I received a free copy of The Last Stand Of Payne Stewart from Net Gallery for an honest review.
Being a golf fan, I thought that I knew everything about Payne Stewart, but how wrong I was.
This book told you so many things about Payne that you would never read about in the newspapers.
He was a great family man and was beloved by his fellow golfers.
This is one of the best sports bios that I have ever read.

The Last Stand of Payne Stewart by Kevin Robbins was a great read. Payne Stewart was my favorite golfer. I was drawn to him years ago because of hIs plus fours and flat-top hat. I do not play golfer so a lot of the information was not information that I was familiar with but I learned as I read. This book shows how golf evolved while Payne Stewart was playing and even more so since his death. But Payne Stewart even changed and matured. He became a Christian and this plus his newfound peace became part of his legacy. Even in death, Payne Stewart is still a positive influence on others. I would definitely recommend this book to golfers, Payne Stewart fans and others that enjoy biographies.

I deeply enjoyed this book. Stewart was one of my favorite golfers growing up and this added a lot to his story, especially on a personal level. I read a lot of golf books and this is a tremendous one. As a leadership development instructor I saw a lot in this book to recommend it to those participating in my courses. I intend to add this to my recommended lists for the forseeable future. I work with a lot of CEO's, community leaders and generally people with outsized ego's and the lessons from Payne's life will likely touch a nerve.

My only complaint is that I wish some of the end notes (or at least the general message that this work was based on extensive first hand sources) were surfaced earlier. I found myself wondering the validity of some of the claims, particularly on the inner monologues of some of the featured individuals.

All in all tremendous, touching and educational read.

Payne Stewart was one of the most popular and most interesting people on the professional golf tour in the 1990’s. His tragic death in a plane crash in 1999, just weeks after being a member of the famous American Ryder Cup team that made an incredible comeback on the last day of matches to regain that award from the European team. Payne’s golf career and life are chronicled in this excellent book by Kevin Robbins.

While the format of the biography does follow Stewart’s life without much jumping around, what set this biography apart from others was partly Stewart’s very interesting career with its ups and downs and Robbins’ delicate manner in which he handles telling the story. Stewart was not an ordinary professional golfer. The most known aspect of his golf career was the headwear and plus four pants he wore on the course. It is not as well known why he wore these and this book tells the tale of Stewart’s father stating that in order to become famous, one must stand out. Payne took that advice to heart and his father was never far from his thoughts, something Robbins illustrates in a touching manner several times in the book.

As for Payne’s golf career (Robbins always calls him “Payne” in the book, never “Stewart”), its ups and downs are covered thoroughly in the book as well. Early on, even when Payne started achieving some success and eventually winning his first major tournament in 1991, he often came across as brash and even uncaring at times. It did lead to bouts of depression that he was able to overcome with the help of his wife Tracey. She is portrayed as the rock of their family as she was able to help Payne both on and off the course. I especially enjoyed reading about the putting drill she made Payne go through to work on that aspect of his game, as it is mentioned several times, including Payne’s most memorable and satisfying win, the 1999 US Open at Pinehurst #2.

Of course, the plane crash that took Payne’s life was covered in great detail as well. The book starts and ends with that event and no matter what aspect of that tragedy is discussed, it is told in the same manner as the rest of the important events in the life of Payne Stewart. They are told in a way that a reader will not only feel close to Payne and Tracey, but also that he or she is reading about a person who is truly HUMAN with all the highs and lows that all people experience but is also one that who is loved and whose loss is still being felt nearly 20 years after his death.

I wish to thank Hachette Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kevin Robbins (Harvey Penick, 2016) has written a painful yet necessary account on golfing icon, Payne Stewart, primarily around the 1999 season. Stewart overcomes the letdown of a golfing slump after early and often success, which many athletes do not survive, and reaches the pinnacle of the golfing world again. It seems almost instantly that as soon as his stardom returns, as well as a changed demeanor and reputation, tragedy strikes. Stewart’s sometimes brash and unspoken nature hid the true sentiment and character within, and his story will resonate with golf and sports’ fans around the globe.

Sublime Line: “For avid golf enthusiasts and readers who simply just love sports’ nonfiction, The Last Stand of Payne Stewart will touch your heart.”