A young boy is in love with the game of golf, but he doesn’t understand why. He has a natural talent and an enviable swing but playing the game well is not enough. There’s something missing.

When Jimmy, the homeless man who spends his days cheering on golfers from his usual sitting spot just off the 5th green at Old Elm Municipal Golf course goes missing, the young boy becomes curious. His quest uncovers Jimmy’s mysterious link to the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland and reveals a life in golf that not only fascinates but sends the boy on a personal journey to discover the magic of an ancient game and its deeper meaning for a young man doing his best to find his path in the world.

David W. Berner is the author of several works of memoir and fiction. His books have won awards from the Society of Midland Authors, the Chicago Writers Association, and the Eric Hoffer Book Prize. David spent a summer writing at the Jack Kerouac House in Orlando, Florida as the honored Writer-in-Residence and was later named the Writer-in-Residence at the Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Home in Oak Park, Illinois. He is also an award-winning broadcaster and journalist, and lives outside Chicago with his wife, Leslie and dog, Sam.
He learned the game of golf from his father on the narrow, hilly fairways of Western Pennsylvania.


David's first book, ACCIDENTAL LESSONS (Strategic) was awarded the Royal Dragonfly Grand Prize for Literature. In 2011, he was awarded the position of Writer-in-Residence at the Jack Kerouac Project in Orlando, Florida and his memoir – ANY ROAD WILL TAKE YOU THERE: A Journey of Fathers and Sons (Dream of Thing Publishing) – is a product of the three-months spent at Kerouac’s former home. The book won the Chicago Writers Association “Book of the Year” award in 2013. In 2015, David was awarded the Writer-in-Residence honor by the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park and his collection of essays, THERE’S A HAMSTER IN THE DASHBOARD (Dream of Things Publishing) was named a 2015 “Best Book” by the Chicago Book Review. His novel, A WELL-RESPECTED MAN was honored in 2018 by the Society of Midwest Authors.