Author Christopher Ransom wrote a novel about a flawed character who found redemption through the golf course. This author of numerous books played 80 rounds a year, often with the same people, and learned a lot about human nature—work life, relationships, health challenges, and sexual misadventures. Ransom found that everything comes out on the golf course; it was enough for a book. They were regular guys with regular problems at a regular course, according to Ransom. His protagonist, Casey, wanted to connect with a son he never knew he had and with the young man’s mother, an ex-girlfriend from decades past. To have a relationship with them, Casey would have to confront his lifestyle, health, and specifically his drinking. To write this journey, Ransom had to get sober himself. Golf inspired his book and the book inspired his personal change.
PT: What role does golf play in the protagonist’s redemption?
CR: It was the same role it played in mine. This book is my love letter to golf and what golf has done for me. Along with my family and friends, golf helped turn my life around. It didn’t have to be golf. It could have been knitting, jogging, volunteer work, or any number of things. When I returned to golf after being stagnant and riddled with anxiety, I realized that golf gave me several things—exercise, sunlight, social time, and mental space. Also, golf gives you immediate feedback on your physical and mental state. Golf is a reflection of yourself; when you’re feeling loose and carefree, you usually play better. When you’re angry or stressed, you play worse. I was once so hungover on the golf course that my hands were shaking and I couldn’t set the ball on the tee. I was unhealthy. Golf helped me lose weight and stop drinking.
The first time I played after I detoxed, 12 days after my last drink, I went out and shot an 82 on the most difficult course. Best round of my life. A couple of weeks after that, I got my first hole-in-one. And 33 days after that, I got my second hole-in-one. Two aces in 33 days. I’m not a religious person, but that was spooky.
What are the motivations of your protagonist?
Casey is experiencing a lifenado, a cluster bomb of hardships, according to my physician. Casey is on booze cruise control as things keep piling up. Even when he is soft-fired from his job and sent on a health sabbatical, he has no immediate epiphany. He’s motivated enough to take baby steps and make minor improvements. Casey then reconnects with a long-ago ex, Damaris, and gets to know his surprise son, Josh. Through them, he sees new possibilities, a role he can play in their lives. He is forced to make the hard decisions and his motivation becomes clear: If I want to have love and good people in my life, I need to become the kind of man who deserves such things.
Did Casey have a deeper relationship with his father but was less influenced by his mother?
Casey respected his father and took him seriously. He has watched his father die and lives in the house he inherited, so his father is still a huge presence. But Casey’s mom is still alive, and they have a much more comfortable, day-to-day relationship, which is how it’s always been with my mom and me. Casey’s mom has plenty of opinions about his life, and he depends on her emotionally; I think their relationship is just as deep or deeper but in different ways.
What is your experience with people on the spectrum?
I don’t have a lot of experience with people whose conditions are serious or truly disabling. I have done a lot of reading on neurodivergence. But I didn’t want to stamp any of the characters too heavily, I am not an expert. We all have something a little special going on, anything from OCD to mild depression to narcissism and more. Like Casey, I was diagnosed with ADHD in my forties, which explained so much of what I struggled with in school and work. And yet, I have written seven novels, I can focus and be productive for long periods. ADHD is a factor for me but it does not define me. My father had OCD and developed a hoarding disorder but had a great life.
I took a similar approach with the character Josh, a kid with an emotionally difficult childhood because his mind works differently. He is socially underdeveloped but highly functional, intelligent, and self-taught. At one point in the book, Josh’s mom says, “The doctor said he’s on the spectrum. On the spectrum of what, humanity?” I believe that.
Josh slips into his inner world during competition, which feels like horror. Is this a nod to your books of that genre?
This chapter helps us understand Josh and the stakes for him. I created Josh as this feral golf prodigy and had to figure out how he got to be this way. Okay, single mom had to work all the time, left him at the golf course every day after school. This was his world. And because he is an imaginative boy with intense mental states, he made this municipal golf course a fantasy land, a kingdom where he was waging war to save the Queen (his mom). His years of immersion in his fantasy world would help him get good enough to make the PGA Tour, maybe. But to compete professionally, he had to learn to play outside of his kingdom and leave the security blanket behind. If it feels like horror, that’s because slaying childhood and confronting adulthood can be horrifying.
The scene is not supernatural, it’s just Josh’s mind processing the real world. In my horror novels, there is a psychological equivalent to the supernatural. I don’t believe in ghosts, but I believe people see ghosts. I wanted readers of my scary books to ask, is this house haunted or is the main character just losing his grip?
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How much of this story is autobiographical? Along with golf, did any personal experience inform this story?
Divorce, dating misadventures, inheriting the father’s house, excessive drinking, health leave from work, doctors, counseling, the golf—all me. The story unfolds over four months, but mine happened from age 43-50. When I embraced the alcohol struggle in the book and let go of the fear of being honest about it in my life, I felt a tremendous relief and huge waves of inspiration washing over me. Once I had detoxed, I felt so good physically and mentally, I wanted to stay that way for a long time. Throwing myself into writing and golf, and seeing immediate improvements, was instrumental in my ability to avoid relapsing. (Almost two years without a drink, woo hoo!)
What can readers learn?
Oh, it’s comedy fiction, I don’t want to push a message. Just keep laughing. But I would encourage anyone who is struggling with substance abuse, work, family, health, or anything else to believe that you have the power to instigate change. Surround yourself with people who encourage your best and forgive your worst. Doctors are here to help you, not judge. Change your environment and routine. Go for a walk, take up a hobby, a sport, get moving, anything, but put aside whatever you’ve been chewing on and throw yourself into something new. You never know where it might lead. And very importantly, forgive yourself. Own it, feel it, then let it go. You already took those swings. All you can do is take the next swing.