Book Review: ‘All Carry’ by Gene Wojciechowski

Joining the procession of great golf novels, the likes of ‘Golf in the Kingdom’, ‘The Legend of Bagger Vance’, ‘Dead Solid Perfect’, and ‘The Prodigy’, comes the soon to be released title ‘All Carry‘ by (Chicago-area resident) Gene Wojciechowski.

About the author:
Gene Wojciechowski is a current member of the Golf Writers Association of America and has spent more than forty years as a sports reporter working for the ‘Los Angeles Times’, ‘The Dallas Morning News’, ‘Chicago Tribune’, and ESPN. He also was a longtime member of the network’s coverage of the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship. He has authored or co-authored 13 books about sports, including three bestsellers, and has been honored by the Golf Writers Association of America. He and his wife, Cheryl, live in Wheaton, Illinois.

About the book:
If you’ve ever had an inkling to believe in unicorns, the fountain of youth, or the philosopher’s stone, then Wojciechowski’s fictional golf novel is likely to pique your interest.

The story involves a just-fired TV golf reporter, a disgraced and banished PGA Tour caddie, and a set of mysterious and mystical decades-old irons and persimmon woods purchased at a garage sale by the reporter’s son as a peace offering to his father.

Joe Riley was a reporter for a major TV golf network who covered golf’s major tournaments for more than a quarter-century. As a result, Joe always missed Father’s Day and other celebratory days with his sons because Father’s Day always falls on the same Sunday as the final round of the U.S. Open. Joe lost count of the number of these days, but his oldest son, Buddy, counted every one of these absences – resulting in a fractured father/son relationship. Shockingly and unexpectedly Joe is fired from his job.

The novel’s second down-on-his-luck protagonist is Max “Hard Way” Mitchell who knows golf perhaps better than anyone. He used to be one of the best caddies on the PGA Tour. But he was run out of town after sleeping with a golf pro’s wife. Now he’s the owner of a run-down driving range, (mythical location: 17-acres in Wheaton, IL, somewhere in the vicinity of Chicago Golf Club), with his glory days having slipped away.

Joe’s eldest son, Buddy, on a whim stops at a garage sale and buys a set of woefully old golf clubs to give to his father to ease the plight of his firing. The clubs supposedly were once owned by Jack Nicklaus.

With plenty of time now on his hands, the unemployed Joe decides to visit the driving range and try the clubs.
The chance meeting of the two protagonists proceeded as follows:

Joe arrives at the driving range ‘office’ where Max is preoccupied working a crossword puzzle and pays little attention to his customers.
“How much for a bucket?” asks Joe.
“Eight dollars for a large” replies the uninterested proprietor, Max.
“Thanks,” the voice said, “Left you a ten.”
Hard Way was only half listening as he scrolled down the row of crossword clues. As the door banged shut, he looked up just in time to see the back of the man through the screen, the green plastic bucket in his right hand, a Sunday bag slung over his left shoulder.
“Hey! What’s a ten-letter golf saying that dates back to 1681?” Hard Way shouted.
In the distance, Hard Way heard the voice,
“Try ‘Far and Sure’!”
Hard Way filled out 31-Across.
“I’ll be damned.”

Out on the range Joe tries the old clubs and he discovers something unbelievable, the clubs are magical and he’s hitting them 400 yards!

Back in the office, looking out the window, Hard Way notices these monstrous hits, and thus begins the unlikely partnership where Hard Way realizes that with this wondrous set of golf clubs Joe is better than anyone on the tour. He convinces Joe to do the seemingly impossible — win the Masters as an amateur. But to do this they’ll need each other.

Written with a specificity that only comes from years of covering the sport, Gene Wojciechowski’s fiction debut, ‘All Carry‘, is a father/son/unlikely friendship/comeback story that will no doubt become a classic.

Product details:
Publisher: Crown Publishing / Penguin Random House
Publication date: March 31, 2026
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Print length: 432 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8217085828
Item Weight: 1.15 pounds
Dimensions-Height: 9.56 inches
Dimensions-Width: 6.41 inches
Dimensions-Thickness: 1.35 inches