So Help Me Golf

The Sunday Times International Sports Book of the Year

“[So Help Me Golf]features Reilly’s usual hilarious story-telling with a kinder, gentler, more grateful tone….It feels like Rick Reilly’s greatest hits.”—Sports Illustrated Morning Read

“Reilly, the longtime Sports Illustrated and ESPN writer, has an infectious voice (2.5 funny things per page, I counted) and loves the game of golf beyond all reason….The chapters that pack the most punch focus on unheralded triumphs and everyday players…For Mr. Reilly, golf is many things, but at its best it’s a way for people to show and share their love. This book is his thank you.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Rick Reilly's So Help Me Golf is a love note to the game that will make you laugh and cry….Reilly channels his insatiable curiosity, trademark sense of humor, and vast knowledge of the game in what amounts to a collection of 80 new columns that is a love letter to the game he clearly loves so much….Reilly’s lost nothing off his fastball. He’s still in a league of his own at making readers laugh at one moment and tear up the next."—Golfweek / USA Today

“New York Times bestselling author of Who’s Your Caddy? brings his keen observation prowess and sense of humor to the often frustrating yet addictive game of golf….Any golfer will want to pull up a chair in the clubhouse to listen to Rick Reilly.”—Katie Couric Media

“American sportswriter and golf aficionado Reilly writes the ultimate love letter to his favorite sport, expounding on its star players (Phil Mickelson, Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus) and quirkiest characters (the PGA Tour player who robbed banks to pay his motel bills). He also gets personal, sharing the story of his tumultuous relationship with his father and how the two reconciled through golf.”—USA Today

“Former Sports Illustrated and ESPN man Reilly has always had the knack of unearthing great anecdotes that reveal the golfer and of also putting those tales together in fast-paced and funny narratives - So Help Me Golf is a romp that maintains all those trends.”—Planet Sport

“This book is Reilly’s heartfelt ode to the game: a bulging collection of sharp and snappy snippets. True tales and personal takes on anything and everything. And while it’s all about golf, it’s not really. The author likes people even more, so many of the pieces here are really about the things that people do. Some of which will touch you in ways you don’t see coming. His usual wit and charm is in abundance, but what actually keeps you turning is just how fascinating, informative and revealing it all is.”—The Daily Mail

“If Harvey Penick had his Little Red Book, [Rick] Reilly’s is something else. Perhaps not a book, perhaps not defined by a color, but important to the canon of golf’s literary humor…. The pearls of hilarity and wisdom that fill this volume, like pebbles in a jar, come from all across the world of golf. Reilly collected stories first-hand, second-hand, and sleight of hand for this collection. He celebrates the success and the struggle equally. He shares the adventures of the aggrieved and the rapturous. These pages and words are about us, as much as they are about them…. Along the way, Reilly reveals who he himself is, and what made him that way, until he changed. And what changed him.”—Golf WRX

“Reilly [is] hands down, the funniest golf writer alive….We meet a wealth of… people in this delightful recap of a life spent on and around golf courses of every stripe, but it's the raunchiest public courses that Reilly treasures most, especially for the denizens who haunt them, like Two-Down O'Connor, the ‘World's Most Avid Golf Gambler.’ Reilly keeps coming back to the people, and who can blame him when their stories mix funny and ironic with inspirational in a perfect blend of sweet and sour?"—Booklist (starred)

“Acclaimed sports journalist [Rick Reilly] journeys to the heart of a unique sport and pastime. He loves the sport’s mix of tension and calmness, its social nature, and the rich history of famous courses. Most of all, he loves golf’s democratic nature. Every player has an equal chance, and even royalty can wilt when faced with the little white ball. The game doesn’t care who it humiliates, although it can also supply moments of clarity, grace, and beauty. Reilly ably captures all of these elements, mixing in sketches of iconic players and colorful figures…. Throughout, the author interweaves his personal story, noting that golf probably saved him… An informative, enjoyable romp.”—Kirkus Reviews

“The [book is] filled with interesting vignettes….All benefit from the Reilly touch.”—Len Ziehm on Golf

“Reilly’s specialty is taking the ordinary and finding the funny in it, or just plain inventing the funny…. I found myself laughing out loud when reading So Help Me Golf…. It’s irreverent. A bit naughty. Fun to read.”
 —Pro Golf Now

One of Links’ Top 10 Golf Books of 2022
“Few writers… well, no writers… can tell the stories, observe the details, describe the characters and the immortals, or show so profound a love for the game quite like [Reilly] can.”—LINKS Magazine