"God answers my prayers everywhere except on the golf-course."
Walking Tall
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Alison Nicholas (and Madeleine Winnett), Oakamoot, Bennion Kearney, 2015. ISBN 978-1-910515-16-7
I found it strange reading the Alison Nicholas autobiography, having known Ali for 30 years and indeed been present at many of the incidents reported. I recalled Ali’s “Are you going to shut it while I play my shot, or what?” to Betsy King and Beth Daniels as they talked when she was playing. I recalled the struggle for her first win, watching the US Open win on TV, way past midnight, the sunrise Solheim Cup service at St Pierre…
The book is a good read. Particularly interesting sections are the account of her journey from first picking up a golf club to becoming a professional, the battle to win a first tournament and the inside story of the Solheim Cup as player, vice-captain and captain and as winner and loser. Dealing with retirement as a player is also well dealt with.
A constant theme of the book – sensitively interwoven into her story – is her Christian faith. She describes how she came to faith and how the relationship with Jesus sustained her. As she writes, “It was important for me to make time for other things and not neglect my Christian work. If your career becomes all-consuming, then your quality of life often suffers.. Yes, winning the US Open was fabulous, but ultimately, I knew whether I had played well or badly made no difference to God as He wouldn’t differentiate between the US Open champion and the single mum down the road with five kids”.
Well worth reading.