Golf Short Story Reveiw: ‘The Girl With The Swing’ from the series ‘Golf is No Ordinary Game’

Author-G.Gilford Barton

By Kate Hughes                                                                                                                                                      

Bunkers Paradise                                                                                                                                      

LPGA PRO; Staff Writer; Product Reviewer;  Director Women’s Golf; Public Relations Manager

Mr. Barton and I have been communicating back and forth through social media and one day he mentioned his series of short story books under the title ‘Golf is No Ordinary Game’. I was quite intrigued and of course researched out to him just to find out a little about this golfer and writer. What I found is that he too is a Big Ten Grad, University of Michigan (My Golden Gopherness will not hold that against him!) and enjoys one of the best games in the world—golf. He really just happened upon being a writer, not really discovering his passion until a little later in life. But Mr. Barton can write and I so wish he would have stumbled upon this earlier in life so we could have been touched by him for decades.

I had the opportunity to read one of the books in the series—‘The Girl With The Swing’. The story is short but full of depth and it keeps you involved from the first sentence. Barton pulls your right into the story with his descriptiveness of the scene and heightens all your senses from the ‘shimmering curtain of late summer heat’ to ‘the maddeningly flat terrain that stretched on forever’. I was frozen and could not put the story down after even the first two paragraphs.

I immediately felt like I knew the main character and was drawn into the story cheering his every move with this young lady that could hit a walnut with a wooden club as far as any pro in today’s world.

I really don’t want to give too much away as I know you will want to and need to read the story. I think all us golfers can relate in some way to not only the main male character, but also the female character (‘the girl with the swing’) as we wind our way through the story. In fact, I also believe we golfers have encountered the female characters family in some way! Trust me, you’ll understand.

You will find yourself happy, sad, anxious, and frustrated and exhausted in this short story. There is great humor wrapped around the drama of the storyline that keeps an internal smile flowing while you read.

I was so enthralled by the story that I just needed to finish it at the moment I started because I ‘needed’ to know the end.  Twists and turns will bring you to the finale and you will not be disappointed.

Mr. Barton has some incredible talent and I do hope he continues to write. In the mean time, I am going to go read all the books/short stories within ‘Golf is No Ordinary Game’ because for me, just reading this one is not enough and I can’t wait to read them all.

Mr. Barton, continue bringing the world your creativity and love of the game through the words your write so we all can live vicariously through your characters.

Kate Hughes and Bunkers Paradise gives ‘The Girl With the Swing’ from the series ‘Golf is No Ordinary Game’ a BUNKERS PARADISE EAGLE RATING

‘keep smiling and always believe’