Heroes All: My Ryder Cup Story 2006 by Darren Clarke

Heroes All: My Ryder Cup Story 2006 by Darren Clarke reminds me a lot of Danica Patrick's Danica: Crossing the Line, in that at it's core is a great story, but there was not really enough material for a book of this size. As with Danica's book, I think it would have been far better as a coffee table photo book. The book tells the story of Darren Clarke's Ryder Cup, in which he played shortly after the loss of his wife to cancer.

The actual story of the Ryder cup runs to only 78 pages, with the remainder being profiles of the players and captains, a hole-by-hole guide to the K-Club, and a brief history of Ryder Cup. These are certainly interesting, but ultimately feel like page fillers to try to get the book up to reasonable length - which they just about do.

While watching every minute of the Ryder Cup, I was completely drawn into the story Darren Clarke, so to hear it from his perspective was fascinating. It is a lovely read, showing the passion with which he played the tournament, and also the emotion he was feeling throughout. Darren does not go into a detailed hole by hole analysis of his weekend, but focuses far more on the highlights of the tournaments from his perspective. He also talks a lot about how he was looked after and supported by all the other players and wives, both European and American, and how that got him through. It is wonderful to read.

You have to respect Darren immensely for both putting himself on the line in the tournament and then putting those feelings down on paper. It is a touching and moving read, and gives a wonderful personal inside view of the 2006 Ryder Cup, and the fantastic people who took part in it. Despite the short length, including the padding, I would certainly recommend Darren's book, although maybe wait for the paperback to get some better value for money.