John Garrity's book Ancestral Links takes author home to Ireland

I’ve been told I’m part Irish and that the Deegan name is a big Irish name.

Maybe it’s my turn to write a book about how a golfer goes back to Ireland to play golf. Oh, and maybe I’ll look up a few ancestors while I’m there. Seems to be a theme these days.

Author Tom Coyne did it last year with his enjoyable read, A Course Called Ireland. And John Garrity follows up with his book Ancestral Links: A Golf Obsession Spanning Generations. Garrity, a respected golf writer with Sports Illustrated and Golf Magazine, embarks on a journey to remote corners of the Emerald Isle to find his family history and golfing lore all at once. His journey also takes him to Scotland, another golf mecca.

Garrity finds that golf isn’t just a game but a passion flowing through the blood from his family tree. The book, published by Penguin Group, reads as a memoir and travelogue. It’s available for $24.95.