominator: The ability to act no matter what the risk is, or isn’t.Playing golf to single figures in sixty days isn’t everyone’s dream and yet for some people, it could be? However, by building a road for your inner wishes, even if only for sixty days, you’ll find out what you are made of, what the people around you are made of, and how important it is to never be "the bit player" in the stage play of your life.
