AT SEVENTEEN, Dylan Dethier couldnβt help but think heβd never really done anything with his life. So, two months before his freshman year was set to begin, he deferred admission to Williams College. With the reluctant blessing of his parents, Dylan set out on his idea of the Great American Road Trip: to play a round of golf in each of the lower forty-eight states. What began as the teenage wanderlust of a sheltered New England kid became a journey into Americaβs heart and soul, to βfigure out whereβand whyβgolf fit inβ and what it means to be a young man today.
From a municipal course amid the decaying factories of Flint, Michigan, to the emerald fairways of Pebble Beach to a dramatic par-3 in the Badlands of North Dakota to rubbing elbows with Phil Mickelson at Quail Hollow, Dylan explores the variety of the nationβs golf courses, the multiplicity of its towns and cities, and, most strikingly of all, the diversity of its people.
Hoping to find a game that would transcend golfβs elitist reputation, he would play with war veterans, autoworkers, and livestock auctioneers and discover the sportβs surprising capacity to break down barriers. Over one year, 35,000 miles, and countless nights alone in his dusty Subaru, Dylan showers at truck stops, sleeps with an ax under his seat, and loses his virginity. He learns the danger of making bets you canβt afford to lose and the pleasure of going beyond first impressions, and above all, the powerful freedom that comes with following your dreams. Dylanβs eighteenth year was one of many firstsβventuring into the world alone, exploring lifeβs βBig Questions,β and fulfilling an ambitious quest. With captivating prose and a wry, engaging voice, this precocious writer weaves an unforgettable portrait of Americaβs fairways and those who wander them.
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